Abstract:
Understanding lateral line function requires a background of lateral line anatomy combined with carefully crafted behavioral and neurophysiological studies. This combination, called neuroethology, provides the best insight into how an unfamiliar sensory system generates biologically useful information, and how this information guides behavior. The lateral line is implicated in a wide range of behavioral abilities, including movement and predation. Studies show a degree of division of labor, not only between different submodalities of the system, but also between the lateral line and other senses, and provide insight into the nature of effective hydrodynamic stimuli, stimulus encoding, and central information processing.