Abstracts (sorted by presenter) 111th Annual Meeting of the German Zoological Society Greifswald, 10-15 September 2018 Main Meeting, FG Evolutionary Biology Oral Presentation A colourful mystery: Insights into the Cepaea nemoralis banding pattern mechanism Susanne Affenzeller; Klaus Wolkenstein; Nicolas Cerveau; Daniel J. Jackson Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany E-mail: [email protected] The terrestrial gastropod species Cepaea nemoralis has been the focus of morphological, population genetic, molecular and evolutionary research for over 70 years. Scientists and collectors alike are interested in the different shell background colours ranging from light yellow over pink to brown. But it is the near Mendelian inheritance pattern of zero to five brown bands, which can be interrupted or merged, that initiated a new wave of research into the underlying molecular mechanisms. In the last years transcriptomic and proteomic approaches yielded first insights into the mechanisms patterning these gastropod shells. They verified the previously known supergene arrangement of loci responsible for shell background colour and banding pattern. Furthermore they revealed that the pigment used by C. nemoralis is not bound to a carrier protein like in juvenile Haliotis asinina. But the specific genes responsible for patterning C. nemoralis shells remained unknown. We here present an approach using transcriptome based differential gene expression between mantle regions with pigmented bands and background colour to gain candidate genes for shell pattering in C. nemoralis. The addition of in situ gene expression analyses (qPCR and slide in situ hybridisation) allows us to quantitatively and qualitatively validate these candidate genes. Additionally, analytical chemistry finally brings to light which pigments are responsible for the shell colours, further enhancing our understanding for banding and colouration mechanisms in C. nemoralis. 1 111th Annual Meeting of the German Zoological Society Greifswald, 10-15 September 2018 Symposium: 5th Meeting of the Arthropod Neuroscience Network Oral Presentation Input and output connections of the circadian clock of the Madeira cockroach Rhyparobia (Leucophaea) maderae with specific layers of lamina and medulla Thordis Arnold; Sebastian Korek; Azar Massah; David Eschstruth; Monika Stengl University of Kassel, Kassel, Germany E-mail: [email protected] The accessory medulla in the brain´s optic lobes is the circadian clock of the Madeira cockroach that controls sleep-wake rhythms. To examine input and output circuits of the clock we performed immunocytochemical and histochemical analysis of the neuroanatomy of optic lobe neuropils. Since previous studies determined that the compound eye only enables photic entrainment of the cockroach circadian clock, we examined the connections between the clock and photoreceptor axon termination sites in lamina and medulla. Furthermore, we specified the number of layers in lamina and medulla, as possible input and output regions of the circadian clock. Enzymatic staining with acetylcholinesterase histochemistry distinguished ten layers of the medulla and three layers of the lamina. Neurobiotin backfills from the contralateral optic stalk identified contralateral inputs. Antisera against the neurotransmitters histamine, GABA, and serotonin, and against the neuropeptides pigment-dispersing factor, corazonin, orcokinin, myoinhibitory peptides, FMRFamides, and allatotropin allowed to further define these layers. We found that only the neuropeptidergic anterior fiber fan connects the circadian clock to possible light input sites in the proximal lamina and the accessory laminae. In contrast, the GABAergic distal tract connects the clock to different layers in the medulla only. Strongest connectivity was observed between medulla layer 4 (ME4) and the clock. ME4 is innervated by neurobiotin backfills and contains all neuroactive substances tested. We conclude that ME4 serves as main input and output region of the cockroach circadian clock to control rhythms in physiology and behavior. [Supported by DFG grants STE531/18-2, 18-3 and STE 531/25-1 to MS] 2 111th Annual Meeting of the German Zoological Society Greifswald, 10-15 September 2018 Main Meeting, FG Behavioural Biology Poster: Behav 1 Discrimination of temporal patterns of electric communication signals in the weakly electric fish, Mormyrus rume proboscirostris Sebastian Bach; Sarah Pannhausen; Gerhard von der Emde University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany E-mail: [email protected] The weakly electrical mormyrid fish Mormyrus rume proboscirostris constantly emits series of electric pulses by discharging an electrical organ in its tail. These electric organ discharges (EODs) are used for