Self-Repair and Sleep in Jellyfish

Author: Abrams, Michael Jacob

Year: 2018

Degree: Dissertation (Ph.D.)

Advisor: Goentoro, Lea A.

Committee Members: Hay, Bruce A.; Dabiri, John O.; Sternberg, Paul W.; Goentoro, Lea A.

Option: Biology

DOI: 10.7907/69br-kb59

Abstract

Studying the cnidarian jellyfish, we have pursued basic biological questions related to self-repair mechanisms and sleep behavior. Working in Aurelia we have discovered a novel strategy of self-repair; we determined that they can undergo body reorganization after amputations that culminates in the recovery of essential radial symmetry without rebuilding lost parts. Working with Cassiopea, we have, for the first time, identified a behavioral sleep-like state in an animal without a centralized nervous system, supporting the hypothesis that sleep is ancestral in animals.

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