The influence of different natural environments on habituation in Aplysia californica

Thomas J. Carew; Irving Kupfermann

doi:10.1016/S0091-6773(74)91517-X

The influence of different natural environments on habituation in Aplysia californica

Thomas J. Carew, Irving Kupfermann

Neural Science

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Habituation of the defensive-withdrawal reflex in Aplysia californica was studied in the animal's natural environment. Aplysia are exposed to a variety of tactile environments ranging from calm, protected bays to turbulent channels and tide pools. Animals found in a calm environment showed a brisk withdrawal reflex which habituated with a time course comparable to controlled laboratory studies. By contrast, animals in a turbulent environment showed a very weak reflex response which habituated significantly faster than the calm-environment animals. Animals in a turbulent environment, compared to calm-environment animals, also had a much higher threshold for another defensive response-the inking reflex. The data suggest that different tactile environments in which Aplysia live can significantly influence the animal's behavioral responsiveness, and that habituation is a behavioral modification that normally occurs in the life of Aplysia.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	339-345
Number of pages	7
Journal	Behavioral Biology
Volume	12
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/S0091-6773(74)91517-X
State	Published - Nov 1974

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Environmental Science
General Earth and Planetary Sciences

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10.1016/S0091-6773(74)91517-X

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title = "The influence of different natural environments on habituation in Aplysia californica",

abstract = "Habituation of the defensive-withdrawal reflex in Aplysia californica was studied in the animal's natural environment. Aplysia are exposed to a variety of tactile environments ranging from calm, protected bays to turbulent channels and tide pools. Animals found in a calm environment showed a brisk withdrawal reflex which habituated with a time course comparable to controlled laboratory studies. By contrast, animals in a turbulent environment showed a very weak reflex response which habituated significantly faster than the calm-environment animals. Animals in a turbulent environment, compared to calm-environment animals, also had a much higher threshold for another defensive response-the inking reflex. The data suggest that different tactile environments in which Aplysia live can significantly influence the animal's behavioral responsiveness, and that habituation is a behavioral modification that normally occurs in the life of Aplysia.",

author = "Carew, {Thomas J.} and Irving Kupfermann",

note = "Funding Information: The marine mollusc Aplysia has been extensively utilized for behavioral studies of habituation and other forms of behavioral plasticity (e.g., Pinsker, Kupfermann, Castellucci, and Kandel, 1970; Peretz, 1970; Carew, Pinsker, and Kandel, 1972; Lukowiak and Jacldet, 1972; Pinsker, Hening, Carew, and 1We are grateful to Dr. T. H. Bullock for his assistance and use of his facilities at Scripps Institute of Oceanography, to Mr. W. Reetz for his generoushelpthroughout the project, and to Mr. T. Viancour for his assistance in locating animals. We thank Drs. V. Castellucci and E. Kandel for their comments on early drafts of the manuscript and K. Hilten for preparing the illustrations. This work was supported, in part, by NIMH Grant 1 RO3 MH22068 to I. K. and T. J. C., NINDB Grant NS 10752 to I. K., and FFRP 72-524 to T.J.C. 2present address: New York btate Psychiatric msutute and Department ot Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY.",

year = "1974",

month = nov,

doi = "10.1016/S0091-6773(74)91517-X",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "12",

pages = "339--345",

journal = "Behavioral Biology",

issn = "0091-6773",

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N1 - Funding Information: The marine mollusc Aplysia has been extensively utilized for behavioral studies of habituation and other forms of behavioral plasticity (e.g., Pinsker, Kupfermann, Castellucci, and Kandel, 1970; Peretz, 1970; Carew, Pinsker, and Kandel, 1972; Lukowiak and Jacldet, 1972; Pinsker, Hening, Carew, and 1We are grateful to Dr. T. H. Bullock for his assistance and use of his facilities at Scripps Institute of Oceanography, to Mr. W. Reetz for his generoushelpthroughout the project, and to Mr. T. Viancour for his assistance in locating animals. We thank Drs. V. Castellucci and E. Kandel for their comments on early drafts of the manuscript and K. Hilten for preparing the illustrations. This work was supported, in part, by NIMH Grant 1 RO3 MH22068 to I. K. and T. J. C., NINDB Grant NS 10752 to I. K., and FFRP 72-524 to T.J.C. 2present address: New York btate Psychiatric msutute and Department ot Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY.

PY - 1974/11

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N2 - Habituation of the defensive-withdrawal reflex in Aplysia californica was studied in the animal's natural environment. Aplysia are exposed to a variety of tactile environments ranging from calm, protected bays to turbulent channels and tide pools. Animals found in a calm environment showed a brisk withdrawal reflex which habituated with a time course comparable to controlled laboratory studies. By contrast, animals in a turbulent environment showed a very weak reflex response which habituated significantly faster than the calm-environment animals. Animals in a turbulent environment, compared to calm-environment animals, also had a much higher threshold for another defensive response-the inking reflex. The data suggest that different tactile environments in which Aplysia live can significantly influence the animal's behavioral responsiveness, and that habituation is a behavioral modification that normally occurs in the life of Aplysia.

AB - Habituation of the defensive-withdrawal reflex in Aplysia californica was studied in the animal's natural environment. Aplysia are exposed to a variety of tactile environments ranging from calm, protected bays to turbulent channels and tide pools. Animals found in a calm environment showed a brisk withdrawal reflex which habituated with a time course comparable to controlled laboratory studies. By contrast, animals in a turbulent environment showed a very weak reflex response which habituated significantly faster than the calm-environment animals. Animals in a turbulent environment, compared to calm-environment animals, also had a much higher threshold for another defensive response-the inking reflex. The data suggest that different tactile environments in which Aplysia live can significantly influence the animal's behavioral responsiveness, and that habituation is a behavioral modification that normally occurs in the life of Aplysia.

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The influence of different natural environments on habituation in Aplysia californica

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