ISSN:
1432-1351
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
,
Medicine
Notes:
Summary Taste cell responses of hairs on the left front-leg of the blowflyCalliphora vicina Rob. Desv. are classified according to their activity pattern. The activity pattern is characterised by four parameters: maximal spike frequency, time of occurrence of this maximum, adaptation rate and frequency after an infinite length of stimulation-time. As a stimulus a mixture of glucose/fructose, 0.25 M each, is used. Classification of taste cell responses is accomplished by cluster analysis. The result is presented in the dendrogram of Figure 3. Three main clusters are found, two of them being divided into two subclusters. There are remarkable coincidences with morphological and topographical features of the hairs (Fig. 4). Cluster Ia contains all D-type hairs, cluster Ib the 2 ventral B-hairs located distally on tarsomere 5 (formerly called C-type hairs); cluster II contains ventral B-type hairs only; cluster IIIa is dominated by lateral hairs on the left side of the leg and dorsal hairs on proximal tarsi; cluster IIIb is dominated by dorsal taste hairs. Cluster characteristics are presented in Table 4. It is shown that — even within one cluster — the activity pattern is influenced by such factors as tarsomere number, location on the left or the right side of the leg, and proximal or distal location on a tarsomere. There is considerable variability in the response of the hairs on a single leg, and between legs. Part of this variability (see Table 7) is of biological origin, and might be functional. With the methods described a rather complete description of the message sent to the CNS by the chemo-sensory system is technically feasible, which is very promising when it will be combined with behavioural experiments.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00668368
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