JOURNAL OF ANIMAL BEHAVIOR 



Vol. 5 NOVEMBER-DECEMBER No. 6 



LITERATURE FOR 1914 ON THE BEHAVIOR OF 

 THE LOWER INVERTEBRATES 



S. J. HOLMES 



The University of California 



Allee (1) has tested the relation of rheotaxis in Asellus to 

 metabolism, measuring the latter by means of the duration of 

 life of the animal in solutions of KCN. As animals having a 

 high degree of metabolism die more quickly in KCN a means 

 is afforded of testing the metabolism of different lots. Those 

 which showed the most strongly positive rheotaxis were those 

 in which, other things equal, the degree of metabolism is the 

 greatest. Certain modifying factors must be taken into con- 

 sideration and for an account of these reference must be made 

 to the original paper. 



In another paper Allee (2) points out that the rheotactic 

 response is especially adaptive in stream isopods and is more 

 pronounced in Asellus communis from streams than in the same 

 species from ponds. The distribution of stream isopods is largely 

 accounted for by their rheotactic and thigmotactic reactions. 



Allee and Tashiro (3) have studied the relations between 

 rheotaxis in Asellus and the rate of production of C0 2 , and 

 find that in a given individual the reaction is positive when 

 the C0 2 production is rapid and indifferent when the C0 2 pro- 

 duction is low. Resistance to KCN is in inverse proportion to 

 the production of C0 2 . There are great differences in the reac- 

 tions of different individuals and ' the rheotactic reaction is 

 an expression, not of the absolute metabolic rate of the animal, 

 but of the relative metabolic rate to which the isopod is accli- 

 mated for the time being." 



