Plaice resting on the bottom of a flume respond to the current with a clearly defined pattern of behaviour. A simple hydrodynamic model which relates the slip-speed (Us) and lift-off speed (UL) to the physical forces acting on the fish has been verified experimentally using freshly killed fish and a rigid model. With an asymmetric semi-ellipsoid shape and a fineness ratio of 14 the plaice appears to be morphologically adapted to have minimum drag when heading into the current. As a result of this streamlined shape the lift force experienced by the fish is 10-20 times greater than the drag force, and the rheotactic behaviour therefore appears to be principally adapted to counteract hydrodynamic lift. Values of Us and UL, above which live fish must expend energy against the current, are exceeded for much of each tidal cycle in the southern North Sea. The model is of general application to benthic organisms in flowing water for Reynolds numbers between 104 and 106; outside these limits some modification of the constants is required.
In the field: an interview with Harald Wolf
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In our new Conversation, Harald Wolf talks about his fieldwork experiences working with desert ants in Tunisia to understand their navigation.
Propose a new Workshop
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Our Workshops bring together leading experts and early-career researchers from a range of scientific backgrounds. Applications are now open to propose Workshops for 2024, one of which will be held in a Global South country.
Julian Dow steps down and John Terblanche joins the JEB team
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After 15 years with the journal, Julian Dow from University of Glasgow, UK, is stepping down as a Monitoring Editor. We wish Julian all the best for the future and welcome John Terblanche, Stellenbosch University, South Africa, who is joining the team. Julian talks about his long association with The Company of Biologists and the journal and John tells us about his life and career in this News article.
The capture of crude oil droplets by filter feeders at high and low Reynolds numbers
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Researchers from the University of Montreal, Canada, reveal how tiny filter feeding barnacles and Daphnia entrap and consume minute droplets of crude oil, introducing the pollutant at the bottom of the food chain.
Patterns and processes in amphibious fish
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In their Review, Keegan Lutek, Cassandra Donatelli and Emily Standen discuss the biomechanics and neural control of terrestrial locomotion in amphibious fish. They explore how locomotor mode depends on body shape, physical constraints and phylogeny.
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