Accuracy of taxis response to water waves in the clawed toad (Xenopus laevis Daudin) with intact or with lesioned lateral line system

Elepfandt, Andreas

doi:10.1007/bf00619791

Cited by 57 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Both of these sensor types have an extensive distribution over the body of the leech (Blinn et al, 1986;Friesen, 1981). Similar arrays of sensors allow for accurate localization of prey in other animals (Elepfandt, 1982;Elepfandt, 1984;Franosch et al, 2003;MacIver et al, 2001;Müller and Schwartz, 1982;Nelson and Maciver, 1999). In the leech, each of the 21 mid-body segments has seven pairs of mechanosensory sensilla that are sensitive to even minute water movements (Blinn et al, 1986;Friesen, 1981;Young et al, 1981).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developmentally regulated multisensory integration for prey localization in the medicinal leech

Harley

Cienfuegos

Wagenaar

2011

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYMedicinal leeches, like many aquatic animals, use water disturbances to localize their prey, so they need to be able to determine if a wave disturbance is created by prey or by another source. Many aquatic predators perform this separation by responding only to those wave frequencies representing their prey. As leechesʼ prey preference changes over the course of their development, we examined their responses at three different life stages. We found that juveniles more readily localize wave sources of lower frequencies (2Hz) than their adult counterparts (8-12Hz), and that adolescents exhibited elements of both juvenile and adult behavior, readily localizing sources of both frequencies. Leeches are known to be able to localize the source of waves through the use of either mechanical or visual information. We separately characterized their ability to localize various frequencies of stimuli using unimodal cues. Within a single modality, the frequency-response curves of adults and juveniles were virtually indistinguishable. However, the differences between the responses for each modality (visual and mechanosensory) were striking. The optimal visual stimulus had a much lower frequency (2Hz) than the optimal mechanical stimulus (12Hz). These frequencies matched, respectively, the juvenile and the adult preferred frequency for multimodally sensed waves. This suggests that, in the multimodal condition, adult behavior is driven more by mechanosensory information and juvenile behavior more by visual. Indeed, when stimuli of the two modalities were placed in conflict with one another, adult leeches, unlike juveniles, were attracted to the mechanical stimulus much more strongly than to the visual stimulus. Supplementary material available online at

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developmentally regulated multisensory integration for prey localization in the medicinal leech

Harley

Cienfuegos

Wagenaar

2011

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…Adult African clawed frogs, Xenopus laevis, turn towards the source of surface water waves, but the degree to which this behavior depends on an intact lateral line is not clear (Elepfandt 1982;Claas et al 1993;Claas and Münz 1996). In some experiments, good behavioral accuracy was maintained even after large numbers of peripheral neuromasts were lesioned (Elepfandt 1982), while in other experiments, performance decreased significantly after lesion-induced damage (Görner et al 1984;Claas et al 1993). Inactivation of the entire lateral line system or of groups of neuromasts with CoCl 2 resulted in decreased accuracy of the turning response, although the behavior was not abolished completely in all animals (Claas et al 1993;Claas and Münz 1996).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lateral line-mediated rheotactic behavior in tadpoles of the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis)

2004

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Tadpoles (Xenopus laevis) have a lateral line system whose anatomical structure has been described, but whose functional significance has not been closely examined. These experiments tested the hypothesis that the lateral line system is involved in rheotaxis. Tadpoles in developmental stages 47-56 oriented toward the source of a water current. Orientation was less precise after treatment with cobalt chloride or streptomycin, but was similar to that of untreated animals after exposure to gentamicin. In no current conditions, tadpoles exhibited a characteristic head-down posture by which they held themselves in the water column at an angle around 45°. This body posture became significantly less tilted in the presence of water current. Treatment with cobalt chloride or streptomycin increased the angle of tilt close to that seen in no current conditions, while gentamicin treatment tended to decrease tilt angle. The data are consistent with anatomical and physiological findings that tadpole neuromasts are similar to superficial, but not canal, neuromasts in fishes, and they suggest that the lateral line system is involved in both directional current detection and currentrelated postural adjustments in Xenopus.

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“…The test procedure was the same as applies previ ously [Elepfandt, 1982], Each frog was tested individually in a cir cular (90 cm in diameter) PVC basin filled with 7-cm-deep water, where it remained throughout the entire testing period. The frog was stimulated in open loop fashion with circular waves that were produced by slightly dipping a thin rod into the water, approxi mately 10 cm from the frog.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, I have studied the wave localization in Xenopus by testing the behavioral reactions of animals that had various brain lesions. Xenopus responds to impinging waves by turning toward the wave's origin [Kramer, 1933;Dijkgraaf, 1967;Gorner, 1973Gorner, , 1976Elepfandt, 1982;Gorner et al, 1984]. This turn is a ballistic movement, comparable to the 'visual grasp reflex' in the verte brate visual orientation [Akert, 1949;Ingle, 1973], and it was taken here as an indicator of localization.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The lateral-line organs are distributed over the ani mal's body, and each organ can be stimulated by waves from many directions [Elepfandt and Wiedemer, 1987]. Thus, wave localization depends on a comparison of the inputs from several organs, which may be located on various regions of the body [am phibians : Elepfandt, 1982: Elepfandt, , 1984aGorner et al, 1984;fish: Muller and Schwartz, 1982;Tittel et al, 1984], In the clawed frog Xenopus, various subsets of the lat eral-line organs are each sufficient for accurate deter mination of any wave direction, and these subsets may be even completely unilateral [Elepfandt, 1982, Elcpfandt Ventrolateral tectum IV-X Cranial nerves Fig. 1.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Central Organization of Wave Localization in the Clawed Frog, <i>Xenopus laevis</i>

Elepfandt

1988

Brain Behav Evol

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The central nervous organization of water wave localization in the clawed frog Xenopus laevis was investigated by performing behavioral tests on frogs that had various brain ablations. The criterion of localization was the orientation of response turns toward the origin of stimulus waves. After complete midbrain ablation, Xenopus still detected impinging waves but could not localize them. After thalamopretectal ablation, however, Xenopus localized waves with normal accuracy. Thus, wave localization can be accomplished in the brainstem, and the midbrain is necessary for it. After forebrain ablation, the frogs no longer responded to water waves, which shows that higher brain centers modulate localization. Tectal lesions that spared the ventrolateral tectum did not abolish localization. After unilateral extirpation of tectum and torus, all ipsilateral waves were localized, but contralateral waves were not. This indicates a functional chiasm for the determination of wave directions in the midbrain. Total localization failure after unilateral midbrain destruction demonstrates that wave localization also requires the ipsilateral motorial tegmentum. When wave localization was abolished, a residual correlation between stimulus directions and response angles remained.

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Accuracy of taxis response to water waves in the clawed toad (Xenopus laevis Daudin) with intact or with lesioned lateral line system

Cited by 57 publications

References 8 publications

Developmentally regulated multisensory integration for prey localization in the medicinal leech

Developmentally regulated multisensory integration for prey localization in the medicinal leech

Lateral line-mediated rheotactic behavior in tadpoles of the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis)

Central Organization of Wave Localization in the Clawed Frog, <i>Xenopus laevis</i>

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