Meeting Abstract
The hydroid Ectopleura larynx has an indirect lifecycle that produces a dispersive larval stage called actinula. Actinulae larvae select the substrate upon which they settle by integrating sensory cues from the environment. Previous research has investigated the settlement biology of actinulae larvae, however, to date, no study has combined sensory behavior experiments with molecular genetics. Here we examine the molecular genetics underlying the behavioral response to environmental cues during settlement of actinula larva. We hypothesize that that light and biofilm-derived chemical cues are detected by cnidarian opsin and T1R taste receptors respectively and that these genes will be differentially expressed in sensory neurons as actinula development proceeds to settlement. We test these hypotheses using RNAseq on various stages of actinula development through settlement and combine these data with behavioral experiments that examine the effects of light intensity, wavelength and biofilm-derived chemical cues on the propensity to settle. In addition to behavioral experiments, we incorporate confocal imaging of actinula larva at various stages. We integrate these data to shed light on the interplay between behavior, genetics, and the sensory environment in the settlement of the actinula larva of Ectopleura.
