Respiratory pumping in Aplysia fasciata in natural and artificial tide pools

Abstract

The rate of respiratory pumping is gradually increased when Aplysiafasciata are trapped in either natural or artificial tide pools, in which the O2 concentration, temperature, salinity and CO2 concentration are gradually changed. There are also gradual changes in the time spent on additional behaviors. Immobility increases, while feeding and mating decrease. Respiratory pumping is likely to contribute to the ability of Aplysia to survive in a tide pool, since procedures causing a decrease in the respiratory pump rate (ablation of the osphradium or cutting the pleural-abdominal connectives) also cause an increase in the number of animals that become moribund in the tide pool. Respiratory pumping in artificial tide pools is triggered by a combination of all four stimuli that are changed, but the effects caused by changes in the O2 concentration and temperature are the largest. Changes in other behaviors were also caused by all of the stimuli that are altered in artificial tide pools.