title: Upside-down gliding of Lymnaea.
abstract: The pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis can often be observed moving upside down on its back just below the surface of the water. We have termed this form of movement "upside-down gliding." To elucidate the mechanism of this locomotion, we performed a series of experiments involving behavioral analyses and microscopic observations. These experiments were designed (1) to measure the speed of this locomotion; (2) to determine whether the mucus secreted from the foot of Lymnaea repels water, thereby allowing the snail to exploit the surface tension of the water for upside-down gliding; and (3) to observe the beating of foot cilia in this behavior. The beating of these cilia is thought to be the primary driving force for upside-down gliding. Our results demonstrate that upside-down gliding is an efficient active process involving the secretion of mucus that floats up to the water surface to serve as a substrate upon which cilia beat to cause locomotion at the underside of the water surface.
authors.affiliation: Biology Club, Hokkaido Sapporo Okadama High School, 2-chome, Kitaokadama 1-jo, Higashi-ku, Sapporo 007-0881, Japan.
authors.forename: Kanako
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aono
authors.forename: Ayachika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fusada
authors.forename: Yorichika
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fusada
authors.forename: Wataru
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authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kanaya
authors.forename: Mami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Komuro
authors.forename: Kanae
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsui
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Meguro
authors.forename: Ayumi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Miyamae
authors.forename: Yurie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miyamae
authors.forename: Aya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Murata
authors.forename: Shizuka
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Narita
authors.forename: Hiroe
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nozaka
authors.forename: Wakana
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Ayumi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nishikata
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kanazawa
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fujito
authors.forename: Miki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yamagishi
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Masafumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagayama
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uchida
authors.forename: Kazutoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gohara
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lukowiak
authors.forename: Etsuro
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ito
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002923:Cilia / Q000502:physiology*; D003902:Detergents; D008124:Locomotion; D008195:Lymnaea / Q000502:physiology*; D009093:Mucus / Q000502:physiology*; D013500:Surface Tension
chemical_list: D003902:Detergents