The peripheral olfactory organ in the Greenland shark Somniosus microcephalus (Bloch and Schneider, 1801)

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event The peripheral olfactory organ in the Greenland shark Somniosus microcephalus (Bloch and Schneider, 1801) Sara Ferrando1, Lorenzo Gallus1, Laura Ghigliotti2, Marino Vacchi2, Julius Nielsen3, Jorgen S. Christiansen4 and Eva Pisano1* 1 University of Genova, Department of Earth, Environment and Life Science (DISTAV), Italy 2 CNR ISMAR GE, Italy 3 Københavns Universitet, Marinbiologisk Sektion, Denmark 4 Uit The Arctic University of Norway, Norway The Greenland shark Somniosus microcephalus (Bloch and Schneider, 1801) is the largest predatory fish in Arctic waters. The socio-economic significance of Greenland shark is demonstrated by its impact on the fishing cultures in Greenland, Scandinavia and Iceland for centuries. The fundamental biology and ecological role of Greenland shark, on the other hand, is virtually unknown. Although knowledge of its life history is limited, increasing evidence indicates that the Greenland shark may undertake long-distance migrations and perform vertical movements from the surface to the deep sea. It is an omnivorous species feeding on carrion and a wide variety of pelagic and bottom-dwelling organisms ranging from invertebrates to mammals, and including active species such as fishes and seals. Accordingly, Greenland shark should be recognized as a top predator, with a strong potential to influence the trophic dynamics of the Arctic marine ecosystem. The sensory biology of Greenland shark is scarcely studied, and considering the importance of olfaction in chemoreception, feeding and other behavioral traits, we examined the architecture of the peripheral olfactory organ where olfactory cues are received from the environment – the olfactory rosette. The structural organization of the olfactory rosette, in terms of histological features of the sensory epithelium, number of primary lamellae and total sensory surface area, provides a first proxy of the olfactory capability of Greenland shark. Based on own results and published studies, the overall morphology of the olfactory rosette is viewed in context of the functional and trophic ecology among other elasmobranch species. Acknowledgements Research supported by the PNRA (Italian Programme for Antarctic Research, Project 2013/AZ.1.11) and TUNU-Programme lead by the UiT The Arctic University of Norway Keywords: Greenland shark, Somniosus microcephalus, Olfactory rosette, Arctic Regions, Arctic fish, Arctic biodiversity Conference: XV European Congress of Ichthyology, Porto, Portugal, 7 Sep - 11 Sep, 2015. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Physiology, Behavior and Toxicology Citation: Ferrando S, Gallus L, Ghigliotti L, Vacchi M, Nielsen J, Christiansen JS and Pisano E (2015). The peripheral olfactory organ in the Greenland shark Somniosus microcephalus (Bloch and Schneider, 1801). Front. Mar. Sci. Conference Abstract: XV European Congress of Ichthyology. doi: 10.3389/conf.fmars.2015.03.00072 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 12 Nov 2015; Published Online: 12 Nov 2015. * Correspondence: Prof. Eva Pisano, University of Genova, Department of Earth, Environment and Life Science (DISTAV), Genoa, Italy, pisano@unige.it Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Sara Ferrando Lorenzo Gallus Laura Ghigliotti Marino Vacchi Julius Nielsen Jorgen S Christiansen Eva Pisano Google Sara Ferrando Lorenzo Gallus Laura Ghigliotti Marino Vacchi Julius Nielsen Jorgen S Christiansen Eva Pisano Google Scholar Sara Ferrando Lorenzo Gallus Laura Ghigliotti Marino Vacchi Julius Nielsen Jorgen S Christiansen Eva Pisano PubMed Sara Ferrando Lorenzo Gallus Laura Ghigliotti Marino Vacchi Julius Nielsen Jorgen S Christiansen Eva Pisano Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.