Pattern and contrast dependent visual response in the box jellyfish <i>Tripedalia cystophora</i>

Garm, Anders; Hedal, Ida; Islin, Majken; Gurská, Daniela

doi:10.1242/jeb.091934

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…More specifically, and applying the two-track account of gradual constancy suggested by Schulte (2020), the primitive constancy mechanism in TC can be viewed as being crucially sensitive to a particular proximal variable, namely the size of the object's registrations on the retina, which is causally dependent on both the obstacle size (the target variable) and the distance from which the obstacle is seen (the confounding variable) 18 . What "disentangles" the information about an object's size contained in retinal registrations from the information about its distance is that the visual mechanism is sensitive-although, in our case, mostly for vertical objects-to another (auxiliary, and in this case proximal) variable, namely contrast, that acts as an indirect cue 19 17 As we discuss in the next section, this doesn't mean that obstacle avoidance in TC is triggered by a contrast threshold (Garm et al, 2013). 18 Drawing on Schulte, a constancy mechanism can be distinguished from a mere sensory indicator by the fact that it is based on information of two variables.…”

Section: Obstacle Avoidance In T Cystophora Involves a Primitive Constancy Mechanismmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…In the experiments by Garm and colleagues, the mean size of the obstacle on the retina capable of eliciting a response (i.e., the minimum angular distance between two objects required for the animal to see them as two rather than one merged object) is around 25 • , and this is almost the same for any object with highest contrast (Garm et al, 2013). So, if the object is around 2 cm wide and within 5-6 cm 16 , TC will detect and try to avoid it (ibid,Table 1,p.…”

Section: Obstacle Avoidance In T Cystophora Involves a Primitive Constancy Mechanismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When an obstacle appears in front of the animal, its swim pulse rate increases, bell contraction in the direction of the obstacle is delayed, and the opening of the velarium is pocketed out toward a rhopalium in the direction of the obstacle. The result is that the animal turns and swims away from the obstacle with an accuracy of at least 45 • in its turning direction (Garm et al, 2007a;Petie et al, 2011Petie et al, , 2013Garm et al, 2013).…”

Section: Obstacle Avoidance In the Box Jellyfish T Cystophoramentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A series of behavioral experiments by Garm et al (2007aGarm et al ( , 2013 has shown that obstacle avoidance is indirectly correlated with the size of the obstacle on the retina, based on actual distal detection of the obstacle as an object in an image using spatial information that is both contrast-and pattern-dependent. In their experiments Garm et al (2013) found, as a general result, that TC will initiate obstacle avoidances more frequently and further away from the obstacles the higher the contrast of the obstacle and the closer to vertical its orientation (ibid. Figures 1-3, pp.…”

Section: Obstacle Avoidance Is Mediated By Structural Representationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One aspect of the experiments by Garm et al (2013) that is particularly worth noting is that there seems to be a contrastdependent mechanism for detecting the distance of an object in the visual scene 17 . Due to its blurred vision and relatively scarce neural resources, TC does not have the means to precisely determine distance.…”

Section: Obstacle Avoidance In T Cystophora Involves a Primitive Constancy Mechanismmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Visual Perception and the Emergence of Minimal Representation

Arnellos

Moreno

2021

Front. Psychol.

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There is a long-lasting quest of demarcating a minimally representational behavior. Based on neurophysiologically-informed behavioral studies, we argue in detail that one of the simplest cases of organismic behavior based on low-resolution spatial vision–the visually-guided obstacle avoidance in the cubozoan medusa Tripedalia cystophora–implies already a minimal form of representation. We further argue that the characteristics and properties of this form of constancy-employing structural representation distinguish it substantially from putative representational states associated with mere sensory indicators, and we reply to some possible objections from the liberal representationalists camp by defending and qualitatively demarcating the minimal nature of our case. Finally, we briefly discuss the implications of our thesis within a naturalistic framework.

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Section: Obstacle Avoidance In T Cystophora Involves a Primitive Constancy Mechanismmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Obstacle Avoidance In T Cystophora Involves a Primitive Constancy Mechanismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Obstacle Avoidance In the Box Jellyfish T Cystophoramentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Obstacle Avoidance Is Mediated By Structural Representationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Obstacle Avoidance In T Cystophora Involves a Primitive Constancy Mechanismmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Visual Perception and the Emergence of Minimal Representation

Arnellos

Moreno

2021

Front. Psychol.

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Neuropeptide expression in the box jellyfish Tripedalia cystophora—New insights into the complexity of a “simple” nervous system

Nielsen

Koch

Wiisbye

et al. 2021

J of Comparative Neurology

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Box jellyfish have an elaborate visual system and perform advanced visually guided behaviors. However, the rhopalial nervous system (RNS), believed to be the main visual processing center, only has 1000 neurons in each of the four eye carrying rhopalia. We have examined the detailed structure of the RNS of the box jellyfish Tripedalia cystophora, using immunolabeling with antibodies raised against four putative neuropeptides (T. cystophora RFamide, VWamide, RAamide, and FRamide). In the RNS, T. cystophora RF-, VW-, and RAamide antibodies stain sensory neurons, the pit eyes, the neuropil, and peptide-specific subpopulations of stalk-associated neurons and giant neurons. Furthermore, RFamide ir+ neurites are seen in the epidermal stalk nerve, whereas VWamide antibodies stain the gastrodermal stalk nerve. RFamide has the most widespread expression including in the ring and radial nerves, the pedalium nerve plexus, and the tentacular nerve net. RAamide is the putative neurotransmitter in the motor neurons of the subumbrellar nerve net, and VWamide is a potential marker for neuronal differentiation as it is found in subpopulations of undifferentiated cells both in the rhopalia and in the bell. The results from the FRamide antibodies were not included as only few cells were stained, and in an unreproducible way. Our studies show hitherto-unseen details of the nervous system of T. cystophora and allowed us to identify specific functional groups of neurons. This identification is important for understanding visual processing in the RNS and enables experimental work, directly addressing the role of the different neuropeptides in vision.

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