Sensory Reception in Crustacean Zooplankton

本研究的目的是表征鱿鱼类桡足类第一触角上的机械传感器，并评估其在猎物和捕食者探测中的重要性。行为学和形态学分析表明，机械感受可能对远洋桡足类的猎物探测、捕食者躲避和配偶识别至关重要。然而桡足类动物的机械感受尚未在生理学上进行研究。Yen博士和夏威夷大学的合作者将结合桡足动物生态学和甲壳类动物神经生理学的专业知识，从生理学上研究桡足动物的感觉能力，并将感觉生理学与生态学数据相结合。这个项目的基本目标是：1。表征对定量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学的差异联系起来。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学联系起来。

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.