Life Sciences Commons^™

Neuronal Control Of Swimming Behavior: Comparison Of Vertebrate And Invertebrate Model Systems, Olivia Mullins, John Hackett, James T. Buchanan, W. Otto Friesen

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Swimming movements in the leech and lamprey are highly analogous, and lack homology. Thus, similarities in mechanisms must arise from convergent evolution rather than from common ancestry. Despite over 40 years of parallel investigations into this annelid and primitive vertebrate, a close comparison of the approaches and results of this research is lacking. The present review evaluates the neural mechanisms underlying swimming in these two animals and describes the many similarities that provide intriguing examples of convergent evolution. Specifically, we discuss swim initiation, maintenance and termination, isolated nervous system preparations, neural-circuitry, central oscillators, intersegmental coupling, phase lags, cycle periods and …