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Contrast and rate of light intensity decrease control directional swimming in the box jellyfish Tripedalia cystophora (Cnidaria, Cubomedusae)

Petie, Ronald LU ; Garm, Anders and Nilsson, Dan-E LU (2013) In Hydrobiologia 703(1). p.69-77
Abstract
Box jellyfish respond to visual stimuli by changing the dynamics and frequency of bell contractions. In this study, we determined how the contrast and the dimming time of a simple visual stimulus affected bell contraction dynamics in the box jellyfish Tripedalia cystophora. Animals were tethered in an experimental chamber where the vertical walls formed the light stimuli. Two neighbouring walls were darkened and the contraction of the bell was monitored by high-speed video. We found that (1) bell contraction frequency increased with increasing contrast and decreasing dimming time. Furthermore, (2) when increasing the contrast and decreasing the dimming time pulses with an off-centred opening had a better defined direction and (3) the... (More)
Box jellyfish respond to visual stimuli by changing the dynamics and frequency of bell contractions. In this study, we determined how the contrast and the dimming time of a simple visual stimulus affected bell contraction dynamics in the box jellyfish Tripedalia cystophora. Animals were tethered in an experimental chamber where the vertical walls formed the light stimuli. Two neighbouring walls were darkened and the contraction of the bell was monitored by high-speed video. We found that (1) bell contraction frequency increased with increasing contrast and decreasing dimming time. Furthermore, (2) when increasing the contrast and decreasing the dimming time pulses with an off-centred opening had a better defined direction and (3) the number of centred pulses decreased. Only weak effects were found on the relative diameter of the contracted bell and no correlation was found for the duration of bell contraction. Our observations show that visual stimuli modulate swim speed in T. cystophora by changing the swim pulse frequency. Furthermore, the direction of swimming is better defined when the animal perceives a high-contrast, or fast dimming, stimulus. (Less)
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Box jellyfish, Cubozoa, Visual system, Swimming
in
Hydrobiologia
volume
703
issue
1
pages
69 - 77
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • wos:000312782000006
  • scopus:84871428630
ISSN
0018-8158
DOI
10.1007/s10750-012-1345-0
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
6294cd8d-a223-4cd7-94a9-b01ca1913691 (old id 3477061)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 10:14:09
date last changed
2022-01-25 21:11:02
@article{6294cd8d-a223-4cd7-94a9-b01ca1913691,
  abstract     = {{Box jellyfish respond to visual stimuli by changing the dynamics and frequency of bell contractions. In this study, we determined how the contrast and the dimming time of a simple visual stimulus affected bell contraction dynamics in the box jellyfish Tripedalia cystophora. Animals were tethered in an experimental chamber where the vertical walls formed the light stimuli. Two neighbouring walls were darkened and the contraction of the bell was monitored by high-speed video. We found that (1) bell contraction frequency increased with increasing contrast and decreasing dimming time. Furthermore, (2) when increasing the contrast and decreasing the dimming time pulses with an off-centred opening had a better defined direction and (3) the number of centred pulses decreased. Only weak effects were found on the relative diameter of the contracted bell and no correlation was found for the duration of bell contraction. Our observations show that visual stimuli modulate swim speed in T. cystophora by changing the swim pulse frequency. Furthermore, the direction of swimming is better defined when the animal perceives a high-contrast, or fast dimming, stimulus.}},
  author       = {{Petie, Ronald and Garm, Anders and Nilsson, Dan-E}},
  issn         = {{0018-8158}},
  keywords     = {{Box jellyfish; Cubozoa; Visual system; Swimming}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{69--77}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Hydrobiologia}},
  title        = {{Contrast and rate of light intensity decrease control directional swimming in the box jellyfish Tripedalia cystophora (Cnidaria, Cubomedusae)}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10750-012-1345-0}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s10750-012-1345-0}},
  volume       = {{703}},
  year         = {{2013}},
}