{"id":15465,"date":"2021-09-20T13:15:22","date_gmt":"2021-09-20T17:15:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/?page_id=15465"},"modified":"2024-08-19T12:25:48","modified_gmt":"2024-08-19T16:25:48","slug":"sea-science-fall-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/sea-science-fall-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"Sea Science: The Ever-Expanding Brains of Atlantic Sharpnose Sharks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n<p>Over their lifetimes, some species occupy different environments and exhibit distinct life stages, known as \u201contogenetic shifts.\u201d The life histories of most sharks involve these ontogenetic shifts, which can include changes in habitat and diet, as well as behavioral changes at the onset of sexual maturity. In addition, fishes \u2014 including sharks \u2014 commonly experience indeterminate growth, whereby their bodies and organs grow throughout their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, very little work has been done to explore changes in the shark brain across life stages, which could provide insights into shifts both in sensory perception and behaviors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/09\/brain-sizes-.png\" data-fullsize=\"2620x1634\" data-zoom=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2620\" height=\"1634\" src=\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/09\/brain-sizes-.png\" alt=\"The brain of an Atlantic sharpnose shark, showing the regions that process smell (olfactory bulbs) and motor control (cerebellum) across life stages, including adulthood (far right). Scale: The vertical bar to the right of the adult brain equals 2 cm. Images adapted from Laforest et al. (2019). All rights reserved.\" class=\"wp-image-15534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/09\/brain-sizes-.png 2620w, https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/09\/brain-sizes--300x187.png 300w, https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/09\/brain-sizes--1024x639.png 1024w, https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/09\/brain-sizes--768x479.png 768w, https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/09\/brain-sizes--1536x958.png 1536w, https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/09\/brain-sizes--2048x1277.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The brain of an Atlantic sharpnose shark, showing the regions that process smell (olfactory bulbs) and motor control (cerebellum) across life stages, including adulthood (far right). Scale: The vertical bar to the right of the adult brain equals 2 cm. Images adapted from Laforest et al. (2019). All rights reserved.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We measured changes in overall brain size (relative to body size), as well as the proportion the brain occupies by major brain regions, throughout ontogeny, in the Atlantic sharpnose shark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As with other fishes, overall brain size grew significantly with body mass throughout the entire life of the Atlantic sharpnose shark, but most quickly during juvenile life stages. Brain regions also increased in size as well, but at different rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In particular, the regions of the brain that process odor cues (olfactory bulbs) and that are responsible for motor control (the cerebellum) occupied larger and larger proportions of total brain size as the animal matured. Changes in the relative size of the olfactory bulbs across life stages may reflect an increased reliance on smell at the later stages of life of Atlantic sharpnose sharks, while changes in the relative size of the cerebellum may be indicative of the ability to capture faster prey or an increase in the migratory nature of this species as it moves to offshore habitats with the onset of sexual maturity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/09\/sharpnose-underside-nostrils-noaa.png\" data-fullsize=\"1422x1770\" data-zoom=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1422\" height=\"1770\" src=\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/09\/sharpnose-underside-nostrils-noaa.png\" alt=\"The underside of a sharpnose shark, showing its nostrils. Credit: NOAA.\" class=\"wp-image-15536\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/09\/sharpnose-underside-nostrils-noaa.png 1422w, https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/09\/sharpnose-underside-nostrils-noaa-241x300.png 241w, https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/09\/sharpnose-underside-nostrils-noaa-823x1024.png 823w, https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/09\/sharpnose-underside-nostrils-noaa-768x956.png 768w, https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/09\/sharpnose-underside-nostrils-noaa-1234x1536.png 1234w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1422px) 100vw, 1422px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The underside of a sharpnose shark, showing its nostrils. Credit: NOAA.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Sharks have always had a reputation for having a keen sense of smell, but recent work from our lab also suggests that olfactory abilities may vary between shark species, in addition to changing during the lifespan of a single shark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because a shark\u2019s brain continues to grow as the animal ages, its brain is very \u201cplastic.