Meeting Abstract

S4.4  Wednesday, Jan. 5  The Neuroecology of Chemical Defenses DERBY, Charles; Georgia State University cderby@gsu.edu

Neuroecological approaches to the study of chemical defenses include identifying natural products released by an individual, describing the cellular and molecular mechanisms of action of these chemicals including effects on sensory neural pathways of recipient individuals, and understanding the consequences of these physiological effects on inter-individual interactions and community structure. This comprehensive approach can be extremely valuable in yielding a more complete picture of how chemical defenses can influence community dynamics and structure, as is demonstrated in the example of tetrodotoxin in riparian communities and saxitoxin in marine communities (Ferrer & Zimmer 2009 Ann NY Acad Sci 1170:450-5). Work in my laboratory on the use of ink by molluscs such as sea hares and squid to avoid predators is another example that has so far focused more on identifying bioactive chemicals in ink, how they affect behavior of would-be predators and conspecifics, and the neural pathways through which these chemicals operate. I will review these defensive mechanisms, including those mediating inter-specific interactions (e.g. phagomimicry, sensory disruption, and aversion, mediated by aplysioviolin, phycoerythrobilin, hydrogen peroxide, and others) and those mediating intra-specific interactions (e.g. alarm cues, such as nucleosides and mycosporine-like amino acids). Finally, I will propose future directions that could improve our understanding of the neuroecology of inking defenses, including using crustaceans and fish as models to study the neuronal basis for detecting chemical defenses, and field studies of how predator-prey interactions between crustacean and fish vs. sea hares might indirectly influence algal populations and thus more broadly marine communities. Supported by NSF IOS-1036742 and IOS-0614685.