Fine-scale patterns of odor encounter by the antennules of mantis shrimp tracking turbulent plumes in wave-affected and unidirectional flow.
Many marine animals track odor plumes to their source. Although studies of plume-tracking behavior have been performed in unidirectional flow, benthic animals such as crustaceans live in coastal habitats characterized by waves. We compared signal encounters by odor-plume-tracking stomatopods (mantis shrimp) in wave-affected and unidirectional flow in a flume. Stomatopods are small enough that we can study their natural behavior in a flume. They sample odors by flicking their antennules. A thin sheet of laser light illuminating an odor plume labeled with dye [planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) technique] permitted us to measure the instantaneous odor concentration encountered by the animal's chemosensory organs (antennules) while it tracked the plume. We simultaneously measured behavior and the high-resolution odor signal at the spatial and temporal scale of the animal. We found that the navigating animal encountered odor filaments more often in wave-affected flow than in unidirectional flow. Odor filaments along the animals' antennules were significantly wider and of higher concentration in waves than in unidirectional flow.
Mead
Kristina S
KS
Biology Department, Denison University, Granville, OH 43023, USA. meadk@denison.edu
Wiley
Megan B
MB
Koehl
M A R
MA
Koseff
Jeffrey R
JR
D000818:Animals; D003445:Crustacea / Q000502:physiology*; D004777:Environment; D008124:Locomotion / Q000502:physiology; D009812:Odorants; D012212:Rheology; D012679:Sense Organs / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology*