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Lateral line-mediated rheotactic behavior in tadpoles of the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis)

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Abstract

Tadpoles (Xenopus laevis) have a lateral line system whose anatomical structure has been described, but whose functional significance has not been closely examined. These experiments tested the hypothesis that the lateral line system is involved in rheotaxis. Tadpoles in developmental stages 47–56 oriented toward the source of a water current. Orientation was less precise after treatment with cobalt chloride or streptomycin, but was similar to that of untreated animals after exposure to gentamicin. In no current conditions, tadpoles exhibited a characteristic head-down posture by which they held themselves in the water column at an angle around 45°. This body posture became significantly less tilted in the presence of water current. Treatment with cobalt chloride or streptomycin increased the angle of tilt close to that seen in no current conditions, while gentamicin treatment tended to decrease tilt angle. The data are consistent with anatomical and physiological findings that tadpole neuromasts are similar to superficial, but not canal, neuromasts in fishes, and they suggest that the lateral line system is involved in both directional current detection and current-related postural adjustments in Xenopus.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by NIH grant NS28565 and the Rhode Island Space Grant Consortium. We thank A. Barnstable, R. Brown, N. Catanzaro, K. DeLucia, S. Horowitz, W. Rice, and R. Simmons for assistance. Experimental protocols comply with the Principles of Animal Care, publication No. 86-23 of the National Institutes of Health, and were approved by the Brown University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

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  1. Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience, Brown University, Box 1853, RI, 02912, USA

    Andrea M. Simmons, Lauren M. Costa & Hilary B. Gerstein

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  1. Andrea M. Simmons
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  2. Lauren M. Costa
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Correspondence to Andrea M. Simmons.

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Simmons, A.M., Costa, L.M. & Gerstein, H.B. Lateral line-mediated rheotactic behavior in tadpoles of the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis). J Comp Physiol A 190, 747–758 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-004-0534-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-004-0534-3

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