Axial undulations in fishes are powered by a series of three-dimensionally folded myomeres separated by sheets of connective tissue, the myosepta. Myosepta have been hypothesized to function as transmitters of muscular forces to axial structures during swimming, but the difficulty of studying these delicate complex structures has precluded a more complete understanding of myoseptal mechanics. We have developed a new combination of techniques for visualizing the three-dimensional morphology of myosepta, and here we present their collagen-fibre architecture based on examination of 62 species representing all of the major clades of notochordates. In all gnathostome fishes, each myoseptum bears a set of six specifically arranged tendons. Because these tendons are not present outside the gnathostomes (i.e. they are absent from lampreys, hagfishes and lancelets), they represent evolutionary novelties of the gnathostome ancestor. This arrangement has remained unchanged throughout 400 Myr of gnathostome evolution, changing only on the transition to land. The high uniformity of myoseptal architecture in gnathostome fishes indicates functional significance and may be a key to understanding general principles of fish swimming mechanics. In the design of future experiments or biomechanical models, myosepta have to be regarded as tendons that can distribute forces in specific directions.

River regulation and water management practices have led to alteration of the flood regimes of all large rivers in Germany. To investigate its influence on the terrestrial arthropod fauna, a comparative study was carried out on the distribution of ground beetles (Carabidae) and spiders (Araneae) at the potamal sections of three large rivers in northern Germany, the Rivers Weser, Elbe and Oder. The three rivers differ markedly in their flood dynamics, mainly owing to weirs and polder management practices, but also owing to natural conditions in their headwaters. In total, 45 sites were examined with a total capture of 46 727 carabid beetles and 38 066 adult spiders, representing 178 and 209 species, respectively. Using multivariate TWINSPAN analyses we found that the ground beetle species assemblages clearly varied according to the different flood regimes. By contrast, the spiders differentiate well between sites of different habitat structure.In particular, the river margins hosted a specialized carabid fauna, and the alluvial Quercus-Ulmus forests were habitat for some rare and endangered carabid and spider species. Whereas the fauna of the strongly regulated River Weser was impoverished regarding stenotopic hygrophilous species, the fauna of the more natural Rivers Elbe and Oder depended very much on the duration and timing of the flooding, as well as on the local micro-topographical situation. It is concluded that low lying areas behind dykes of the Elbe, or in polders of the Oder, which become frequently inundated by river or ground water, are extremely valuable for invertebrate conservation. The data suggest that careful polder management may support suitable habitat creation for riparian species, as long as the inundation scheme corresponds to natural flood dynamics conditions.

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