Stimulation of the ventral photoreceptors of first-year juvenile horseshoe crabs by shining light on them from below, through a transparent substrate, reliably induced the animals to flip over, reorienting to keep the stronger light (ratio approx. 2:1) on the top of the body. Two-year-olds ignored the same stimulus, but did react to a much stronger light source. The results indicate that the smaller juveniles rely on their ventral photoreceptors to stay upright, having no known organs of balance.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Sulewski, Sharon.

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• 00D285M

Advisor

• Gibson, Daniel G.

Year

• 2000

Date created

• 2000-01-01

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Biology & Biotechnology

Rights statement

• In Copyright