Nakashima T, Mushiake H, Sakamoto K. Earthworm individualities when facing a conflict between turn alternation and aversive learning.
Biophys Physicobiol 2018;
15:159-164. [PMID:
30105176 PMCID:
PMC6086654 DOI:
10.2142/biophysico.15.0_159]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2018] [Accepted: 07/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
An individual’s personality develops through a combination of experiences and parental inheritance. When faced with a conflict, will an individual take an innate behavior or a learned one? In such situations, individuality will manifest itself. Here, we focused on turn alternation behavior, which is a habitual tendency to turn in the direction opposite the preceding turn, in earthworms (Eisenia fetida) and examined how this behavior is affected by an aversive stimulus. Of 10 earthworms, 3 were affected by the stimulus. Turn alternation deteriorated in two worms, one of which showed anti-turn alternation behavior, whereas the remaining worm showed an enhanced tendency toward turn alternation. Earthworms have a relatively simple nervous system. This study opens the door to investigate the neuronal basis for individuality that emerges between nature and nurture.
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