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Spasm behavior and the diffuse nerve-net in Cassiopea xamachana (Scyphozoa: Coelenterata)

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Abstract

A quick train of diffuse nerve-net (DNN) impulses is required to initiate a patterned flurry of strong contractions, the ‘spasm,’ of the striated muscles of the rhizostome scyphomedusan Cassiopea xamachana. A number of spasms are illustrated. Using this response as a tool, the connectivity of the DNN has been established. The occurrence and variability of the spasm is illustrated with an analysis of their occurrence in a typical, extended experiment. It is proposed that the spasm is an integral and essential component of the behavior of scyphomedusae, and that its control by the DNN exemplifies how complex behavior is generated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 168 South Road, Chebeague Island, ME, 04017, USA

    L. M. Passano

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  1. L. M. Passano
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Correspondence to L. M. Passano.

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Passano, L.M. Spasm behavior and the diffuse nerve-net in Cassiopea xamachana (Scyphozoa: Coelenterata). Hydrobiologia 530, 91–96 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-004-3113-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-004-3113-2

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