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electric field
Also known as: electric field, electric fields
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Electroreception and electrogenesis - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org 9 facts
referenceKenneth C. Catania authored 'Electric Eels Concentrate Their Electric Field to Induce Involuntary Fatigue in Struggling Prey', published in Current Biology in October 2015.
claimIn passive electrolocation, animals detect objects such as prey by sensing the electric fields those objects create.
claimIn active electrolocation, fish generate a weak electric field and sense distortions in that field caused by objects that conduct or resist electricity.
claimH.W. Lissmann demonstrated in 1950 that certain fish produce a variable electric field and react to changes in the electric field around them.
claimElectric fields generated by fish are classified as 'weak' if they are sufficient only for detecting prey, and 'strong' if they are powerful enough to stun or kill prey.
claimActive electrolocation involves an animal generating weak electric fields through electrogenesis and detecting distortions in those fields using electroreceptor organs.
claimFish generate electric fields via ion pumps associated with osmoregulation at the gill membrane, which are modulated by the movement of the mouth and gill slits.
claimElectroreception is the biological ability to perceive electrical stimuli, while electrogenesis is the biological ability to generate electric fields.
claimThe electric eel locates prey by generating a weak electric field and then discharging its electric organs strongly to stun the prey, whereas the electric ray uses passive electrolocation.
Comparable Ages for the Independent Origins of Electrogenesis in ... journals.plos.org 6 facts
claimElectroreception is defined as the ability to sense weak electric fields.
claimH.W. Lissmann reasoned that minimizing body axis bending would have been an advantage in the early evolution of active electrolocation because it would reduce amplitude modulations in local electric fields that might have confounded the detection of objects.
claimThe ability to sense low-frequency, passive electric fields preceded the evolution of electrogenesis in Gymnotiformes and Mormyroidea.
claimThe Gymnotiformes (South American weakly electric fishes) and the Mormyroidea (African weakly electric fishes) independently evolved complex systems for object localization and communication via the generation and reception of weak electric fields, representing a case of convergent evolution.
claimAmpullary electroreceptors, which are tuned to passively produced, low-frequency electric fields, are found in non-teleost aquatic craniates, including jawless craniates (lampreys) and ancient fishes such as chondrichthyans, coelacanths, and sturgeons.
claimIn Gymnotiformes and Mormyroidea, electric organs and tuberous electroreceptors facilitate electrical communication and active electrolocation, where objects are located and sensed via distortions in self-generated electric fields.
Editorial: Recent Advances in Electroreception and Electrogeneration frontiersin.org 5 facts
claimElectric eels utilize weak electric fields to sense their environment and strong electric fields as a weapon to stun and capture prey.
claimThe discovery that some electric fish use generated electric fields to detect objects and communicate with conspecifics occurred in the late 1950s, as reported by Lissmann and Machin in 1958 and Lissmann in 1958.
claimWhen two electric fish are in close proximity, interference between their electric fields creates a jamming signal that hinders the animal's ability to electrolocate relevant stimuli like prey or object boundaries, as described by Ramcharitar et al. (2005).
claimElectric eels adapt the characteristics of their strong electric fields for different behavioral contexts, including stunning prey and self-defense, as reviewed by Catania.
claimElectric eels use their strong electric fields to track prey, a function previously thought to be achieved exclusively through weak electric fields.
[PDF] 12 Electroreception and Electrogenesis userweb.ucs.louisiana.edu 2 facts
Critique of Panpsychism: Philosophical Coherence and Scientific ... thequran.love May 7, 2025 1 fact
claimPanpsychists compare the relationship between physical and experiential aspects to the relationship between an electron’s charge and its electric field behavior, where both are different descriptions of the same reality rather than separate causes.
(PDF) Electroreception, electrogenesis and electric signal evolution researchgate.net 1 fact
claimElectroreception is defined as the capacity to detect external underwater electric fields using specialised receptors and is a phylogenetically widespread sensory modality.
AI Sessions #9: The Case Against AI Consciousness (with Anil Seth) conspicuouscognition.com Feb 17, 2026 1 fact
claimNick Lane at University College London (UCL) conducts research on mitochondria, the mechanisms of anaesthetics, and how electric fields generated within mitochondria might integrate to provide a global signal regarding an organism's physiological state.
Electroreception, electrogenesis and electric signal evolution - ADS ui.adsabs.harvard.edu 1 fact
claimElectroreception is a phylogenetically widespread sensory modality in fishes and amphibians that allows for the detection of external underwater electric fields using specialized receptors.
[PDF] The ecology of electricity and electroreception research-information.bris.ac.uk 1 fact
claimElectrogenesis, defined as the biological production of an electric field, is performed by modified muscle and nerve tissues in both strongly and weakly electric fish.