Abstract:ExperimentswerecarriedouttoinvestigatethebehavioralandmetabolicresponsesoftheNorthPacificseastar)todifferentconcentrationsoffoodsignals(fivesingleaminoacidandthreebivalvetissuehomogenate).Togaingreaterknowledgeintotheforagingbehaviorof,itsbehaviorwasdividedintofourcomponents.Stimulusconcentrationincreaseelicitedariseinboththepercentageofreactinganimalsandinthereactionintensityattheaminoacidconcentration-exceptfortyrosine.Atalowstimulusconcentration,thereactionofconsistedoftubefootwaving,andonlyhighconcentrationsinitiatedacomplicatedsequenceofseveraltypesofbehavior.However,frightreactionswereobservedathighconcentrations(mol·)ofaminoacidexceptforglutamicacid.DifferenceswerefoundamongthebehaviorresponsebyRuditapesphilippinarumantforthestudiedseastars.Fortheeighttestedstimuli,adependencybetweenstimulusconcentrationandtheoxygenconsumptionrate(OCR)wasobserved,withtheincreaseinstimulusstrengthcausingtheincreaseinthemetabolicrate.Forthetissuehomogenatesgroups,theOCRwassignificantlyhigherthanthatinthecontrol.However,statisticallysignificantdifferencesfromthecontrolwereonlyfoundinseastarsexposedtohighconcentrationsofglycine,glutamicacidandasparticacid.Nosignificantdifferenceswereobservedamongdifferentconcentrationsof
