Aplysia behavioral biology: II. Induced burrowing in swimming A. brasiliana by burrowed conspecifics

Abstract

This study demonstates that burrowing can be induced in a swimming Aplysia brasiliana by placing it into an aquarium containing a burrowed conspecific. When Burrowers (Efficient Burrowers as defined in Aspey and Blankenship, 1976) are removed from their burrows, they consistently reburrow with the latency to reburrow decreasing over 10 trials. When induced burrowers (Nonburrowers) are removed from the sand after being induced to burrow, they do not reinitiate burrowing. Although burrowing differs qualitatively and quantitatively in Burrowers and large swimming Nonburrowers induced to burrow, Burrowers and Nonburrowers are as likely to accept food when removed from the sand. However, Burrowers only partially consume the food and reburrow, whereas Nonburrowers consume the entire food ration within several minutes and do not reburrow. The occurrence of induced burrowing in Nonburrowers suggests pheromonemediated behavior since the probability of spontaneous burrowing occurring while an Aplysia is swimming approaches zero. Since Burrowers consistently reinitiate burrowing following removals from the sand, and Nonburrowers do not, it appears as if some internal physiological state may be necessary to maintain the behavior.