Mind The Gap! Detection of gaps between objects during active electrolocation in Gnathonemus petersii
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1
University of Bonn, Zoology, Germany
The elephantnose fish Gnathonemus petersii generates electrical signals (electric organ discharges, EODs), which build up an electric field around the fish’s body. The animals perceive their own electrical emissions with cutaneous electroreceptor organs. During active electrolocation, objects are recognized by analysing the electric images, which they project onto the skin of the fish during each EOD. G. petersii and other mormyrids are nocturnal and use active electrolocation to orient in their habitat in complete darkness at night. In our project, we determined how well the fish could detect gaps between two metal objects in front of complex backgrounds. We trained the fish in a food-rewarded two-alternative forced-choice procedure to swim to two metal cubes (2cm x 2cm x 2cm) with a gap between them, which served as the positive stimulus. The alternative negative stimulus was a solid object of equal length with no gap. Our results show that G. petersii is able to detect gaps down to a width of about 0.2 cm. Discrimination performance was better (0.1 cm gap size) when the objects were placed in front of a moving plastic or water plant background. This indicates that movements in the environment play an important role for object identification. In addition, we determined the correlation between gap size and the distance, in which gaps could be detected. We found that G. petersii is able to detect a 1 cm gap up to a distance of 4 cm, and a 0.5 cm gap up to a distance of 3 cm.
Keywords:
background movement,
electric image,
gap detection,
Orientation,
spatial resolution,
weakly electric fish
Conference:
Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology, College Park. Maryland USA, United States, 5 Aug - 10 Aug, 2012.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation (see alternatives below as well)
Topic:
Sensory: Electrosensory
Citation:
Behr
K,
Holtkamp
D,
Neusel
G and
Von Der Emde
G
(2012). Mind The Gap! Detection of gaps between objects during active electrolocation in Gnathonemus petersii.
Conference Abstract:
Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnbeh.2012.27.00232
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Received:
30 Apr 2012;
Published Online:
07 Jul 2012.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. Gerhard Von Der Emde, University of Bonn, Zoology, Bonn, 53115, Germany, vonderemde@uni-bonn.de