\u201d This means that changes in the environment, including human-caused disturbances, could significantly alter normal patterns of brain development \u2014 and, thus, behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read the full study:<br>\u201c<span style=\"color: #0000ff\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1159\/000511304\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ontogenetic Shifts in Brain Size and Brain Organization in the Atlantic Sharpnose Shark<\/a><\/span>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Kara E. Yopak<\/strong>, from the Department of Biology and Marine Biology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, leads the \u201cUNCW ZoMBiE Lab\u201d (Zootomical Morphology of the Brain and its Evolution). The lab focuses on the evolution of the brain within and across sharks and their relatives, particularly the ways in which variation in brain size, structure, and cellular composition across species can inform complex behaviors and sensory specialization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Follow&nbsp;<span style=\"color: #0000ff\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/profsharkbrain?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@ProfSharkBrain<\/a><\/span> and<span style=\"color: #0000ff\"> <a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/YopakZoMBiELab\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@YopakZoMBiELab<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This story originally appeared on <span style=\"color: #0000ff\"><em><a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/hooklinescience\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HookLineScience.com<\/a><\/em><\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>lead photo: sharpnose shark, courtesy of NOAA.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-ncst-related-stories\"><h2 class=\"related-stories__label\">Related<\/h2><div class=\"ncst-component__related-stories-container\"><a \n      href=\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/magazine\/fall-2021\/\"\n      class=\"ncst-component__bold-link text-link\"\n                >\n    <span class=\"text\">Fall 2021 Issue<\/span><span class=\"arrow-indicator\"><svg class=\"wolficon wolficon-arrow-right-bold\" role=\"img\"  aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<use xlink:href=\"#wolficon-arrow-right-bold\">\n\t\t<\/svg><\/span>\n    <\/a>\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n","protected":false,"raw":"<!-- wp:ncst\/dynamic-header {\"block\":\"ncst\/default-immersive-post-header\"} -->\n<!-- wp:ncst\/default-immersive-post-header {\"backgroundColor\":\"custombg_one\",\"displayCategoryID\":644,\"subtitle\":\"This shark\u2019s brain never stops growing throughout its entire life, especially the regions responsible for motor control and sense of smell.\"} \/-->\n<!-- \/wp:ncst\/dynamic-header -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Over their lifetimes, some species occupy different environments and exhibit distinct life stages, known as \u201contogenetic shifts.\u201d The life histories of most sharks involve these ontogenetic shifts, which can include changes in habitat and diet, as well as behavioral changes at the onset of sexual maturity. In addition, fishes \u2014 including sharks \u2014 commonly experience indeterminate growth, whereby their bodies and organs grow throughout their lives.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>However, very little work has been done to explore changes in the shark brain across life stages, which could provide insights into shifts both in sensory perception and behaviors.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:image {\"id\":15534,\"align\":\"wide\",\"className\":\"alignnone\"} -->\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/09\/brain-sizes-.png\"><img src=\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/09\/brain-sizes-.png\" alt=\"The brain of an Atlantic sharpnose shark, showing the regions that process smell (olfactory bulbs) and motor control (cerebellum) across life stages, including adulthood (far right). Scale: The vertical bar to the right of the adult brain equals 2 cm. Images adapted from Laforest et al. (2019). All rights reserved.\" class=\"wp-image-15534\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The brain of an Atlantic sharpnose shark, showing the regions that process smell (olfactory bulbs) and motor control (cerebellum) across life stages, including adulthood (far right). Scale: The vertical bar to the right of the adult brain equals 2 cm. Images adapted from Laforest et al. (2019). All rights reserved.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<!-- \/wp:image -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>We measured changes in overall brain size (relative to body size), as well as the proportion the brain occupies by major brain regions, throughout ontogeny, in the Atlantic sharpnose shark.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>As with other fishes, overall brain size grew significantly with body mass throughout the entire life of the Atlantic sharpnose shark, but most quickly during juvenile life stages. Brain regions also increased in size as well, but at different rates.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>In particular, the regions of the brain that process odor cues (olfactory bulbs) and that are responsible for motor control (the cerebellum) occupied larger and larger proportions of total brain size as the animal matured. Changes in the relative size of the olfactory bulbs across life stages may reflect an increased reliance on smell at the later stages of life of Atlantic sharpnose sharks, while changes in the relative size of the cerebellum may be indicative of the ability to capture faster prey or an increase in the migratory nature of this species as it moves to offshore habitats with the onset of sexual maturity.