Chemosensitivity of lobster,Homarus americanus, to secondary plant compounds: Unused receptor capabilities

Chemosensitivity to secondary plant substances was examined electrophysiologically and behaviorally for the lobsterHomarus americanus. Neurophysiological experiments show that some chemoreceptor cells in the antennules (representing the sense of smell) and walking legs (representing the sense of taste) were excited by secondary compounds from plants of marine and terrestrial origin. These compounds include amygdalin, atropine sulfate, bromoform, caffeine,p-coumaric acid, diiodomethane, ferulic acid, heliotropin, phloroglucinol, quinine sulfate, salicin, sinigrin, tannic acid, and tomatine. The possible behavioral function of three of these compounds was tested. Phloroglucinol and ferulic acid had no observable effect on any aspect of feeding behavior at any concentration tested. Tannic acid, which is related to polyphenols found in marine algae, had no observable effect at any concentration tested on orientation to and grasping of food (activities controlled primarily by antennular and leg chemoreceptors, respectively) but did have an inhibitory effect on food ingestion (an activity controlled primarily by mouthpart chemoreceptors). These electrophysiological and behavioral results suggest that potential chemoreceptive information derived from many secondary plant compounds may not be used in feeding behavior. The receptors sensitive to these compounds may represent a "common chemical sense" as suggested by Dethier (1980). However, at least one compound, tannic acid, that is smelled and tasted by lobsters can function as a feeding inhibitor at the level of the mouthparts.