Behavioral analysis of substrate texture preference in a leech, Helobdella austinensis

Kim, Rachel; Le, Dylan; Ma, Kenny; Heath‐Heckman, Elizabeth A. C.; Whitehorn, N.; Kristan, William B.; Weisblat, David A.

doi:10.1007/s00359-019-01317-5

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…the time duration before the start of each new attachment event (LK, L-LT, TK, 2019 personal observations). Here, we share the observations published in [56] that leeches prefer smooth compared to textured substrates for their attachment. Eventually, both the allometric and the motion analyses highlight the general comparability of the two experimental leech stocks, as well as the comparability of the conclusions drawn from other experiments, in which they have been employed.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Exploring the attachment of the Mediterranean medicinal leech (Hirudo verbana) to porous substrates

Kampowski

Thiemann

Kürner

et al. 2020

J. R. Soc. Interface.

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Haematophagous ectoparasites must ensure a reliable hold to their host during blood meals and, therefore, have evolved a broad spectrum of versatile and effective attachment mechanisms. The Mediterranean medicinal leech ( Hirudo verbana ), for example, uses suction on both smooth and textured air-tight substrates. However, preliminary studies showed that H. verbana is also capable of attaching itself to air-permeable substrates, where suction does not work. Using high-speed videography and mechanical tests, we comparatively investigated the attachment of H. verbana on both smooth and textured air-tight as well as on porous artificial substrates, also considering the influence of mucus on sucker surfaces. In general, the leech-specific locomotion cycle did not differ between the tested surfaces, and the leeches were able to reliably attach to both air-tight and porous substrates. From our results, we conclude that suction is presumably the primary attachment mechanism of H. verbana . However, secondary mechanisms such as mechanical interlocking with surface asperities and pores or capillary forces occurring at the interface between the mucus-covered suckers and the substratum are also employed. In any case, the rich repertoire of applicable attachment principles renders the organs of H. verbana functionally highly resilient.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Exploring the attachment of the Mediterranean medicinal leech (Hirudo verbana) to porous substrates

Kampowski

Thiemann

Kürner

et al. 2020

J. R. Soc. Interface.

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“…In the present study we set these time-dependent changes of neuronal response features in the context of variability between individual cells of three different types. Besides the mechanosensory T cell, we included the P cell as a further mechanoreceptor and the Retzius (Rz) cell as a key neuromodulatory cell that releases serotonin in the leech nervous system ( Lent et al, 1979 ; Leake, 1986 ; Sahley, 1995 ; Burrell et al, 2001 ; De-Miguel et al, 2015 ) and possesses a different set of membrane ion channels ( Kleinhaus and Prichard, 1983 ; Valkanov and Boev, 1988 ; Stewart et al, 1989 ; Johansen, 1991 ; Gerard et al, 2012 ; Kim et al, 2019 ; Angstadt et al, 2021 ; Heath-Heckman et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Initial Variability and Time-Dependent Changes of Neuronal Response Features Are Cell-Type-Specific

Scherer

Riedesel

Arkhypchuk

et al. 2022

Front. Cell. Neurosci.

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Different cell types are commonly defined by their distinct response features. But several studies proved substantial variability between cells of the same type, suggesting rather the appraisal of response feature distributions than a limitation to “typical” responses. Moreover, there is growing evidence that time-dependent changes of response features contribute to robust and functional network output in many neuronal systems. The individually characterized Touch (T), Pressure (P), and Retzius (Rz) cells in the medicinal leech allow for a rigid analysis of response features, elucidating differences between and variability within cell types, as well as their changes over time. The initial responses of T and P cells to somatic current injection cover a wide range of spike counts, and their first spike is generated with a high temporal precision after a short latency. In contrast, all Rz cells elicit very similar low spike counts with variable, long latencies. During prolonged electrical stimulation the resting membrane potential of all three cell types hyperpolarizes. At the same time, Rz cells reduce their spiking activity as expected for a departure from the spike threshold. In contrast, both mechanoreceptor types increase their spike counts during repeated stimulation, consistent with previous findings in T cells. A control experiment reveals that neither a massive current stimulation nor the hyperpolarization of the membrane potential is necessary for the mechanoreceptors’ increase in excitability over time. These findings challenge the previously proposed involvement of slow K+-channels in the time-dependent activity changes. We also find no indication for a run-down of HCN channels over time, and a rigid statistical analysis contradicts several potential experimental confounders as the basis of the observed variability. We conclude that the time-dependent change in excitability of T and P cells could indicate a cell-type-specific shift between different spiking regimes, which also could explain the high variability in the initial responses. The underlying mechanism needs to be further investigated in more naturalistic experimental situations to disentangle the effects of varying membrane properties versus network interactions. They will show if variability in individual response features serves as flexible adaptation to behavioral contexts rather than just “randomness”.

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“…Helobdella austinensis leeches were maintained in glass bowls at 17°C (incubator) and 23°C on laboratory benches, as described [21]. Distilled water supplemented with 0.02% sea salt was changed daily.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biocontrol of snail-borne parasites with the glossiphoniid leech, Helobdella austinensis

2023

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Parasites in which freshwater snails are intermediate hosts pose a serious threat to human health worldwide. We show here that freshwater snails can potentially be controlled by leech predation; in principle, this approach could significantly reduce snail-borne parasitic diseases (SBPDs). Specifically, glossiphoniid leeches, Helobdella austinensis and congener species , consume freshwater snails indiscriminately, while other common leeches do not. A single adult H. austenensis , for example, can consume up to its weight in snails, e.g. Physella acuta, per day. Our predator–prey models suggest that snail populations could be eliminated in relatively short time periods (approximately six months) using a leech biocontrol approach. This could have considerable impact on global SBPDs by breaking the intermediate host life cycle.

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Behavioral analysis of substrate texture preference in a leech, Helobdella austinensis

Cited by 9 publications

References 41 publications

Exploring the attachment of the Mediterranean medicinal leech (Hirudo verbana) to porous substrates

Exploring the attachment of the Mediterranean medicinal leech (Hirudo verbana) to porous substrates

Initial Variability and Time-Dependent Changes of Neuronal Response Features Are Cell-Type-Specific

Biocontrol of snail-borne parasites with the glossiphoniid leech, Helobdella austinensis

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