Behavioral choice across leech species: chacun à son goût

Abstract

At any one time, animals are simultaneously bombarded with many sensory stimuli, but they typically choose to respond to only a few of them. We used multidimensional analysis to determine the behavioral responses of six species of leeches to stimulation, as the responses are affected by species identity, diet, behavioral state and stimulus location. Our results show that each of the species tested while not feeding displayed remarkably similar behaviors in response to tactile stimulation of the surface of the body. When not feeding, stimulus location was the most reliable factor in determining behavioral response. While feeding, the three sanguivorous (bloodsucking) species tested ignored stimulation, whereas the three carnivorous leeches abandoned feeding in favor of locomotory responses, regardless of phylogenetic relationships. In the sanguivorous leeches, feeding abolished all mechanically elicited responses and mechanical stimulation in turn had no effect on feeding. We also show that the behavioral hierarchy of leeches was fixed and unchanging even in species that can consume both a carnivorous and a sanguivorous diet.