Turning is an ecologically important maneuver in fishes as it is used in prey detection, predator avoidance, and to navigate complex environments. Fishes with traditional control surfaces primarily use body bending and pectoral fins to turn. However, little is known about how fishes with atypical control surfaces facilitate turning. This study investigated the weakly electric Black ghost knifefish (Apteronotus albifrons: Apteronotidae) with an atypical control surface, namely a ribbon fin. To investigate how a fish with an atypical control surface performs turning maneuvers, A. albifrons was filmed performing small and large turns and during steady swimming using high speed videography. 3D kinematic analysis of the body, pectoral fins, and ribbon fin revealed that pitch angle, ribbon fin amplitude, and asynchronous movements of the pectoral fins dominated steady swimming while ribbon fin wavelength, frequency, wave speed, and pectoral fin flapping frequency contributed to both small and large turns. Digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) showed that the ribbon fin generates larger counter rotating vortices during turning than is produced during steady swimming. All three control surfaces contributed to steady swimming and large turns while small turns relied mostly on movements of the pectoral and ribbon fins. Given the contribution of the ribbon fin during small and large turns in A. albifrons, the role of atypical control surfaces is likely more important than previously assumed.
","abstract_html":"<p>Turning is an ecologically important maneuver in fishes as it is used in prey detection, predator avoidance, and to navigate complex environments. Fishes with traditional control surfaces primarily use body bending and pectoral fins to turn. However, little is known about how fishes with atypical control surfaces facilitate turning. This study investigated the weakly electric Black ghost knifefish (<em>Apteronotus albifrons</em>: Apteronotidae) with an atypical control surface, namely a ribbon fin. To investigate how a fish with an atypical control surface performs turning maneuvers, <em>A. albifrons</em> was filmed performing small and large turns and during steady swimming using high speed videography. 3D kinematic analysis of the body, pectoral fins, and ribbon fin revealed that pitch angle, ribbon fin amplitude, and asynchronous movements of the pectoral fins dominated steady swimming while ribbon fin wavelength, frequency, wave speed, and pectoral fin flapping frequency contributed to both small and large turns. Digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) showed that the ribbon fin generates larger counter rotating vortices during turning than is produced during steady swimming. All three control surfaces contributed to steady swimming and large turns while small turns relied mostly on movements of the pectoral and ribbon fins. Given the contribution of the ribbon fin during small and large turns in <em>A. albifrons</em>, the role of atypical control surfaces is likely more important than previously assumed.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Hawkins, Olivia"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in Integrative Biology (MSIB)","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Biology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Thomas McElroy","Lisa Ganser"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-04-22T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2021-04-22T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:43:51Z","subjects":["maneuverability","knifefish","biomechanics","fluid dynamics","Biology","Integrative Biology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/integrbiol_etd/61","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Thomas McElroy","Lisa Ganser"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Hawkins, Olivia"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2021-05-11T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Biology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in Integrative Biology (MSIB)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["maneuverability","knifefish","biomechanics","fluid dynamics","Biology","Integrative Biology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/integrbiol_etd/61"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Turning is an ecologically important maneuver in fishes as it is used in prey detection, predator avoidance, and to navigate complex environments. Fishes with traditional control surfaces primarily use body bending and pectoral fins to turn. However, little is known about how fishes with atypical control surfaces facilitate turning. This study investigated the weakly electric Black ghost knifefish (Apteronotus albifrons: Apteronotidae) with an atypical control surface, namely a ribbon fin. To investigate how a fish with an atypical control surface performs turning maneuvers, A. albifrons was filmed performing small and large turns and during steady swimming using high speed videography. 3D kinematic analysis of the body, pectoral fins, and ribbon fin revealed that pitch angle, ribbon fin amplitude, and asynchronous movements of the pectoral fins dominated steady swimming while ribbon fin wavelength, frequency, wave speed, and pectoral fin flapping frequency contributed to both small and large turns. Digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) showed that the ribbon fin generates larger counter rotating vortices during turning than is produced during steady swimming. All three control surfaces contributed to steady swimming and large turns while small turns relied mostly on movements of the pectoral and ribbon fins. Given the contribution of the ribbon fin during small and large turns in A. albifrons, the role of atypical control surfaces is likely more important than previously assumed.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The contribution of the pectoral fins, body, and the ribbon fin to turning maneuvers of a gymnotiform swimmer"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Thomas McElroy","Lisa Ganser"],"dc:creator":["Hawkins, Olivia"],"dc:date.available":["2021-05-11T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Turning is an ecologically important maneuver in fishes as it is used in prey detection, predator avoidance, and to navigate complex environments. Fishes with traditional control surfaces primarily use body bending and pectoral fins to turn. However, little is known about how fishes with atypical control surfaces facilitate turning. This study investigated the weakly electric Black ghost knifefish (Apteronotus albifrons: Apteronotidae) with an atypical control surface, namely a ribbon fin. To investigate how a fish with an atypical control surface performs turning maneuvers, A. albifrons was filmed performing small and large turns and during steady swimming using high speed videography. 3D kinematic analysis of the body, pectoral fins, and ribbon fin revealed that pitch angle, ribbon fin amplitude, and asynchronous movements of the pectoral fins dominated steady swimming while ribbon fin wavelength, frequency, wave speed, and pectoral fin flapping frequency contributed to both small and large turns. Digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV) showed that the ribbon fin generates larger counter rotating vortices during turning than is produced during steady swimming. All three control surfaces contributed to steady swimming and large turns while small turns relied mostly on movements of the pectoral and ribbon fins. Given the contribution of the ribbon fin during small and large turns in A. albifrons, the role of atypical control surfaces is likely more important than previously assumed.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/integrbiol_etd/61"],"dc:subject":["maneuverability","knifefish","biomechanics","fluid dynamics","Biology","Integrative Biology"],"dc:title":["The contribution of the pectoral fins, body, and the ribbon fin to turning maneuvers of a gymnotiform swimmer"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Biology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in Integrative Biology (MSIB)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:43:51Z"}