Response properties of crayfish antennules to hydrodynamic stimuli: functional differences in the lateral and medial flagella

Abstract

SUMMARYAntennules have been reported to influence localization of distant food odors, sex discrimination, and agonistic and social behaviors of decapod crustaceans. Although olfaction by the antennules is largely recognized, information on the sensitivity of antennules to hydrodynamic stimuli has been scant. In red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii antennules, mechanosensory setae outnumber the chemosensory setae. We studied the mechanosensitivity of crayfish antennules by recording neural activities from isolated antennules in response to sinusoidal dipole stimuli. Both the lateral and the medial flagellum of the antennules responded to hydrodynamic stimuli, although the medial flagellum showed more sensitivity at frequencies higher than 60Hz. The most dominant setae present on the stimulated site were the simple setal type. Although both lateral and medial flagella are capable of detecting chemical and hydrodynamic cues, results from neural responses, morphological observations and antennular behavior observations indicate that the lateral flagellum of P. clarkii functions as an olfactory organ whereas the medial flagellum complements as a hydrodynamic receptor. It appears that in crayfish antennular sensory processing, crayfish simultaneously use chemical and hydrodynamic information. We have compared our data with the threshold of fish lateral line to the same stimuli and we discuss probable similarities in response properties.

Physiological and agonistic behavioural response of Procambarus clarkii to an acoustic stimulus

“…The latter respond to hydrodynamic stimuli up to 100Hz (Breithaupt and Tautz, 1990). In particular, the medial flagellum functions as a hydrodynamic receptor (Horner et al, 2008;Monteclaro et al, 2010). In our study, the animals did not show any preference in the choice of the tank side to occupy (near to or far from the underwater loudspeaker) in the during-experimental phase.…”

Evidence that potential fish predators elicit the production of carapace vibrations by the American lobster

“…Our previous work (Henninger and Watson, 2005), as well as studies with other marine invertebrates [Norway lobster (Goodall et al, 1990); shrimp (Lovell et al, 2005); squid (Mooney et al, 2010); crayfish (Monteclaro et al, 2010)], indicates that a number of species are capable of detecting sounds over a frequency range that encompasses the 180Hz carapace vibrations produced by American lobsters. Moreover, it appears that in most of these cases, species are detecting the particle displacement component of the sound using either statocysts (Mooney et al, 2010) or sensory elements on their antennules (Monteclaro et al, 2010). However, in this study, and in our previous studies (Henninger and Watson, 2005), there was no clear response of other lobsters to these sounds.…”

The spatial and temporal patterns of odors sampled by lobsters and crabs in a turbulent plume

“…Antennules are involved in the detection of distant odor sources that motivate upstream locomotion in lobsters [P. argus (Steullet et al, 2002;Horner et al, 2004;Garm et al, 2005); H. americanus (Devine and Atema, 1982;Atema, 1998)], crabs [Callinectes sapidus (Keller et al, 2003;Page et al, 2011a;Dickman et al, 2009;Page et al, 2011a)] and crayfish [Procambarus clarkii (Monteclaro et al, 2010)]. The olfactory antennules of decapod crustaceans have two branches (filaments) (Fig.1).…”