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Volumetric analysis of brain areas indicates a shift in sensory orientation during development in the deep-sea grenadier Coryphaenoides armatus

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Abstract

Absolute and relative volumes of four sensory areas (olfactory bulb, optic tectum, octavolateral area, gustatory area) and two integration centers (telencephalon, cerebellum) were determined in 39 specimens of the demersal grenadier Coryphaenoides armatus from early postmetamorphic stages to adulthood (94–900 mm total length). The relative volume of the optic tectum decreased and the relative volume of the olfactory bulb increased up to a total length of about 500 mm (corresponding to a total weight of about 1 kg) and remained constant subsequently, whereas the relative volumes of the octavolateral and gustatory areas were unchanged during growth. The developmental switch in sensory orientation from vision to olfaction is associated with changes in behavior recorded in lander experiments and feeding strategies based on head morphology and stomach content.

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Fig 1A–H.
Fig. 2A–G.

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Acknowledgements

The project was financially supported by the DFG (Wa 348/22-2), and indirectly by the British NERC (GR3/12789) through an invitation to participate in the "Discovery" cruises. I am indebted to M.A. Collins and I.G. Priede (Aberdeen) for organizing and coordinating the work on board ship as PSO, and to the masters and crews of R.R.S. "Discovery" for highly competent nautical work. U. Mattheus and B. Hirt helped with the capture of some fish and the graphics.

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  1. Graduate School of Neural and Behavioural Sciences and Max Planck Research School, Anatomisches Institut, Universität Tübingen, Österbergstrasse 3, 72074, Tübingen, Germany

    H.-J. Wagner

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Correspondence to H.-J. Wagner.

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Communicated by O. Kinne, Oldendorf/Luhe

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Wagner, HJ. Volumetric analysis of brain areas indicates a shift in sensory orientation during development in the deep-sea grenadier Coryphaenoides armatus . Marine Biology 142, 791–797 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-002-0990-7

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