Meeting Abstract

P2.164  Tuesday, Jan. 5  Control of locomotion in the lobate ctenophore, Mnemiopsis leidyi FEITL, KE*; MCHENRY, MJ; University of California, Irvine; University of California, Irvine kfeitl@uci.edu

The control of locomotion in many aquatic animals depends on a complex interaction between the animal’s sensory systems, processing within the central nervous system, musculoskeletal mechanics, and the hydrodynamics of the body. This complexity challenges our ability to understand the major principles that govern the performance of swimming. In the interest of exploring these principles in an experimentally tractable system, the present study developed a mathematical model of the hydrodynamics and control of swimming in the lobate ctenophore, Mnemiopsis leidyi. Ctenophores move with rigid body dynamics, generate thrust with a series of propulsors (comb plates), and control their locomotion largely by peripheral nervous processing. The contributions of these components were included in the model, which generated predictions of the rate and direction of swimming. We verified these predictions with recordings of the three-dimensional kinematics of swimming. The accuracy of this model suggests that ctenophores offer great promise as a system to investigate principles of locomotor control.