Structure, development and function of the branchial sieve of the common bream, Abramis brama, white bream, Blicca bjoerkna and roach, Rutilus rutilus

• Published in: Environmental biology of fishes Vol. 33; no. 1; pp. 105 - 124
• Main Authors: Berg, C. van den (Landbouwuniversiteit Wageningen (Netherlands). Vakgroep Experimentele Diermorfologie en Celbiologie), Sibbing, F.A, Osse, J.W.M, Hoogenboezem, W
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: 1992
• Subjects: ABRAMIS; Abramis brama; ANATOMIA ANIMAL; ANATOMIE ANIMALE; ANIMAL MORPHOLOGY; Blicca bjoerkna; CONSOMMATION D'ENERGIE; CONSUMO DE ENERGIA; Cyprinidae; CYPRINOIDEI; ENERGY CONSUMPTION; Experimental Animal Morphology and Cell Biology; Experimentele diermorfologie en celbiologie; FEED INTAKE; Freshwater; INGESTION DE PIENSO; PRISE ALIMENTAIRE (ANIMAUX); RUTILUS; Rutilus rutilus
• ISSN: 0378-1909; 1573-5133
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00002558

The filter feeding organ of cyprinid fishes is the branchial sieve, which consists of a mesh formed by gill rakers and tiny channels on the gill arches. In order to establish its possible role during growth the following morphological gill raker parameters were measured over a range of sizes in three cyprinid fishes, bream, white bream and roach:inter raker distance, bony raker length, raker width, cushion length and channel width. In the "comb model" of filter feeding the inter raker distance is considered to be a direct measure of the mesh size and retention ability (= minimal size of prey that can be retained) of a filter. For the three species under study there is a conflict between the comb model and experimental data on particle retention. A new model, the "channel model" has been developed for common bream.