A novel running whell apparatus to monitor locomotor rhythms in land crabs

Abstract

Biological rhythms have been identified and analyzed in many organisms, from singlecelled alga to vertebrates. Apparatus and methods used for detection and analysis of these rhythms depend on the type of rhythm under investigation, the species, and the investigator, with new methods constantly being developed. For locomotor rhythms, one of the most overt biological rhythms, data are recorded in an actograph. Various types of actographs are commonly used, including tipping carousels (Palmer 1971), photosensorbased detectors (Brown and Unwin 1961), and running wheels (Roberts 1960), and the results of experiments may depend on the type of actograph used (Brady 1967; Honma et al. 1991).