| Summary: | Trabajo final presentado por Brittney Chelsey Minnie Stuckless para el degree of Bachelor of Science de la Memorial University of Newfoundland, realizado bajo la dirección de la Dra. Annie Mercier, el Dr. Scott Grant y el Dr. Jacopo Aguzzi del Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC).-- 50 pages To date, investigations of locomotion in sea cucumbers (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) have focused on deposit-feeding species (detritivores)of the order Aspidochirotidafrom tropical and temperate environments. Thus,locomotor patterns of cold-water suspension-feeding(planktivores)dendrochirotes,such as Cucumaria frondosa,are understudiedin relation to other commercially important sea cucumber species, especially considering its potential as a candidate species for integrated multi-trophic aquaculture.The goal of this study was to attempt to fill some of the knowledge gaps about the drivers of locomotor behaviour in C.frondosathroughtime-lapse videography.Responsesto supplementary food sources, predator presence, and various light/dark cycles were investigated.Predator presence was found to be the most notable driver of locomotor behaviour in C. frondosa,eliciting a marked burst in movement upon initial exposure to the predator cue, without any clear directionality. Photoperiod had a relatively complex influenceon locomotion (especially during the out-of-phase segments), whereas the presence of a food source did notelicit any increased or directional movement.In addition, this investigationserved as a pilot study for developing an automated tracking and analysis program. Currently,there are limited options for video analysis of slow-moving organisms like sea cucumbers.ImageJ and Ethovison arethe most common options; however,theseprogramsdo not automatically trackindividualsand remainquite labor intensive.The novel algorithms developed during the present study are in the early alphastage, and still have some flaws; nevertheless, theyshow promise as an automated analysis tool to make behavioural studies of slow-moving ...
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