THE LOCOMOTION OF LIMAX : I. TEMPERATURE COEFFICIENT OF PEDAL ACTIVITY

Pedal progression of the slug Limax maximus was studied to obtain relations between wave velocity on the sole of the foot, wave frequency, the advance due to a single wave, and the velocity of vertically upward creeping. Each of the first three quantities is directly proportional to the simultaneous velocity of progression. Under comparable conditions, that is when work is done at a constant rate, the frequency of pedal waves is influenced by the temperature according to the equation of Arrhenius, with micro = 10,700 (Q(10) for 11 degrees to 21 degrees = 2.1). The velocity of a single wave must have very nearly the same "temperature characteristic," which is found also in another case of nerve net transmission (in Renilla).