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:image {\"id\":15536,\"align\":\"right\"} -->\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/09\/sharpnose-underside-nostrils-noaa.png\"><img src=\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2021\/09\/sharpnose-underside-nostrils-noaa.png\" alt=\"The underside of a sharpnose shark, showing its nostrils. Credit: NOAA.\" class=\"wp-image-15536\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The underside of a sharpnose shark, showing its nostrils. Credit: NOAA.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<!-- \/wp:image -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Sharks have always had a reputation for having a keen sense of smell, but recent work from our lab also suggests that olfactory abilities may vary between shark species, in addition to changing during the lifespan of a single shark.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Because a shark\u2019s brain continues to grow as the animal ages, its brain is very \u201cplastic.\u201d This means that changes in the environment, including human-caused disturbances, could significantly alter normal patterns of brain development \u2014 and, thus, behavior.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Read the full study:<br>\u201c<span style=\"color: #0000ff\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1159\/000511304\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ontogenetic Shifts in Brain Size and Brain Organization in the Atlantic Sharpnose Shark<\/a><\/span>\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><strong>Kara E. Yopak<\/strong>, from the Department of Biology and Marine Biology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, leads the \u201cUNCW ZoMBiE Lab\u201d (Zootomical Morphology of the Brain and its Evolution). The lab focuses on the evolution of the brain within and across sharks and their relatives, particularly the ways in which variation in brain size, structure, and cellular composition across species can inform complex behaviors and sensory specialization.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Follow&nbsp;<span style=\"color: #0000ff\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/profsharkbrain?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@ProfSharkBrain<\/a><\/span> and<span style=\"color: #0000ff\"> <a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/YopakZoMBiELab\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@YopakZoMBiELab<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>This story originally appeared on <span style=\"color: #0000ff\"><em><a style=\"color: #0000ff\" href=\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/hooklinescience\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HookLineScience.com<\/a><\/em><\/span>.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p><em>lead photo: sharpnose shark, courtesy of NOAA.<\/em><\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:ncst\/related-stories -->\n<div class=\"wp-block-ncst-related-stories\"><h2 class=\"related-stories__label\">Related<\/h2><div class=\"ncst-component__related-stories-container\"><!-- wp:ncst\/bold-link {\"url\":\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/magazine\/fall-2021\/\",\"text\":\"Fall 2021 Issue\"} -->\n<a href=\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/magazine\/fall-2021\/\" class=\"wp-block-ncst-bold-link ncst-component__bold-link text-link\" data-ua-cat=\"Bold Link Block\" data-ua-action=\"Bold Link Click\" data-ua-label=\"https:\/\/ncseagrant.ncsu.edu\/coastwatch\/magazine\/fall-2021\/\"><span class=\"text\">Fall 2021 Issue<\/span><span class=\"arrow-indicator\"><svg class=\"wolficon\" role=\"img\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><use xlink:href=\"#wolficon-arrow-right-bold\" \/><\/svg><\/span><\/a>\n<!-- \/wp:ncst\/bold-link --><\/div><\/div>\n<!-- \/wp:ncst\/related-stories -->"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This shark\u2019s brain never stops growing throughout its entire life, especially the regions responsible for motor control and sense of smell.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63,"featured_media":15535,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"views\/single-immersive.blade.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","ncst_custom_author":"Kara E. Yopak","ncst_show_custom_author":true,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-immersive-post-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"backgroundColor\":\"custombg_one\",\"displayCategoryID\":644,\"showAuthor\":true,\"showDate\":true,\"showFeaturedVideo\":false,\"subtitle\":\"This shark\u2019s brain never stops growing throughout its entire life, especially the regions responsible for motor control and sense of smell.\"}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[637,644,594],"tags":[],"_ncst_magazine_issue":[651],"class_list":["post-15465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-637","category-fall-2021","category-sharks"],"displayCategory":{"term_id":644,"name":"Fall 2021","slug":"fall-2021","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":645,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":637,"count":13,"filter":"raw"},"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - 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