University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Mechanically constrained stereotypy in agonid escape responses

Feiler, Avalon

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132681

Description

Title
Mechanically constrained stereotypy in agonid escape responses
Author(s)
Feiler, Avalon
Issue Date
2025-12-02
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Anderson, Philip
Committee Member(s)
  • Fuller, Becky
  • Tan, Milton
Department of Study
Evolution Ecology Behavior
Discipline
Biology
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Level
Thesis
Keyword(s)
  • biomechanics
  • armor
Abstract
In armor design, there is often a trade-off between protection and mobility—a balance that may influence the evolution of biological armor. In this study, I investigated whether the distinctive bony armor plates of Agonid fishes, specifically that of the grey starsnout poacher (Bathyagonus alascanus), impose mechanical constraints on movement. Focusing on the C-start escape response, I used high-speed video to quantify maximum body curvature and changes in lateral body length during the behavior. To connect scale morphology to flexibility, I measured the length of adjacent lateral scales from micro-computed tomography (µCT) scans of bent and straight specimens. The resulting bent-to-straight length (BSL) ratio served as a proxy for lateral surface compression and closely matched the lateral length changes observed in C-start trials. These findings suggest that flexibility is plausibly constrained by scale morphology, contributing to stereotyped escape responses, although the fish rarely use their full bending capacity.
Graduation Semester
2025-12
Type of Resource
Thesis
Handle URL
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132681
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2025 Avalon Feiler

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