Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

SS23 In Transition: Biomechanics of Sensory Perception (Disciplinary Connections)

Date: Thursday, February 15, 2001, Time: 2:45:00 PM

Location: Acoma/Zuni/Tesuque

Mead, K, S, Dept. Integrative Biology, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, USA, kmead@socrates.berkeley.edu

Wiley, M, , Dept. Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford, Stanford, USA, megw@leland.stanford.edu

Koehl, M, A, Dept. Integrative Biology, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, USA, cnidaria@socrates.berkeley.edu

Koseff, J, , Dept. Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford, Stanford, USA, koseff@ce.stanford.edu

HOW DO BENTHIC CRUSTACEANS FIND ODOR SOURCES IN WAVES?: INTEGRATING ANIMAL BEHAVIOR AND FLUID MECHANICS.

Although plume tracing strategies in unidirectional flow are well-studied, many coastal habitats are characterized by waves. We subjected stomatopods, which detect odors by flicking their antennules, to environmentally relevant flow conditions (5 cm/s unidirectional flow, 2 cm/s +/- 5 cm/s oscillating flow) in a flume with a meandering odor plume released from a momentumless source. The odor source consisted of mussel extract. We filmed stomatopods from above and from the side as they navigated up the odor plume. We measured animal direction and orientation, animal speed and turning rate, antennule height above the substratum during flicking, and antennule flicking frequency. When animals are searching for the odor plume, they move quickly perpendicular to the direction of flow, and turn frequently and quickly. Once they have found the odor plume, stomatopods slow down, point upstream, and use the plume edge. Stomatopods flick with their antennules 1-2 cm above the subtratum until they are very near the source, when they lower their antennules into the boundary layer. In general, stomatopods subject to oscillatory flow flick less frequently than animals in unidirectional flow.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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