Guilherme M von Montfort, John H Costello, Sean P Colin, André C Morandini, Alvaro E Migotto, Maximiliano M Maronna, Marcelo Reginato, Hiroshi Miyake, Renato M Nagata
Ephyrae, the early stages of scyphozoan jellyfish, possess a conserved morphology among species. However, ontogenetic transitions lead to morphologically different shapes among scyphozoan lineages, with important consequences for swimming biomechanics, bioenergetics and ecology. We used high-speed imaging to analyse biomechanical and kinematic variables of swimming in 17 species of Scyphozoa (1 Coronatae, 8 "Semaeostomeae" and 8 Rhizostomeae) at different developmental stages. Swimming kinematics of early ephyrae were similar, in general, but differences related to major lineages emerged through development...
June 16, 2023: Scientific Reports