A farewell to arms: using X-ray synchrotron imaging to investigate autotomy in brittle stars

A farewell to arms: using X-ray synchrotron imaging to investigate autotomy in brittle stars

Autotomy, the self-induced loss of a body structure, occurs in every living class of echinoderms and is related to the remarkable regeneration capabilities of the group. It is particularly prevalent in brittle stars (Class Ophiuroidea). Autotomy is facilitated by mutable collagenous tissue, which un...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Zoomorphology Vol. 138; no. 3; pp. 419 - 424
Main Authors: Clark, E. G., Fezzaa, K., Burke, J. E., Racicot, R. A., Shaw, J. O., Westacott, S., Briggs, D. E. G.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-09-2019
Springer Nature B.V
Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany
Subjects:
Animal Anatomy
Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography
Autotomy
BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Collagen
Developmental Biology
Escape behavior
Evolutionary Biology
Histology
Imaging techniques
Invertebrates
Life Sciences
Marine invertebrates
Methods Papers
Morphology
Mutable collagenous tissue
Nervous system
Ophiuroidea
Regeneration (biological)
Synchrotron imaging
Viscosity
X rays
Mutable collagenous tissue
Ophiuroidea
Autotomy
Synchrotron imaging
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Summary:Autotomy, the self-induced loss of a body structure, occurs in every living class of echinoderms and is related to the remarkable regeneration capabilities of the group. It is particularly prevalent in brittle stars (Class Ophiuroidea). Autotomy is facilitated by mutable collagenous tissue, which undergoes nervous system-mediated changes in tensile stiffness, tensile strength, and viscosity. The previous investigations of autotomy have been based on observations of the external surface, surgical manipulation of internal structures, or data on the morphology of structures post-autotomy. We used fast phase-contrast X-ray synchrotron imaging to visualize full autotomy events in vivo in the arms of specimens of the brittle star Ophioderma brevispina . This method requires no chemical or surgical manipulation and enabled us to identify several key stages in the autotomy process. We used this methodology to observe critical changes within the internal structure of the arm as it transitions from a functional mechanical apparatus to a dysfunctional disarticulated state. This method is the first in which the full intersegmental plane of the arm can be observed during autotomy. It can be applied to visualize autotomy and motion in vivo in other brittle star taxa, as well as in other groups such as asteroids and arthropods.
Bibliography:AC02-06CH11357
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
ISSN:0720-213X
1432-234X
DOI:10.1007/s00435-019-00451-7