Overview
Brief Summary
Morphology
Physical Description
Ecology
Local Distribution and Habitats
Biogeographical Distribution
Invasive Potential
Biology
Life history
Feeding
Defense
Locomotion
Scientific significance
Use as a model organism
Conservation
Threats
Wikipedia
References & More Information
Bibliographies
Search the Web | Use as a model organism
As a result of their extraordinarily large nerve cells, Aplysia are fast becoming recognized as one of the primary model organisms for research into the inner workings and responses of nerve cells (Colebrook & Lukowaik 1988). It is the combination of these large nerve cells and a simple, easily accessible nervous system that makes them perfect for use in neurobiology trials (Moore 2006). While only preliminary trials have been done so far on the use of A. dactylomela as a model organism, there has been a lot of work conducted on a A. californica. This provides not only an exciting field of study for agriculturists to develop new techniques of maintaining these marine molluscs with the potential of commercializing supply to scientific institutes buts also provides a wide range of opportunities for "scientific breakthroughs". For example in 2000, Dr Eric Kandel, scientist and founder of the National Resource for Aplysia Facility (University of Miami/NIH), was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his work on the use A. californica as models for understanding the processes that cause nerves to trigger coordinated behavioral responses (Kandel 2011). |
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