Dataset for: Inherent instability leads to high costs of hovering in near-neutrally buoyant fishes

Hovering, the ability to maintain a stationary position in fluid, is essential for many fish species during prey capture, habitat exploration, and mating. While traditionally assumed to be energetically inexpensive for fishes with a swim bladder, the metabolic costs and morphological factors influencing postural stability during hovering remain poorly understood. Hovering requires fishes to counteract small instabilities in position and orientation, often through continuous adjustments using their fins and body. To examine the energetic consequences of this active stabilization, we measured body posture, fin kinematics, and metabolic rates in 13 near-neutrally buoyant fish species during both hovering and resting. Our results show that hovering nearly doubles metabolic rates compared to resting, and species with greater separation between the center of mass and center of buoyancy and increased caudal fin activity exhibit higher energetic costs. In contrast, species with more posteriorly..., , , # Dataset for: Inherent instability leads to high costs of hovering in near-neutrally buoyant fishes

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.9cnp5hqw7](10.5061/dryad.9cnp5hqw7)

## Description of the data and file structure

This dataset supports the manuscript \"Inherent instability leads to high costs of hovering in near-neutrally buoyant fishes,\" by Di Santo et al., which investigates the energetic and biomechanical costs of hovering across 13 species of near-neutrally buoyant fishes.

Experimental Overview: Data were collected using a combination of respirometry, high-speed video, and morphometric analysis. Fish were placed in flow tanks where their oxygen consumption was measured during rest and while hovering. Simultaneously, body posture and fin movements were recorded and analyzed with high-speed cameras. Morphological measurements were used to estimate the spatial relationship between the center of mass (COM) and the center of buoyancy (COB), as well as to calculate fin positions and body ...,

悬停（Hovering）是指在流体中维持静止位置的能力，对诸多鱼类的捕食、栖息地探索与交配行为而言至关重要。传统认知中，具有鳔（swim bladder）的鱼类悬停时的能量消耗被认为极低，但影响悬停过程中姿势稳定性的代谢成本与形态学因素，目前仍未得到充分研究。悬停过程要求鱼类抵消位置与朝向的微小不稳定，通常需通过鳍与身体的持续调整来实现。为探究此类主动稳定行为的能量代价，我们对13种近中性浮力鱼类在悬停与静息状态下的身体姿势、鳍运动学（fin kinematics）及代谢速率（metabolic rates）进行了测量。研究结果显示，悬停时的代谢速率较静息状态提升近一倍；且重心与浮心间距越大、尾鳍活动越强的物种，其能量消耗越高。与之相反，拥有更靠后……, , , # 对应研究：近中性浮力鱼类的固有不稳定性导致悬停高能耗

数据集DOI：[10.5061/dryad.9cnp5hqw7](10.5061/dryad.9cnp5hqw7)

## 数据与文件结构说明
本数据集支撑Di Santo等人的研究论文《近中性浮力鱼类的固有不稳定性导致悬停高能耗》，该研究针对13种近中性浮力鱼类，探究了其悬停过程中的能量与生物力学成本。

实验概述：本实验结合呼吸代谢测定法（respirometry）、高速摄像（high-speed video）与形态测量分析（morphometric analysis）完成数据采集。将鱼类放置于流水水槽中，测量其静息与悬停状态下的耗氧量。同时通过高速摄像机记录并分析其身体姿势与鳍部运动。形态测量被用于估算重心（center of mass, COM）与浮心（center of buoyancy, COB）的空间关系，并计算鳍部位置与身体……