Optomotor Responses and Nystagmus in Intact, Blinded and Statocystless Cuttlefish (Sepia Officinalis L.)

1970 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 789-796 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. B. MESSENGER
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cues ◽  
Angular Acceleration ◽  
Sepia Officinalis ◽  
Free Swimming ◽  
Bilateral Destruction

1. Evidence is reviewed confirming that the eyes of Sepia move under the influence of gravity, angular acceleration and visual receptors. 2. Visual nystagmus and optomotor responses are described in free-swimming Sepia; these survive bilateral destruction of the statocysts, though they are abolished by blinding. 3. Post-rotatory nystagmus is shown by intact animals in a plain background; in bilaterally blinded animals there are post-rotatory movements of the head. These responses disappear if the statocysts are removed. 4. The post-rotatory nystagmus of intact animals is almost completely suppressed by visual cues. 5. Other effects of blinding and statocyst removal are described.

The Control of Eyestalk Movements in the Mysid Shrimp Praunus Flexuosus

1975 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 487-504
Author(s):  
D. M. NEIL
Keyword(s):  
Light Beam ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Light Conditions ◽  
Free Swimming ◽  
Light Reaction ◽  
Gravity Receptors ◽  
Light Stimuli ◽  
Necessary And Sufficient ◽  
Tracking Response ◽  
Mysid Shrimp

The compensatory eyestalk movements of intact and statocystless mysid shrimps Praunus flexuosus have been measured under a variety of light conditions. The results indicate that the statocyst organs in the urppods are the major gravity receptors, and that they are both necessary and sufficient to produce sinusoidal compensatory eyestalk movements. The addition of visual cues (vertical light beam, optokinetic stimuli) modifies the eyestalk response to some extent, but does not alter its general form. When the statocysts are removed, however, light stimuli become important orientational cues, and the eyestalks perform a tracking response which is considered to be the experimental counterpart of the dorsal light reaction of the free-swimming animal.

scholarly journals Cuttlefish use visual cues to determine arm postures for camouflage

2011 ◽  
Vol 279 (1726) ◽  
pp. 84-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Barbosa ◽  
Justine J. Allen ◽  
Lydia M. Mäthger ◽  
Roger T. Hanlon
Keyword(s):  
Visual Cues ◽  
Body Axis ◽  
Sepia Officinalis ◽  
Field Observations ◽  
Stimulus Period ◽  
Body Postures ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Cryptic Coloration ◽  
Body Patterning ◽  
The Many

To achieve effective visual camouflage, prey organisms must combine cryptic coloration with the appropriate posture and behaviour to render them difficult to be detected or recognized. Body patterning has been studied in various taxa, yet body postures and their implementation on different backgrounds have seldom been studied experimentally. Here, we provide the first experimental evidence that cuttlefish ( Sepia officinalis ), masters of rapid adaptive camouflage, use visual cues from adjacent visual stimuli to control arm postures. Cuttlefish were presented with a square wave stimulus (period = 0.47 cm; black and white stripes) that was angled 0°, 45° or 90° relative to the animals' horizontal body axis. Cuttlefish positioned their arms parallel, obliquely or transversely to their body axis according to the orientation of the stripes. These experimental results corroborate our field observations of cuttlefish camouflage behaviour in which flexible, precise arm posture is often tailored to match nearby objects. By relating the cuttlefishes' visual perception of backgrounds to their versatile postural behaviour, our results highlight yet another of the many flexible and adaptive anti-predator tactics adopted by cephalopods.

Invasive mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) affect egg-laying and behaviour of Spanish pygmy newts (Triturus pygmaeus)

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa Cabrera-Guzmán ◽  
Carmen Díaz-Paniagua ◽  
Ivan Gomez-Mestre
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Reproductive Behaviour ◽  
Amphibian Declines ◽  
Egg Laying ◽  
Physical Contact ◽  
Gambusia Holbrooki ◽  
Free Swimming ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Eastern Mosquitofish

Abstract Invasive species are one of the main causes of amphibian declines worldwide, often through direct predation. Even species or life stages that may not be prone to predation by invasive animals can be affected through alterations of their reproductive behaviour and/or performance. This aspect is less commonly investigated, and may be important for understanding the full impact of invasive species on local amphibian populations. We used laboratory experiments to measure effects of the invasive Eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) on gravid pygmy newts (Triturus pygmaeus) from southern Spain. Gravid newts altered their position in the water column by moving from the bottom of the aquaria to the surface when in the presence of free-swimming mosquitofish, presumably to reduce physical contact with them. Newts also detected and consumed less prey in presence of free mosquitofish. Newts exposed to caged or free-swimming mosquitofish laid fewer eggs than newts not exposed to the invasive species, suggesting that chemical or visual cues alone were sufficient to alter the behaviour of gravid newts. Our results suggest that mosquitofish can reduce the reproductive success of native pygmy newts in the wild, highlighting the need for management efforts to mitigate this impact.

