Swimming Smarter, not Harder: An Exploration of the Relationship between Locomotion and Energetics in Fishes

Valentina Di Santo

Assistant Professor of Marine Biology
Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Seminar Information

Seminar Series
Fluid Mechanics, Combustion, & Engineering Physics

Seminar Date - Time
January 27, 2025, 3:00 pm
-
4:00

Seminar Location
Hybrid: In Person & Zoom (connection in link below)

Engineering Building Unit 2 (EBU2)
Room 479

Seminar Recording Available: Please contact seminar coordinator, Jake Blair at (j1blair@ucsd.edu)

Valentina Di Santo

Abstract

Fishes exhibit extraordinary locomotor abilities, a key factor in their evolutionary success. My research integrates detailed movement and energetics analyses of swimming with robotics to explore how fishes undertake large-scale migrations, execute rapid maneuvers, and conserve energy by interacting with structures and selecting abiotic gradients in their environment. During my seminar, I will discuss the consequences of flow and climate change stressors on locomotor performance and the clever solutions fishes employ to enhance swimming efficiency. This exploration leads to the conclusion that fishes are not merely ‘the puppet of the environment’ but rather exhibit sophisticated behavioral and physiological mechanisms to exploit diverse conditions.

Speaker Bio

Dr. Valentina Di Santo is a fish ecophysiologist and biomechanist investigating how environmental stressors shape fish physiology, behavior, and biomechanics. She earned her degree in Natural Sciences and Conservation Biology from the University of Firenze and completed her Ph.D. at Boston University, where she studied the impacts of ocean acidification and warming on fish development and performance. Following her postdoctoral work at Harvard University on fish locomotion biomechanics, Dr. Di Santo is now an Assistant Professor at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where she integrates eco-physiology and biomechanics to explore how fish adjust to changing environmental conditions.