Sensory Reception in Crustacean Zooplankton

本研究的目的是刻画尺足类动物第一触角上的机械传感器的特征，并评估它们在猎物和捕食者检测中的重要性。行为和形态分析表明，机械接受可能是中上层桡足类识别猎物、躲避捕食者和识别配偶的关键。然而，目前还没有人从生理学上研究过桡足类动物的机械感受。严博士和夏威夷大学的合作者将结合桡足类生态学和甲壳类神经生理学的专业知识，从生理上研究桡足类的感觉能力，并将感觉生理学与它们的生态数据结合起来。本项目的基本目标是：1.表征对量化机械刺激的生理反应。2.将生理数据与传感器的外部和内部形态联系起来。3.确定种内生理特性的差异，并将这些差异与物种生态的差异联系起来。4.测量对机械刺激的行为反应，并将其与生理特性和物种生态联系起来。

The goal of this research is to characterize the mechanosensors on the first antenna of calanoid copepods and evaluate their importance for prey and predator detection. Behavioral and morphological analyses have indicated that mechanoreception may be critical to pelagic copepods for prey detection, predator avoidance and mate recognition. Yet mechanoreception in copepods has not been studied physiologically. Dr. Yen and collaborators at the University of Hawaii will combine expertise in copepod ecology and crustacean neurophysiology to investigate the sensory capabilities of copepods physiologically, and to integrate the sensory physiology with data on their ecology. The basic objectives of this project are: 1. To characterize the physiological responses to quantified mechanical stimuli. 2. To relate the physiological data to the external and internal morphology of the sensors. 3. To determine intraspecific differences in physiological properties and relate these to differences in species ecology. 4. To measure behavioral responses to mechanical stimuli and relate these to the physiological properties and the species ecology.