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Cited by 199Fish biology, ecology, and behaviorZebrafish Biomedical Research ApplicationsBiomimetic flight and propulsion mechanisms

A novel mechanism for mechanosensory-based rheotaxis in larval zebrafish

Open access
Oteiza, Pablo, Odstrcil, Iris, Lauder, George, Portugues, Ruben, Engert, Florian·2017·Nature
DOI 10.1038/nature23014PMC PMC5873946
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Abstract

When flying or swimming, animals must adjust their own movement to compensate for displacements induced by the flow of the surrounding air or water. These flow-induced displacements can most easily be detected as visual whole-field motion with respect to the animal's frame of reference. Despite this, many aquatic animals consistently orient and swim against oncoming flows (a behaviour known as rheotaxis) even in the absence of visual cues. How animals achieve this task, and its underlying sensory basis, is still unknown. Here we show that, in the absence of visual information, larval zebrafish (Danio rerio) perform rheotaxis by using flow velocity gradients as navigational cues. We present behavioural data that support a novel algorithm based on such local velocity gradients that fish use to avoid getting dragged by flowing water. Specifically, we show that fish use their mechanosensory lateral line to first sense the curl (or vorticity) of the local velocity vector field to detect the presence of flow and, second, to measure its temporal change after swim bouts to deduce flow direction. These results reveal an elegant navigational strategy based on the sensing of flow velocity gradients and provide a comprehensive behavioural algorithm, also applicable for robotic design, that generalizes to a wide range of animal behaviours in moving fluids.

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Crossref · 10.1038/nature23014

Cites

28 of 28 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • In a virtual river, simZFish's artificial embodied neural circuits enabled it to swim against a virtual water flow, performing rheotaxis.

    “Furthermore, when experiencing a virtual river, simZFish’s artificial embodied neural circuits enabled it to swim against a virtual water flow, performing a behavior known as rheotaxis (20).”

    From Artificial embodied circuits uncover neural architectures of vertebrate visuomotor behaviors (2025) · cites this paper as [20]

    The Modeling section and Extended Data Fig. 5 describe a modeled fish performing rheotaxis in a virtual flow field. They describe a simulated particle following a behavioral algorithm, not simZFish or artificial embodied neural circuits; that part of the claim is unsupported. (LLM, conf=0.90)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • When initialized with different heading directions, simZFish eventually oriented its heading direction against the flow, performing rheotaxis, as observed in real fish maintaining position in rivers.

    “When initialized with different heading directions, simZFish eventually oriented its heading direction against the flow, performing rheotaxis, as observed in real fish maintaining position in rivers (20).”

    From Artificial embodied circuits uncover neural architectures of vertebrate visuomotor behaviors (2025) · cites this paper as [20]

    The Abstract reports that real larval zebrafish oriented and swam against water flow in a laboratory tube, and that their ability to hold position improved with stronger flow gradients. It does not report observing fish maintain position in rivers; its discussion of small rivers concerns where the proposed mechanism might apply. The simZFish result is the citing authors’ own result, not a finding attributed to this source. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • These visuomotor computations can compensate for water current-induced displacement, especially where mechanosensory information from the lateral line organ is not reliable.

    “In principle, this suggests that these visuomotor computations can compensate for water current-induced displacement, especially in situations where mechanosensory information from the lateral line organ is not reliable (20).”

    From Artificial embodied circuits uncover neural architectures of vertebrate visuomotor behaviors (2025) · cites this paper as [20]

    The paper’s Abstract says flow-induced displacement is readily detectable as visual whole-field motion, and explains that a fish in a homogeneous current cannot detect the flow without cues from an external frame of reference. It does not establish that the particular visuomotor computations in the citing sentence compensate for displacement, or test their use when lateral-line information is unreliable. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • The simZFish circuits are, in principle, sufficient to drive visually guided rheotaxis without other sensory input.

    “Whereas multiple sensory modalities play a role in rheotaxis (20, 36), we demonstrate that the simZFish circuits are, in principle, sufficient to drive visually guided rheotaxis without other sensory input.”

    From Artificial embodied circuits uncover neural architectures of vertebrate visuomotor behaviors (2025) · cites this paper as [20]

  • This flow sensing ability is important for evading predators, homing, and rheotaxis.

    “This flow sensing ability is important for evading predators50, homing51, and rheotaxis11,52,53.”

    From Sensing flow gradients is necessary for learning autonomous underwater navigation (2025) · cites this paper as [11]

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Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. [15]Berg H Radom walks in biology Princeton, NJ Princeton Univ. Press 1993
  2. [18]Tritton D Physical fluid dynamics 18–25 277 Clarendon Press 1988

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Related

Authors
Oteiza, P., Odstrcil, I., Lauder, G., Portugues, R., & Engert, F.
Affiliations
Harvard University (US)
Corresponding author
Engert, Florian
ORCID
Venue
Nature
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2017-07-12
Volume
547
Issue
7664
Pages
445-448
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
DOI
10.1038/nature23014
PMC
PMC5873946
OpenAlex
W2734756181
Cited by
199
References
28
Citations by year
2026: 27 · 2025: 22 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 22 · 2022: 23 · 2021: 31 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 5
FWCI
12.90
Type
journal article
Language
en
Update notices
erratum (2017-09-14)
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (U01NS090449, DP1NS082121, R24NS086601)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Fish biology, ecology, and behavior
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Zebrafish Biomedical Research Applications
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Aerospace Engineering › Biomimetic flight and propulsion mechanisms
Keywords
rheotaxis, zebrafish larvae, lateral line, flow velocity gradient, flow direction sensing
MeSH terms
Algorithms, Animals, Cues, Larva, Orientation, Photic Stimulation, Rheology, Robotics, Zebrafish, Mechanotransduction, Cellular

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