Electrophysiological responses of the central nervous system in the presence of homospecific and heterospecific sex pheromones in nereids(Annelida polychaeta)
✍ Scribed by Boilly-Marer, Yolande ;Lassalle, Bernard
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1980
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 421 KB
- Volume
- 213
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0022-104X
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✦ Synopsis
Abstract
The influence of sex pheromones on the electrical activity in the brain and the nerve cord was studied in mature and immature nereids. The pheromone of the opposite sex induces an intense electrical activity in the brain and the nerve cord only when the nereid is mature and possesses transformed parapodial cirri (swollen cirri in this work). The integrity of the connections between brain and nerve cord is also required for the stimulation of the electrical activity of the brain but not for the nerve cord. The electrical activity of the brain and the nerve cord is also stimulated by heterospecific pheromones of the opposite sex in the same way as with homospecific sex pheromones. Thus, homospecific and heterospecific sex pheromones are both perceived by mature (epitokous) nereids. The stimulation is received by the transformed parapodial cirri and is transmitted to the brain through the nerve cord.