Date Thesis Awarded
5-2009
Access Type
Honors Thesis -- Access Restricted On-Campus Only
Degree Name
Bachelors of Science (BS)
Department
Biology
Advisor
S. Laurie Sanderson
Committee Members
Gregory M. Capelli
Paul D. Heideman
James E. Perry
Abstract
American shad, Alosa sapidissima, is a species of anadromous suspension-feeding fish native to the east coast of North America. Past studies of the oral cavity of American shad have not taken into consideration both the microscopic and macroscopic morphology, and have focused on a specific region of the mouth. This study differs by providing an overview of the entire oral cavity, including all four gill arches, medial and lateral rakers, and the pre-esophageal tissue. Macroscopic examination and photography are coupled with scanning electron microscopy to develop a comprehensive understanding of oral cavity structure. Based on the structure of the filtration apparatus, hypotheses for filtration models such as crossflow filtration and dead-end sieving are evaluated. Suggestions for further study are proposed to explore questions raised regarding the functional morphology and the mechanisms of filtration in the American shad.
Recommended Citation
Storm, Timothy James, "Oral Morphology of the Suspension-feeding American Shad, Alosa sapidissima" (2009). Undergraduate Honors Theses. William & Mary. Paper 252.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/252
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Comments
Thesis is part of Honors ETD pilot project, 2008-2013. Migrated from Dspace in 2016.