Mécano-et chémosensibilité des rosettes de pédicellaires croisés de l'astéride <i>Marthasterias glacialis</i> (Echinodermata) = Mechanical and chemical sensibility of rosettes of crossed pedicellariae of <i>Marthasterias glacialis</i>

Abstract

The crossed pedicellariae of Marthasterias glacialis are clustered on dermal rosettes. Pedicellariae and rosettes are sensitive to mechanical and chemical stimulations. The obtained results suggest that the behaviour induced by mechanical stimulation is the expression of the very function of the pedicellarial rosettes (protection of the body surface against unwanted bodies) while that induced by chemical stimulations actually correspond more to the expression of the overall sensitivity of the epiderm to chemical changes in the environment