Crayfish as a biomonitor for the algal toxin microcystin-LR

<p>The bloom-forming alga Microcystis produces the hepatotoxin microcystin-LR. Removing this toxin from drinking water requires expensive treatments; current analytical methods are incapable of real-time monitoring. Crayfish are resistant to microcystin-LR toxicity and respond well to operant conditioning. I hypothesized that crayfish could sense and be trained to respond to microcystin-LR via electroshocks for use as biomonitors. In the microcystin detection experiment, Procambarus clarkii moved away from microcystin-LR (p < 0.001) while Orconectes rusticus did not respond (p = 0.28). Neither species could be reliably trained to move to the tank’s center when microcystin-LR was present. To understand why, I tested Procambarus clarkii’s ability to respond to a neutral scent using positive and negative reinforcement. They associated the scent with positive reinforcement (p < 0.001) but not negative reinforcement (p = 0.21), suggesting crayfish may be incapable of associating scents with negative tactile stimuli.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Level thesis:degree_level

Open Access Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Biology

Year dc:date.available

2016

Author dc:creator

• McRobb, Kayla

Contributors dc:contributor

• Ulrich Reinhardt-Segawa
• Steven Francoeur
• Cara Shillington

• biomonitor
• conditioning
• crayfish
• microcystin
• microcystin-LR
• Biology
• Life Sciences

Repository record dc:identifier

https://commons.emich.edu/theses/849

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:commons.emich.edu:theses-2225