Blood Gas Transport in the Cephalopod, Sepia Officinalis

1982 ◽  
Vol 99 (1) ◽  
pp. 331-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
KJELL JOHANSEN ◽  
O. L. E. BRIX ◽  
GUNNAR LYKKEBOE
Keyword(s):  
Gas Transport ◽  
Vena Cava ◽  
Sepia Officinalis ◽  
Blood Gas ◽  
Free Swimming ◽  
Indwelling Catheters ◽  
Content Difference ◽  
Arterial Blood ◽  
Hypoxic Water ◽  
High Utilization

Blood gas transport was studied in unrestrained free-swimming cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis, following cannulations of an efferent branchial (arterial) vessel and the vena cava cephalica with indwelling catheters. In well-aerated water the arterial POO2 averaged about 100.00 mmHg and was fully saturated with O2. Mixed venous pOO2 varied between 17 and 40 mmHg, typically corresponding to blood O2 utilizations of 80% or higher. Some blood samples showed venous pH to exceed arterial, a tendency becoming more distinct during exposure to hypoxic water. The resulting higher O2 affinity of venous compared to arterial blood discourages O2 unloading in the tissues, while promoting efficient O2 loading in the gills. A high n-value of Sepia blood (n = 4.7) is important for maintaining a large arteriovenous O2 content difference and a high utilization of circulating O2.

scholarly journals The structure–function relationships of a natural nanoscale photonic device in cuttlefish chromatophores

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (93) ◽  
pp. 20130942 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leila F. Deravi ◽  
Andrew P. Magyar ◽  
Sean P. Sheehy ◽  
George R. R. Bell ◽  
Lydia M. Mäthger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Refractive Index ◽  
Optical Properties ◽  
Structure Function ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
High Refractive Index ◽  
Sepia Officinalis ◽  
Colour Intensity ◽  
Optical Responses ◽  
Pigment Granules ◽  
Rapid Changes

Cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis , possess neurally controlled, pigmented chromatophore organs that allow rapid changes in skin patterning and coloration in response to visual cues. This process of adaptive coloration is enabled by the 500% change in chromatophore surface area during actuation. We report two adaptations that help to explain how colour intensity is maintained in a fully expanded chromatophore when the pigment granules are distributed maximally: (i) pigment layers as thin as three granules that maintain optical effectiveness and (ii) the presence of high-refractive-index proteins—reflectin and crystallin—in granules. The latter discovery, combined with our finding that isolated chromatophore pigment granules fluoresce between 650 and 720 nm, refutes the prevailing hypothesis that cephalopod chromatophores are exclusively pigmentary organs composed solely of ommochromes. Perturbations to granular architecture alter optical properties, illustrating a role for nanostructure in the agile, optical responses of chromatophores. Our results suggest that cephalopod chromatophore pigment granules are more complex than homogeneous clusters of chromogenic pigments. They are luminescent protein nanostructures that facilitate the rapid and sophisticated changes exhibited in dermal pigmentation.

scholarly journals GRAVITY AND LIGHT INFLUENCE THE COUNTERSHADING REFLEXES OF THE CUTTLEFISH SEPIA OFFICINALIS

1994 ◽  
Vol 191 (1) ◽  
pp. 247-256
Author(s):  
G Ferguson ◽  
J Messenger ◽  
B Budelmann
Keyword(s):  
Anterior Part ◽  
Posterior Part ◽  
Angular Acceleration ◽  
Ventral Surface ◽  
The Body ◽  
Gravity Receptor ◽  
Bilateral Destruction ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Ventral Edge ◽  
Angle Of Rotation

