Food Capture in Vertebrates: A Complex Integrative Performance of the Cranial and Postcranial Systems

Abstract

Prey-capture behavior is unique because in many vertebrates, it requires the coordination between cranial and postcranial functional systems, which are traditionally defined by their separate contributions to feeding and locomotor performance, respectively. Such coordination is referred to as functional integration. First, this chapter reviews the current state of knowledge regarding cranial–postcranial integration during prey-capture behavior in aquatic and terrestrial environments, including quantitative data demonstrating cranial–postcranial coordination unequivocally, and promising qualitative observations and reports that remain to be tested explicitly. The evidence for cranial–postcranial coordination during prey capture in vertebrates are presented to show that (1) integration is an important biological phenomenon occurring across environments and (2) differences in integration can be hypothesized across and within clades. Second, the perspectives for investigating cranial–postcranial integration and its variability within and across vertebrate clades are discussed to assess the role of cranial–postcranial integration in the evolution of feeding. In particular, future research on food capture is suggested to focus on the flexibility of coordination patterns in response to food properties, as well as the sensorimotor control of cranial–postcranial coordination. The goal of this chapter is to inspire and promote future research on integration in order to extend the concept of food capture, and feeding behavior in general, beyond the cranial system in a more holistic approach to function.