active electrolocation and for electro-communication with conspecifics. While EOD waveform and amplitude stay constant, the inter-discharge intervals (IDI) can vary depending on the behavioural context. Natural IDI patterns are highly variable and fluctuate between 20 and several hundred ms. Here, we tested whether fish recognize certain temporal IDI patterns and can discriminate them from other patterns presented simultaneously. IDI patterns were pre-recorded from M. rume siblings, while they engaged in various defined behavioural contexts, e.g. feeding, resting or exploring. Four M. rume were trained to discriminate between two IDI-patterns emitted by two sender dipoles located at opposite ends of an aquarium. Fish were rewarded for approaching the dipole which played back an IDI pattern recorded from another fish during feeding (S+). The negative stimuli were regular, synthetic IDI-patterns starting with a low frequency of 5 Hz. In transfer tests, we test whether fish can discriminate between their S+ and various natural IDI patterns, and whether they can recognise feeding patterns recorded from different individuals. When two stimulus sequences were presented simultaneously, the fish could discriminate successfully between the S+ and the S-. We will present the results of further tests revealing whether fish can distinguish natural IDI sequences from different behaviours and whether they are able to recognize IDI patterns recorded in the same behavioural context but from different individuals. 3 111th Annual Meeting of the German Zoological Society Greifswald, 10-15 September 2018 Workshop: Animal Welfare Oral Presentation Animal experimentation under the requirements of biological safety levels BSL-3 and BSL-4 Anne Balkema-Buschmann1; Melanie Rissmann1; Charlotte Schröder2; Sandra Diederich1; Nils Kley1; Martin H. Groschup1 1Friedrich Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases; 2Friedrich Loeffler-Institut, Department of Experimental Animal Facilities and Biorisk Management, Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany E-mail: [email protected] The Friedrich Loeffler-Institute, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, performs in vitro and in vivo experiments to improve our understanding of viral and bacterial infections in animals and humans, and to evaluate possible candidates for future vaccines and therapeutics. Working with experimental animals using disease agents harboring a highly pathogenic zoonotic potential is regulated by the legal requirements regarding work safety, protection from infection, genetic engineering and animal welfare. This results in the critical evaluation of the partially diverse protection aims of these regulations, which is performed in close cooperation with the relevant authorities. In general, work in such facilities requires a specific and thorough training as well as a very cautious and reliable work style of all staff involved. This task is complicated by the fact that an increasing number of challenge experiments is not only performed in the so- called dead end host species but also in the putative reservoir hosts or even in endangered wildlife species. While farm or companion animals usually tolerate being handled by humans, putative reservoir hosts may include species that are more difficult to handle under experimental conditions. Nevertheless, adequate husbandry and proper handling of such animals is essential, and needs to be ensured by the building infrastructure and by the recruitment and development of specific expertise among the staff involved in this work. This presentation will highlight the aforementioned aspects by presenting different examples of our experimental animal work. 4 111th Annual Meeting of the German Zoological Society Greifswald, 10-15 September 2018 Main Meeting, FG Ecology Poster: Ecol 3 Stage-specific expression of blue-, UV- and long wavelength-sensitive opsins in the freshwater crustacean Daphnia Verena Bamberger; Ralph Tollrian; Linda C. Weiss Ruhr Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany E-mail: [email protected] Light is one of the major abiotic factors, influencing the behaviour of diverse organisms. In the freshwater crustacean Daphnia, which is a zooplanktonic primary consumer serving as an important link between trophic levels, light plays a special role as the different species show a strong phototactic behaviour. Genome sequencing of D. pulex and D. magna revealed a vast repertoire of opsins. In D. pulex 48 and in D. magna 33 opsins were found and categorised as ciliary opsins group4-opsins, and rhabdomeric- opsins. These r-opsins are responsible for visual light perception: ultraviolet-sensitive (UVOP), blue sensitive (BLOP) and two long wavelength-sensitive opsins (LOPA and LOPB). We investigated the