6
Living individuals with such highly complex sensory organs and neural pathways
involving multiple effectors are not automata. It is not surprising therefore that the results obtained in culture work are not always fully reproducible. The very existence
of such unpredictable results may draw attention to particularly interesting biological
problems related to individual variations, epigenetic effects and phenotypic plasticity.
Perhaps the practical aims of a cephalopod culture may be assessed—and possibly redirected more precisely—based on the recognition of technical or conceptual limitations.
1.2 Reproduction and Growth
The starting condition for culture of any species is given by the reproduction of
mature genitors. By producing fertilized eggs, the parent individuals form a potential P generation for hopefully continuing, successive offspring generations
Fig. 1.4 Left: Live hatchling of Loligo vulgaris, in dorsal view. Individual photographed under
anaesthesia (2–5 % ethanol), potentially causing chromatophore contraction (Villanueva, original).
Right: Semi-schematic representation of a loliginid squid hatchling with a three-lobed inner yolk
sac, in ventral view. al anterior lobe, pl posterior lobe, a arm, e eye, fr funnel retractor, g gill, i
intestine, m mantle, mgg midgut gland, st statocyst, vc vena cephalica. (After Boletzky 2010)
S. von Boletzky and R. Villanueva
Living individuals with such highly complex sensory organs and neural pathways
involving multiple effectors are not automata. It is not surprising therefore that the results obtained in culture work are not always fully reproducible. The very existence
of such unpredictable results may draw attention to particularly interesting biological
problems related to individual variations, epigenetic effects and phenotypic plasticity.
Perhaps the practical aims of a cephalopod culture may be assessed—and possibly redirected more precisely—based on the recognition of technical or conceptual limitations.
1.2 Reproduction and Growth
The starting condition for culture of any species is given by the reproduction of
mature genitors. By producing fertilized eggs, the parent individuals form a potential P generation for hopefully continuing, successive offspring generations
Fig. 1.4 Left: Live hatchling of Loligo vulgaris, in dorsal view. Individual photographed under
anaesthesia (2–5 % ethanol), potentially causing chromatophore contraction (Villanueva, original).
Right: Semi-schematic representation of a loliginid squid hatchling with a three-lobed inner yolk
sac, in ventral view. al anterior lobe, pl posterior lobe, a arm, e eye, fr funnel retractor, g gill, i
intestine, m mantle, mgg midgut gland, st statocyst, vc vena cephalica. (After Boletzky 2010)
S. von Boletzky and R. Villanueva