Work that body: fin and body movements determine herbivore feeding performance within the natural reef environment

An underwater video system, positioned on the algal turf, was comprised of two high speed cameras and a synchronized force transducer. The system allowed the 3D tracking of the movements of the fish’s body, fins and mouth during feeding, while simultaneously measuring the forces they exerted on a feeding plate naturally colonized by turf algae. We focused on two species of Acanthuridae, Zebrasoma xanthurum and Zebrasoma desjardinii