FEEDING BEHAVIOR IN POLYPS OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY SEA NETTLE, CHRYSAORA QUINQUECIRRHA (DESOR, 1848)

¹ Ocean Sciences Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D. C. 20390
² Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, D. C. 20007

1. Polyps of Chrysaora quinquecirrha exhibit characteristic feeding behavior in response to low concentrations of most common amino acids and to several small peptides.

2. Isolated tentacles also respond in characteristic fashion to amino acids and peptides. The data imply the presence of feeding reflex receptors on the tentacles.

3. Increasing concentrations of brine shrimp extract or reduced glutathione induce longer feeding response times until a maximum value is reached; further increases in extract or reduced glutathione concentration are inhibitory to the response. Thus maximum stimulation of feeding reflex receptors is inhibitory to the feeding behavior response.

4. It was not possible at this time to characterize a specific active site in amino acids or peptides which induces feeding behavior in Chrysaora polyps. The data suggest that Chrysaora possesses more than one type of receptor, and thus can interact with a number of amino acids and peptides to bring about orderly, modulated, feeding behavior.