J R Soc Interface
January 2024
Zebrafish, an essential vertebrate model, has greatly expanded our understanding of hearing. However, one area that remains unexplored is the biomechanics of the Weberian apparatus, crucial for sound conduction and perception. Using micro-computed tomography (μCT) bioimaging, we created three-dimensional finite element models of the zebrafish Weberian ossicles.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFinite element analysis (FEA) is no longer a new technique in the fields of palaeontology, anthropology, and evolutionary biology. It is nowadays a well-established technique within the virtual functional-morphology toolkit. However, almost all the works published in these fields have only applied the most basic FEA tools .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe radula, a chitinous membrane with embedded tooth rows, is the molluscan autapomorphy for feeding. The morphologies, arrangements and mechanical properties of teeth can vary between taxa, which is usually interpreted as adaptation to food. In previous studies, we proposed about trophic and other functional specialisations in taenioglossan radulae from species of African paludomid gastropods.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMolluscs are a highly successful group of invertebrates characterised by a specialised feeding organ called the radula. The diversity of this structure is associated with distinct feeding strategies and ecological niches. However, the precise function of the radula (each tooth type and their arrangement) remains poorly understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe zebrafish Weberian apparatus is an emerging model for human conductive hearing system. Their Weberian apparatus comprises minute bones and ligamentary links, and conducts sound pressure transmission from the gas bladder to inner ear through four pairs of Weberian ossicles along the vertebral column. We herein present a methodological study using MicroCT to image the Weberian apparatus for biomechanical and morphological analysis.
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