Rotation (roll or pitch) of a cuttlefish away from its normal orientation produces countershading reflexes (CSRs) that consist of chromatophore expansion on the ventral body surface. When rotation is in the roll plane, the CSR has two components on each side of the body. The first (component A) consists of a unilateral expansion of chromatophores on the uppermost latero-ventral edge of the mantle, the underside of the upper fin and the uppermost side of the head; it occurs when the angle of rotation is less than 90°. Further rotation (from approximately 90° to approximately 180°) adds the second component (component B): a unilateral expansion of the chromatophores on the upper half of the ventral surface of the mantle, funnel, head and arms. When rotation is in the pitch plane, chromatophores expand on the posterior part of the ventral mantle and fins when the head is down; when the head is up, chromatophores expand on the ventral surface of the arms, head and funnel and on the anterior part of the ventral mantle and fins. The pitch CSR is always bilateral. Destruction of the gravity or the angular acceleration receptor systems of the statocysts demonstrates that it is the gravity receptor systems that drive the CSRs. Unilateral destruction of the gravity receptor systems shows that the pitch CSR is driven bilaterally, whereas the roll CSR is driven unilaterally. Components A and B of the roll CSR are driven by input from the ipsilateral statocyst, but component A is additionally driven by light. Brain lesions provide evidence that the pathways for the CSRs run through the lateral basal lobes in the supraoesophageal part of the brain.

The time course of calcium deposition in shells of the barnacle (Balanus amphititre amphititre) during cyprid-juvenile metamorphosis

1994 ◽  
Vol 52 ◽  
pp. 178-179
Author(s):  
Nancy R. Wallace ◽  
Craig C. Freudenrich ◽  
Karl Wilbur ◽  
Peter Ingram ◽  
Ann LeFurgey
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Scanning Electron Microscopy ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Vertical Plane ◽  
Mantle Cavity ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Calcium Deposition ◽  
Free Swimming ◽  
Freeze Dried ◽  
Scanning Electron

The morphology of balanomorph barnacles during metamorphosis from the cyprid larval stage to the juvenile has been examined by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The free-swimming cyprid attaches to a substrate, rotates 90° in the vertical plane, molts, and assumes the adult shape. The resulting metamorph is clad in soft cuticle and has an adult-like appearance with a mantle cavity, thorax with cirri, and incipient shell plates. At some time during the development from cyprid to juvenile, the barnacle begins to mineralize its shell, but it is not known whether calcification occurs before, during, or after ecdysis. To examine this issue, electron probe x-ray microanalysis (EPXMA) was used to detect calcium in cyprids and juveniles at various times during metamorphosis.Laboratory-raised, free-swimming cyprid larvae were allowed to settle on plastic coverslips in culture dishes of seawater. The cyprids were observed with a dissecting microscope, cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen-cooled liquid propane at various times (0-24 h) during metamorphosis, freeze dried, rotary carbon-coated, and examined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). EPXMA dot maps were obtained in parallel for qualitative assessment of calcium and other elements in the carapace, wall, and opercular plates.

Supporting the Use of Rudimentary Vocalizations

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 132-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Zubow ◽  
Richard Hurtig
Keyword(s):  
Rett Syndrome ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Acoustic Analysis ◽  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Primary Research ◽  
Multiple Modalities ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Perceptual Judgments ◽  
The Face

Children with Rett Syndrome (RS) are reported to use multiple modalities to communicate although their intentionality is often questioned (Bartolotta, Zipp, Simpkins, & Glazewski, 2011; Hetzroni & Rubin, 2006; Sigafoos et al., 2000; Sigafoos, Woodyatt, Tuckeer, Roberts-Pennell, & Pittendreigh, 2000). This paper will present results of a study analyzing the unconventional vocalizations of a child with RS. The primary research question addresses the ability of familiar and unfamiliar listeners to interpret unconventional vocalizations as “yes” or “no” responses. This paper will also address the acoustic analysis and perceptual judgments of these vocalizations. Pre-recorded isolated vocalizations of “yes” and “no” were presented to 5 listeners (mother, father, 1 unfamiliar, and 2 familiar clinicians) and the listeners were asked to rate the vocalizations as either “yes” or “no.” The ratings were compared to the original identification made by the child's mother during the face-to-face interaction from which the samples were drawn. Findings of this study suggest, in this case, the child's vocalizations were intentional and could be interpreted by familiar and unfamiliar listeners as either “yes” or “no” without contextual or visual cues. The results suggest that communication partners should be trained to attend to eye-gaze and vocalizations to ensure the child's intended choice is accurately understood.

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