Abstract
THE purpose of this study was to compare the optimum stimulus sizes of class 2 ganglion cells in Rana pipiens with those of R. catesbeiana. Several neurophysiological studies have suggested that activity in class 2 ganglion cells in the frog retina (convexity sensitive1–3) serves as a trigger for prey catching1,4. Field studies of the stomach contents of various species of frogs show that the prey selected by the bullfrog, R. catesbeiana, differs from that of the leopard frog, R. pipiens, in size. Bullfrog stomachs have contained (in addition to insects) crayfish, frogs, mice, and birds5,6. Leopard frogs generally prey on various insects, spiders, and terrestrial snails7,8. This study was undertaken to explore a possible difference in the electrophysiological optimal stimulus size for class 2 retinal ganglion cells of leopard frogs and bullfrogs which might be related to differences in prey size preference. Our data suggest that bullfrog ganglion cells have average optimal stimulus sizes significantly larger than those of leopard frogs.
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GLICKMAN, R., POMERANZ, B. Frog retinal ganglion cells show species differences in their optimal stimulus sizes. Nature 265, 51–53 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/265051a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/265051a0
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