Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/8657
Title: | Complementary and lateralized forms of processing in 'Bufo marinus' for novel and familiar prey | Contributor(s): | Robins, A (author); Rogers, Lesley (author) | Publication Date: | 2006 | DOI: | 10.1016/j.nlm.2006.03.002 | Handle Link: | https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/8657 | Abstract: | Amphibian vision is one of the most comprehensively studied of all vertebrate sensory systems. However, the processes of object recognition and memory in anuran amphibians have resisted satisfactory explanation. Our research shows that insight to the issue of visual discrimination and recognition in toads may be gained by investigation of the specialized and complementary functions carried out by the left and right brain hemispheres. We report that specialized processes associated with the left eye (right hemisphere) of the 'Bufo marinus' toad carry out decisions to view and strike at complex prey stimuli recognized as 'novel.' This was demonstrated in the toads' preferences when provided a choice between identical novel insect models presented simultaneously into the left and right lateral, monocular visual fields. In a second experiment, videotaped trials of toad groups competing in an open field for live crickets were analysed for lateralized prey-catching behaviour. Concomitant with a preference for directing agonistic strikes at conspecifics within the left visual hemifield, toads were found to posses a significant preference for directing predatory responses at the familiar prey viewed in the right visual hemifield. The preference for directing prey-catching responses at freely moving crickets in the right visual hemifield supports the earlier findings drawn from automated and familiar model insect prey. We present a hypothesis explaining differences in hemispheric processing in toads responding to 'novel' and 'familiar' prey types, utilizing a range of long-term memories found to be lateralized in other vertebrates. | Publication Type: | Journal Article | Source of Publication: | Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 86(2), p. 214-227 | Publisher: | Academic Press | Place of Publication: | United States of America | ISSN: | 1095-9564 1074-7427 |
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: | 060801 Animal Behaviour | Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: | 970106 Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences | Peer Reviewed: | Yes | HERDC Category Description: | C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal |
---|---|
Appears in Collections: | Journal Article School of Science and Technology |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format |
---|
Items in Research UNE are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.