RATES OF NITROGEN EXCRETION AND OXYGEN CONSUMPTION IN THE CALIFORNIA SEAHARE, APLYSIA CALIFORNICA

摘要

The marine opistobranch mollusc, Aplysia californica J.G. Cooper, 1863, is a large herbivore that inhabits the intertidal and sublittoral zones of the coast of California (Carefoot, 1987). While much work has been done on the habitat selection (Pennings, 1990; 1991), feeding preferences (Carefoot, 1970) and growth (Peretz and Adkins, 1982) of this animal and related species, the greatest interest in A. californica has been in its use as a model organism for neuroscience research. The relatively simple nervous system contains few neurons, yet they are large in size and easily identifiable, making it an ideal system for neurophysiologic studies. Much of what we know about learning and memory is derived from studies of A. californica (for review, see Kandel, 2001). Once the methods for rearing A. californica in the laboratory were established (Capo et al., 1987, 2002), a steady supply of animals has been available to the research community.