Chemical Sensing in Aurelia Aurita Studied by AI-Enhanced Image Analysis: Jellyfish Can Smell

Overview

Jellyfish posses one of the earliest nervous systems of any living organisms. They are not closely related to common model organisms and therefore can provide unique insight to the capabilities of early nervous systems and how these systems have evolved. Little is known about jellyfish feeding behavior. It is believed that jellyfish are opportunistic feeders, meaning they do not actively seek prey but passively intercept and ingest food they encounter locally. Previously, I showed that Aurelia Aurita exhibit a strong neural response (pulsation) to live food (brine shrimp) and a weak response to dilute brine shrimp essence. Jellyfish are known to respond to a tactile stimulation, so it was not clear from these experiments the part of tactile stimulation or chemical sensing in their response. Furthermore, a challenge with studying pulsation in jellyfish is that the natural movement of the jellies themselves prevents a detailed analysis of their pulsing using conventional imaging techniques. To better study how Aurelia Aurita respond to chemical stimuli, I developed AI-enhanced image analysis software to identify jellyfish (Aurelia Aurita), precisely track their position, and then analyze their pulsing behavior with unprecedented precision. The software, Jellyfish Tracking and Analysis (JeTA), was created in Python. Using JeTA, the pulsation responses of Aurelia Aurita were studied before and after the introduction of a chemical olfactory stimulus, concentrated brine shrimp extract. A significant increase in pulsation activity was observed after the introduction of the chemical stimulus, and the average inter-pulse interval, the time between each pulse, was shown to decrease by 31%. Additional behavior was also observed. A rotational propagation on their bell was seen for some of the jellyfish after the introduction of the chemical stimulus, which created a temporary suction force. These results show that Aurelia Aurita have the capability to chemically sense and actively respond to food within their immediate vicinity. This discovery suggests that their nervous systems are more complex than previously thought, and they are not simple opportunistic feeders.

Awards (1)

• Category Award: 4

Competition history

• CSEF 2023 Zoology · Entry S2207

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