Sleep Deprivation and Responses to Video Stimuli
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Behavioural aspects of the New Zealand octopus Pinnoctopus cordiformis: acclimation, sleep deprivation and responses to video stimuli A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Zoology at the University of Canterbury Dean D. Harliwich 2011 Picture the scene where whatever you thought would, in the blink of an eye, manifest and become illustrated You’d be sure, man, that every line drawn reflected a life that you loved not an existence that you hated… Incubus Redefine ii Acknowledgements Most importantly, I dedicate this work to my mother Karla, who STILL doesn’t see how amazing she is (someone should really tell her). To my brother Nathan, for growing up so fast without rushing, and for sharing the journey. To my father, who is always close to my heart, even though we walk in very different worlds. And to Nathan Watts & Ezra Holder, who were there at the beginning. This project would not have been possible without the funding of University of Canterbury, School of Biological Sciences, and the expertise of a number of individuals. I am indebted especially to Rennie Bishop and Richard Baxter for their help collecting octopuses for the duration of this thesis. Also to Nick Etheridge, Gavin Robinson, and Dave Rutherford for constructing aquaria and technical assistance in Christchurch. Thanks to Jack Van Berkel technical assistance and fielding endless enquiries during my stay in Kaikoura, and to Ngaire Perrin for cleaning up all of the water I tracked through the Edward Percival Field Station. Thank you Jason Tylianakis for the statistics help and for your good taste in music. I am extremely grateful to Manuel Fernandez, Simona Kraberger, Katherine Van Bysterveldt, Jacqui Lee, Emma Ball, Jenipher Cate, Ophèlie Sagnol, Keiran Tibble, Chav Chives, Luke McDonald, Khuzwane Holder, Simon Boxall, Archie MacFarlane, and Miles Burford, without whose support I would have abandoned this thesis before even the half-way mark, all of whom knew me before I was famous. Lastly, my great gratitude to supervisors Chris Glover and Ximena Nelson, who were patient, and who listened. I am indebted to them for teaching me to take the art of science seriously, but not so seriously that it stops being art. iii Abstract The native New Zealand octopus P. cordiformis is a relatively unstudied member of the cephalopod class. Behavioural investigation will widen the breadth of our knowledge about octopus behaviour away from the handful of classically studied species. Here I test the acclimation patterns of P. cordiformis in an experimental environment, using video recording to document and analyse behaviour over a three-day period. I also test P. cordiformis following acclimation, examining the role of sleep in mediating behaviour, and test for the presence of homeostatic regulation on behaviour following sleep deprivation. Finally I examine the responses of P. cordiformis to video playback, testing the way in which motion and shape mediate predatory behaviour in P. cordiformis, and risk assessment in response to a sympatric predator (Arctocephalus forsteri). Pinnoctopus cordiformis responded well to acclimation, with little if any change in behaviour over the three day acclimation period, and minimal indication of stress (e.g., only one case of food rejection, and no changes in groom rates). Acclimation was not influenced by sex differences, or by differences in body weight or limb condition. Pinnoctopus cordiformis did not appear to possess homeostatic regulation of sleep behaviour following sleep deprivation, indicating that the variability in sleep and rest patterns seen in aquatic mammals and elsewhere also exists between octopuses of different species. Video playback of prey stimuli elicited context-relevant responses including changes in luring, peering and alertness as well as appearance characteristics, and this response was mediated by both prey motion and shape. Predator playback elicited semi-realistic responses including adjustments in alertness, flinching activity, and strong adjustments in rates of ventilation caused by behavioural freezing, as well as an alternate fight—flight response depending on video realism. iv Table of Contents Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................... iii Abstract .............................................................................................................................................. iv Chapter 1: General Introduction ................................................................................................ 1 Chapter 2: General Methods ..................................................................................................... 10 Capture and Housing ............................................................................................................................. 10 Feeding and Cleaning ............................................................................................................................ 11 Day-night cycle ........................................................................................................................................ 12 Obtaining video data .............................................................................................................................. 12 Recording and quantifying octopus behaviour ............................................................................ 13 1. Activity ................................................................................................................................................................... 14 2. Locomotion ........................................................................................................................................................... 16 3. Aversion ................................................................................................................................................................. 16 4. Appearance ............................................................................................................................................................ 16 Consideration of behaviours in each experiment. ....................................................................... 17 Treatment of data ..................................................................................................................................................... 17 Chapter 3. Pinnoctopus cordiformis in captivity: Acclimation & observations ................ 19 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 19 Methods ....................................................................................................................................................... 20 Results ......................................................................................................................................................... 21 Activity ........................................................................................................................................................................ 21 Aversion ...................................................................................................................................................................... 21 Locomotion ................................................................................................................................................................ 21 Appearance ................................................................................................................................................................. 22 Discussion ................................................................................................................................................. 27 Influence of time ...................................................................................................................................................... 27 Influence of sex ........................................................................................................................................................ 28 Influence of limb damage ...................................................................................................................................... 29 Influence of weight .................................................................................................................................................. 30 Do octopuses acclimate? .......................................................................................................................... 31 i Chapter 4: Sleep Deprivation ................................................................................................... 35 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 35 Defining sleep .......................................................................................................................................................... 35 Sleep and cephalopods ........................................................................................................................................ 37 Convergence ............................................................................................................................................................. 38