Date of Award

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Levell, Samantha

Area of Concentration

Marine Biology

Abstract

Sensory systems play a crucial role in how fish respond to the environment, however variation in these systems are not well studied. This study examined how ecological factors influence neuromast morphology and distribution in the least killifish, Heterandria formosa. I tested the hypothesis that individuals from low density, high predation, low vegetation environments would show larger neuromast number and size than fish from high density, low predation, high vegetation populations. Neuromasts were stained and imaged in 140 fish, 10 males and 10 females from 7 different populations from northwest Florida. I stained the neuromasts using 4-Di-2-ASP and used a fluorescent microscope to image the neuromasts. Counts and size measurements were analyzed using mixed-effects models. Neuromast number differed significantly across ecological regimes with individuals from high density, low predation, high vegetation showing about 50% more neuromasts than fish from low density, high predation, low vegetation populations. These results indicate that sensory systems vary in response to environmental complexity. This study provides new evidence that population level variation occurs in the lateral line of H. formosa and emphasizes the importance of ecological factors in the shaping of mechanosensory systems.

Rights

The author has granted New College of Florida the nonexclusive right to archive, make accessible, and distribute for educational purposes this work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The copyright of this work remains with the author.

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