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Study Explores Shark Nose Shape, Size and Link to Sensitivity of Smell

Shark, Snout, Olfactory Organ, Shark Species, Sensitivity of Smell, diceCT Imaging, CT Scan

CT scan of a bonnethead shark (Sphyrna tiburo), with the rosettes highlighted in aqua. (Photo credit: Aubrey Clark and the 91制片厂 High School Owls Imaging Lab)


By gisele galoustian | 11/29/2022

Sharks have reputations as 鈥渟uper smellers鈥 that use olfaction to detect odors related to finding prey and mates, communicating with their own species and avoiding predators. Their olfactory system is unique because it is separate from the respiratory system, unlike humans. Sharks and other fish use gills to facilitate the uptake of oxygen, while two nares or nostrils on the shark鈥檚 head take in odors from the environment.

Despite general similarities among elasmobranch species鈥 (sharks, rays and skates) olfactory systems, the morphology or structure of their olfactory organ, or 鈥渞osette,鈥 differs substantially. Located in their snouts, the multi-lamellar (layered tissue) rosette is covered with both non-sensory and sensory tissue that responds to distinct odor molecules in an aquatic environment. The number, size and arrangement of lamellae differ among elasmobranch species, but the functional consequences for these differences are not fully understood.

Researchers have not yet been able to correlate organ size and complexity to odor sensitivity in teleosts (ray-finned fishes) nor elasmobranchs. Differences in sharks鈥 olfactory systems are of particular interest not only because of their reputation for having an incredible sense of smell but also because these remarkable animals have been around since before the dinosaurs. They somehow managed to thrive in every known marine habitat for millions of years 鈥 their sense of smell may have been key to their success.聽

Researchers from 91制片厂 are the first to quantify olfactory organ morphology by examining rosette shape and other internal structures among a diverse set of shark species using dissections, phylogenetic comparisons, and a fairly new technique, called diffusible iodine鈥恇ased contrast鈥恊nhanced computed tomography (diceCT) imaging.

Results, published in the Journal of Morphology, reveal that the organs did not change in shape or number of lamellae throughout the life stages, suggesting that olfaction is a key sensory modality throughout the life of elasmobranch fishes.聽

Overall, researchers found more lamellae in rosettes with an elongated shape than in organs with a short and wide shape. Phylogenetic analyses showed that 2D shape and lamellar count are critical to understanding rosette variations in unrelated species.

Researchers also used in situ values of rosette volume and 2D shape from diceCT to assess the impacts of dissection on morphological measurements. Rosette measurements from dissected organs did not differ significantly compared to those from CT scans, supporting the validity of both methods.

鈥淔rom our CT scans, we used raw data files that have 2D x-ray images. We then created 3D reconstructions to visualize the data. As such, we were able to examine the internal morphology from the top of the head to the tip of the snout from different angles,鈥 said Aubrey Clark, corresponding author and a doctoral student in 91制片厂鈥檚 Biomechanics Lab within the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. 鈥淭hink of this method as taking a stack of sticky notes and removing them one at a time to see the sticky note underneath. It is incredibly useful to help us understand the internal morphology in situ or as it exists naturally inside the shark because dissections can alter structures.鈥澛 聽

Among the species studied included the bonnethead sharks (S. tiburo) with rosettes that are narrow and elongated; the common thresher sharks (A. vulpinus) and shortfin mako sharks (I. oxyrinchus), which share similarities in their rosettes: a shape that is almost as wide as it is long, a thicker raphe, fewer lamellae and wider interlamellar distances; and blacktip sharks (C. limbatus) and Atlantic sharpnose sharks (R. terraenovae) with rosettes that are intermediate to the two aforementioned groups. Other members of the hammerhead shark family have long, thin olfactory organs, similar to the bonnethead shark.

鈥淭he shape and internal structure should be considered when characterizing olfactory rosettes in sharks in future studies because fineness ratio (2D shape) and lamellar number were the largest contributors to our phylogenetic analyses,鈥 said Marianne E. Porter, Ph.D., senior author and an associate professor, Department of Biological Sciences, 91制片厂鈥檚 Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. 鈥淒ata from our study also should be used to further investigate rosette variation among elasmobranch species by examining the hydrodynamics of the olfactory system with 3D models and quantifying the physiological impacts of flow on odorant binding.鈥

Study co-author is Tricia Meredith, Ph.D., director of research, 91制片厂鈥檚 A.D. Henderson University School and 91制片厂 High School, and an assistant research professor in 91制片厂鈥檚 College of Education.

Funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF, IOS鈥1941713) supported Porter.

CT scans of a bonnethead shark showing a dorsal (top) view and frontal view of the shark's head (rostrum). Video credit: Aubrey Clark and the 91制片厂 High School Owls Imaging Lab

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