Electrolocation in the platypus—some speculations

Proske, Uwe; Gregory, E.

doi:10.1016/s1095-6433(03)00160-0

Cited by 16 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Electromyogenic potentials of typical platypus prey items vary between species, with most being outside the range of potentials known to be detected by the platypus (Taylor et al , 1992). Although electroreception is thought to be involved in sophisticated prey detection (Pettigrew, Manger & Fine, 1998), mechanoreceptor in the bill may also be involved and the exact nature of the use of these two well‐developed senses in foraging by the species is not yet clearly evaluated (Proske & Gregory, 2003, 2004). Recent studies of platypus DNA sequences indicate significant genetic representation of olfactory receptors, particularly those associated with the vomeronasal system (Grus, Shi & Zhang, 2007), suggesting that foraging in the platypus may be even more sophisticated, possibly also involving olfaction.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet and dietary selectivity of the platypus in relation to season, sex and macroinvertebrate assemblages

2010

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The diet of the platypus Ornithorhynchus anatinus was studied by examination of material collected from the cheek pouches of animals captured while foraging in streams in Kangaroo Valley, NSW, Australia. Platypuses consumed benthic invertebrates from 55 families in 16 orders, with virtually no prey being derived from the terrestrial environment. We also sampled invertebrates in pool, riffle and stream edge habitats to identify where prey were obtained. Invertebrates in the diet were most similar to those collected along stream edges and in pools compared with the faster-flowing riffles, suggesting that platypuses focused their foraging activities largely in these deeper water habitats. Although there was no seasonality in the assemblage structure of macroinvertebrates, the diet of platypuses varied between seasons, notably between winter and summer, suggesting that some dietary selectivity is seasonal. Dietary differences between the sexes were not detected. Overall, our results suggest that some dietary selection occurs in the platypus with respect to both foraging habitat and season. Seasonal selectivity may reflect different metabolic demands on platypuses at different times of the year. In contrast, habitat selectivity may reflect difficulty of prey access and risk of prey escape in fast-flowing riffles, higher energy costs and risk of predation associated with exploiting this habitat, and prey avoidance responses that are more rapid in the shallow riffles than in the deeper water pools and stream edges. These alternatives await evaluation by future research.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet and dietary selectivity of the platypus in relation to season, sex and macroinvertebrate assemblages

2010

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“…The ability to sense and use electrical fields for prey or host location has been suggested or demonstrated in a number of vertebrate and invertebrate animals (Proske and Gregory, 2003;Kim, 2007;Steullet et al, 2007). The ability of plant parasitic nematodes to sense electrical fields has also been suggested to aid in host finding, as the nematodes may be attracted to electric potentials in roots (Bird, 1959;Riga, 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Directional movement of steinernematid nematodes in response to electrical current

Shapiro‐Ilan

Campbell²,

Lewis

et al. 2009

Journal of Invertebrate Pathology

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“…This is an electroreceptor sensitive to the electric fields as low as 1.8mV cm -1 generated by the muscular contractions of the small shrimp-like creatures on which the platypus feeds. It is now estimated that there are 30,000 to 40,000 of these structures arranged in rows on the platypus bill making parasagittal stripes and innervated by an estimated 380,000 to 640,000 axons (Pettigrew, Manger, & Fine, 1998;Proske & Gregory, 2003).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The information from these receptors passes to bimodal neurons alternatively arranged in stripe-like regions of the somato-sensory cortex and formally similar to the stripe-like ocular dominance array in primate visual cortex that integrates information from both eyes to provide for stereoscopic depth. Pettigrew, Manger, and Fine (1998) and Proske and Gregory (2003) have proposed that the integration of the two types of information allow platypus to determine the direction of the prey and the distance to swim to it; although Fjallbrant, Manger, and Pettigrew (1998) have also noted that integration of the variations in the strength of the electrical field across the bill-skin alone could provide enough information for determining that direction.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution and the Neurosciences Down–Under

Macmillan

2009

Journal of the History of the Neurosciences

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At the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century three Australians made notable contributions to founding the neurosciences: Alfred Walter Campbell (1868-1937) conducted the first extensive histological studies of the human brain; Grafton Elliot Smith (1871-1937) studied the monotreme brain and established the basis for understanding the mammalian brain; and Stanley David Porteus (1883-1972) extended his studies of intellectual disability to encompass the relation between brain size and intelligence. The work of each was decisively influenced by important members of the Edinburgh medical school or by Edinburgh medical graduates: William Turner (1832-1916) and William Rutherford (1839-1899) Professors of Anatomy and Physiology respectively at Edinburgh; James Thomas Wilson (1861-1945) Professor of Anatomy at the University of Sydney; and Richard James Arthur Berry (1867-1962) Professor of Anatomy at the University of Melbourne. An important aspect of the influence on the Australians was a materialist view of brain function but the work of all was most important for a theory even more central held by the Scots who had influenced them: Darwin's theory of evolution. The importance of the work of Campbell and especially that of Smith for Darwinism is contrasted with Darwin's own indifference to the peculiarities of the Australian fauna he observed when he visited Australia during HMS Beagle's voyage of discovery in 1836.

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Electrolocation in the platypus—some speculations

Cited by 16 publications

References 9 publications

Diet and dietary selectivity of the platypus in relation to season, sex and macroinvertebrate assemblages

Diet and dietary selectivity of the platypus in relation to season, sex and macroinvertebrate assemblages

Directional movement of steinernematid nematodes in response to electrical current

Evolution and the Neurosciences Down–Under

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