Click here to close
Hello! We notice that you are using Internet Explorer, which is not supported by Xenbase and may cause the site to display incorrectly.
We suggest using a current version of Chrome,
FireFox, or Safari.
MicroPubl Biol
2023 Jan 01;2023. doi: 10.17912/micropub.biology.000750.
Show Gene links
Show Anatomy links
Albino Xenopus laevis tadpoles prefer dark environments compared to wild type.
Adebogun GT, Bachmann AE, Callan AA, Khan U, Lewis AR, Pollock AC, Alfonso SA, Arango Sumano D, Bhatt DA, Cullen AB, Hajian CM, Huang W, Jaeger EL, Li E, Maske AK, Offenberg EG, Ta V, Whiting WW, McKinney JE, Butler J, O'Connell LA.
???displayArticle.abstract???
Tadpoles display preferences for different environments but the sensory modalities that govern these choices are not well understood. Here, we examined light preferences and associated sensory mechanisms of albino and wild-type Xenopus laevis tadpoles. We found that albino tadpoles spent more time in darker environments compared to the wild type, although they showed no differences in overall activity. This preference persisted when the tadpoles had their optic nerve severed or pineal glands removed, suggesting these sensory systems alone are not necessary for phototaxis. These experiments were conducted by an undergraduate laboratory course, highlighting how X. laevis tadpole behavior assays in a classroom setting can reveal new insights into animal behavior.
Figure 1. Albino Xenopus laevis tadpoles prefer darker environments compared to the wild type independent of eyes or pineal gland:
(A) Tadpole preferences for dark or light environments were tested in a simple chamber made of two petri dishes. The time spent on the dark side was recorded for three minutes before and after the outer chamber was rotated. (B) Albino tadpoles (white) spent more time in the darker environment compared to wild-type tadpoles (brown) (ANOVA, F(1) = 8.124, p = 0.007). (C) The total number of movements did not differ between groups. (D) Tadpole environmental preferences remained consistent despite being blind, having their pineal gland removed, or experiencing a control sham operation (2-way ANOVA, pigmentation group: F(1) = 16.448, p < 0.001; sensory treatment and their interaction was not significant). (E) The total number of movements did not differ between pigmentation groups nor sensory treatments.
Figure 1.
Albino
Xenopus laevis
tadpoles prefer darker environments compared to the wild type independent of eyes or pineal gland.
.
(A)
Tadpole preferences for dark or light environments were tested in a simple chamber made of two petri dishes. The time spent on the dark side was recorded for three minutes before and after the outer chamber was rotated.
(B)
Albino tadpoles (white) spent more time in the darker environment compared to wild-type tadpoles (brown) (ANOVA, F(1) = 8.124, p = 0.007).
(C)
The total number of movements did not differ between groups.
(D)
Tadpole environmental preferences remained consistent despite being blind, having their pineal gland removed, or experiencing a control sham operation (2-way ANOVA, pigmentation group: F(1) = 16.448, p < 0.001; sensory treatment and their interaction was not significant).
(E)
The total number of movements did not differ between pigmentation groups nor sensory treatments.
Bai,
Identification of environmental stressors and validation of light preference as a measure of anxiety in larval zebrafish.
2016, Pubmed
Bai,
Identification of environmental stressors and validation of light preference as a measure of anxiety in larval zebrafish.
2016,
Pubmed Balkema,
Characterization of abnormalities in the visual system of the mutant mouse pearl.
1981,
Pubmed Barr,
Hypersensitivity to light of the iris (Sphincter pupillae) of the albino axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum).
1988,
Pubmed Becker,
Light-stimulated electrical responses from skin.
1966,
Pubmed Bertolesi,
Type II Opsins in the Eye, the Pineal Complex and the Skin of Xenopus laevis: Using Changes in Skin Pigmentation as a Readout of Visual and Circadian Activity.
2021,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase Blackiston,
Ectopic eyes outside the head in Xenopus tadpoles provide sensory data for light-mediated learning.
2013,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase Dong,
Visual avoidance in Xenopus tadpoles is correlated with the maturation of visual responses in the optic tectum.
2009,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase Donner,
A frog's eye view: Foundational revelations and future promises.
2020,
Pubmed Exner,
Xenopus leads the way: Frogs as a pioneering model to understand the human brain.
2021,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase Fukuzawa,
Periodic albinism of a widely used albino mutant of Xenopus laevis caused by deletion of two exons in the Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome type 4 gene.
2021,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase Glücksmann,
DEVELOPMENT AND DIFFERENTIATION OF THE TADPOLE EYE.
1940,
Pubmed Hertle,
Albinism: particular attention to the ocular motor system.
2013,
Pubmed Hoperskaya,
The development of animals homozygous for a mutation causing periodic albinism (ap) in Xenopus laevis.
1975,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase Hunt,
An Innate Color Preference Displayed by Xenopus Tadpoles Is Persistent and Requires the Tegmentum.
2020,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase Liu,
Early development and function of the Xenopus tadpole retinotectal circuit.
2016,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase Mano,
A median third eye: pineal gland retraces evolution of vertebrate photoreceptive organs.
2007,
Pubmed Moriya,
Preference for background color of the Xenopus laevis tadpole.
1996,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase Ren,
Behavioral visual responses of wild-type and hypopigmented zebrafish.
2002,
Pubmed Roberts,
Pineal eye and behaviour in Xenopus tadpoles.
1978,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase Roberts,
How neurons generate behavior in a hatchling amphibian tadpole: an outline.
2010,
Pubmed
,
Xenbase Thomas,
Light response differences in the superior colliculus of albino and pigmented rats.
2005,
Pubmed
