Quantifying the hemolymph glucose concentration response in crayfish

Comparative Biology
Why is it so important?

Comparing features (physiology, behavior, etc.) across different species experiencing similar situations, helps us to hypothesize trends in how organisms respond to their environment!

Physiology comparisons
Most invertebrates Most vertebrates

Circulatory system: similar (blood transports nutrients) but different (open vs. closed)

How do we control our behaviors and energy use?

Endocrine System Central Nervous System

Glucose: its how cells get energy

Cellular respiration
Aerobic (needs

oxygen) Anaerobic (no oxygen available)

Glucose is required

for both! When our muscles run out of oxygen, they switch to anaerobic (much less efficient!)
Waste product: lactic

acid

Glucose regulation

Hyperglycemic (too much glucose)

Hypoglycemic (not enough

Crayfish produce Crustacean Hyperglycemic Hormone (CHH) from the sinus glands behind their eyes!
This hormone is similar to glucagon in humans it tells the crayfishs body to release more glucose CHH into the hemolymph!

Temperature affects blood-glucose levels

Endotherms (mammals, birds) and Ectotherms (reptiles, fish, arthropods, crustaceans) both need to maintain proper bloodglucose levels at different temperatures (remember homeostasis?)

Salinity affects blood-glucose levels

Substances absorbed/ingested from the environment (food, air, water) can affect your bodys release of hormones such as cortisol (stress hormone), which can in turn stimulate other hormones, including insulin and glucagon, which can affect

Stress affects blood-glucose levels

Stress (searching for mates, fighting for territory, avoiding predators, etc.) can elevate blood-glucose levels Fight-or-flight response: Your body releases many hormones, including glucagon, which provides your cells with more glucose, so you have more energy to deal with a tough situation!

For lab today

We want to quantify how different conditions induce changes in

crayfish hemolymph glucose concentration. Obtain crayfish, take hemolymph sample, apply treatment, take hemolymph sample again Compare before-treatment to after-treatment: is there a change in glucose concentration? PLEASE BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR SYRINGES AND NEEDLES, as well as the crayfish claws If you have ANY QUESTIONS, please ASK your TA

Insert needle under the back of the carapace (1)

Insert needle at this angle