Meeting Abstract

2.0  Monday, Jan. 4  Nervous System “Centralization” in Jellyfish SATTERLIE, R A; University of North Carolina Wilmington satterlier@uncw.edu

Three of the four cnidarian classes have life cycles that include medusoid members. Jellyfish of these three classes have both common and unique features of nervous system organization. Both within-class and between-class comparisons of nervous system form and function suggest that despite their radial symmetry, themes of “centralization” include compression of nerve nets to form more specific and directed conducting pathways, in the form of nerve rings that contain multiple, parallel conducting systems. Furthermore, as seen in cubomedusae, there is restriction of conducting pathways and formation of dedicated, direction pathways within marginal neural/sensoty structures, called rhopalia, The rhopalia have a neural organization that is very similar to that seen in the ganglia of bilateral invertebrates.