What action is created by the rapid extension of the White Sturgeon's mouth cavity during feeding?

Answer

Creating negative pressure to engulf the food item whole.

The physical mechanics of White Sturgeon feeding are specialized for vacuuming food from the bottom using a protrusible, subterminal mouth. Once the sensitive barbels detect a suitable target concealed in the substrate, the feeding action involves a rapid inflation or extension of the mouth cavity. This swift expansion generates powerful negative pressure, essentially a vacuum effect, allowing the sturgeon to draw the food item, often along with surrounding sediment, directly into its mouth in a single motion to be engulfed whole for subsequent filtering and ingestion.

What action is created by the rapid extension of the White Sturgeon's mouth cavity during feeding?
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