Abstract
Ascidian tadpole larvae settle on hard surfaces and undergo metamorphosis into sessile adults. To test whether tadpoles evaluate the texture of surfaces they settle upon, we presented tadpoles with surfaces that were divided into halves; each half had one of four different textures: smooth, fine sandpaper, coarse sandpaper, and sandblasted. In all cases, twice as many individuals settled on one side over the other, but this was not consistently the smooth side or the rough side. More tadpoles settled on a smooth surface than one scoured by sandpaper, but more tadpoles settled on a sandblasted surface than smooth one. This indicates tadpoles are capable of finer tactile discrimination than merely detecting a hard surface, and supports the hypothesis that ascidian tadpoles have mechanoreceptive sensory neurons.
Published Version
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