Electroreception is a special sensory ability of some animals to detect extremely small electrical fields in the natural environment. It was discovered in aquatic vertebrates less than 40 years ago, and this special sense has since been discovered in mammals. However, it has never been found in any invertebrate. This project uses physiological and behavioral techniques to design tests for the presence of electrosensory capabilities in crustaceans. The SGER is an appropriate mechanism for this unique opportunity because the experiments are brief and straightforward, and while the risk is conceptual that the PI's might not find electroreception, the potential impact of the discovery is very high. Such a discovery would have immediate importance not only in opening an entirely new field for sensory science, but also in offering new concepts and approaches for neuroscience in general, for evolutionary biology and potentially for bioengineering.
