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TEMPERATURE RECEPTORS
R. W. MURRAY
I. Introduction . . . . . . .
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111. The Sense Organs Involved
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IV. Electrophysiology . . . . . .
A. Teleosts . . . . . . .
B. Elasmobranchs . . . . . .
V. Thermal Responses of Other Sense Organs
References
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11. Thermal Sensitivity of Fishes
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I. INTRODUCTION
Because of the all-pervading nature of heat and its influence on
chemical reactions and physical processes there are many kinds of effect
of “temperature” on animals, including variations in metabolic processes,
temperature optima, acclimation processes, and so on, which do not come
within the scope of this chapter. Even among sense organs there are a
number whose responses may be different at different temperatures, or
which may respond to changes of temperature, but which are not thermoreceptors in the strict sense of of receptors responding to thermal stimuli
and initiating or controlling behavior relevant to the thermal properties
of the environment. Clearly behavioral rather than electrophysiological
experiments are needed to identify thermoreceptors thus defined, but the
latter techniques provide the different evidence required for the understanding of the receptor mechanisms.
11. THERMAL SENSITIVITY OF FISHES
Fishes, or at least bony fishes, often behave as if they were aware of
environmental temperatures, and this sensitivity has been well established
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