Prey avoidance learning and neuronal elements mediating behavioral switching in the predatory sea-slug Pleurobranchaea californica
type: CreativeWork
description: Animals decide on appropriate behaviors when encountering various stimuli by integrating sensory information, learning and motivational state. This study takes a neuroethological approach in investigating how the predatory sea-slug Pleurobranchaea californica makes behavioral choices. Pleurobranchaea is a predatory generalist that surveys its environment for potential prey in a trial-and-error fashion. When encountering the Nudibranch Flabellina iodinea and its noxious defense mechanism, the predator quickly learns to avoid the prey and retains the aversive association for up to 72 hours post-training. The conditioning paradigm is highly specific and does not affect the internal state of the animal. Feeding thresholds for the appetitive stimulus betaine are not significantly changed, and it continues to attack a related prey species, Hermissenda crassicornis. This prey avoidance paradigm resembles a situation the predators may face in their natural environments, and it shows how they may make appropriate decisions when choosing suitable prey. After prey avoidance conditioning, feeding on Flabellina is suppressed in trained animals. The activity of identified feeding command neurons (PCP), necessary and sufficient to activate feeding, was examined in whole animal preparations of conditioned and control animals to assay for neural correlates of conditioning. Suppression of PCP activity was consistent in all preparations during presentation of either Flabellina or Hermissenda, but not during presentation of strong appetitive stimuli such as betaine or squid homogenate. This is not consistent with the results observed in intact animals and in previous food aversion paradigms where suppression of feeding was only present in trained animals during presentation of the conditioned stimuli (Davis and Gillette 1978; Davis et al. 1980; Mpitsos and Cohan 1986c). This suggests another source of inhibition, possibly a pain induced effect of surgery. Whole animal preparations exhi…
abstract: Animals decide on appropriate behaviors when encountering various stimuli by integrating sensory information, learning and motivational state. This study takes a neuroethological approach in investigating how the predatory sea-slug Pleurobranchaea californica makes behavioral choices. Pleurobranchaea is a predatory generalist that surveys its environment for potential prey in a trial-and-error fashion. When encountering the Nudibranch Flabellina iodinea and its noxious defense mechanism, the predator quickly learns to avoid the prey and retains the aversive association for up to 72 hours post-training. The conditioning paradigm is highly specific and does not affect the internal state of the animal. Feeding thresholds for the appetitive stimulus betaine are not significantly changed, and it continues to attack a related prey species, Hermissenda crassicornis. This prey avoidance paradigm resembles a situation the predators may face in their natural environments, and it shows how they may make appropriate decisions when choosing suitable prey. After prey avoidance conditioning, feeding on Flabellina is suppressed in trained animals. The activity of identified feeding command neurons (PCP), necessary and sufficient to activate feeding, was examined in whole animal preparations of conditioned and control animals to assay for neural correlates of conditioning. Suppression of PCP activity was consistent in all preparations during presentation of either Flabellina or Hermissenda, but not during presentation of strong appetitive stimuli such as betaine or squid homogenate. This is not consistent with the results observed in intact animals and in previous food aversion paradigms where suppression of feeding was only present in trained animals during presentation of the conditioned stimuli (Davis and Gillette 1978; Davis et al. 1980; Mpitsos and Cohan 1986c). This suggests another source of inhibition, possibly a pain induced effect of surgery. Whole animal preparations exhi…
author: Noboa, Vanessa
language: en
keywords: Prey-avoidance learning, electrophysiology, turning, withdrawal
date published: 2012-02-06T20:07:48Z
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:25:27Z
provider: University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/2142/29630