Do decapod crustaceans feel pain? How can we explore this question, and why does it matter? � |
Jesi Gibbs, Melissa Hughes, Michael Ruscio, John Widholm. College of Charleston, Charleston, SC, United States |
Researchers have an ethical obligation to reduce unnecessary harm to animals that putatively experience pain, and in most places globally, welfare policy considers only vertebrate animals. A growing body of research suggests that some species of decapod crustaceans, a taxon commonly used in research applications, are capable of pain experience. However, there are large gaps in evidence across species, particularly in shrimp. This study explores this question in a snapping shrimp (Alpheus angulosus), using behavioral and neurobiological methods, comparing shrimp exposed to a noxious heat stimulus to uninjured shrimp. First, I will attempt to demonstrate conditioned place avoidance in heat-injured shrimp. Second, I will attempt to quantify nitric oxide – a molecule associated with pain processing – in snapping shrimp brains. This study will provide a novel characterization of a nitric oxide synthase in the snapping shrimp brain and has the potential to provide the first evidence for pain experience in a shrimp species. Results from this study have implications for animal welfare regulations in research and global commercial practice. � |