Analyzing the Response Behavior of <i>Lumbriculus variegatus</i> (Oligochaeta: Lumbriculidae) to Different Concentrations of Copper Sulfate Based on Line Body Shape Detection and a Recurrent Self-Organizing Map

• Main Authors: Chang Woo Ji, Young-Seuk Park, Yongde Cui, Hongzhu Wang, Ihn-Sil Kwak, Tae-Soo Chon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-04-01
• Series: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Subjects: <i>Lumbriculus variegatus</i>; line-tracking; response behavior; computational method; copper sulfate; risk assessment
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/8/2627

Point detection (e.g., the centroid of the body) of species has been conducted in numerous studies. However, line detection (i.e., the line body shape) of elongated species has rarely been investigated under stressful conditions. We analyzed the line movements of an Oligochaeta <i>Lumbriculus variegatus</i> in response to treatments with a toxic chemical, copper sulfate, at low concentrations (0.01 mg/L and 0.1 mg/L). The automatic line-tracking system was devised to identify the movement of body segments (body length) and the movements of segments (i.e., the speed and angles between segments) were recorded before and after treatment. Total body length was shortened from 31.22 (±5.18) mm to 20.91 (±4.65) mm after the 0.1 mg/L treatment. The Shannon entropy index decreased from 0.44 (±0.1) to 0.28 (±0.08) after treatment. On the other hand, the body and movement segments did not significantly change after the 0.01 mg/L treatment. Sequential movements of test organisms were further analyzed with a recurrent self-organizing map (RSOM) to determine the pattern of time-series line movements. The RSOM made it feasible to classify sequential behaviors of indicator organisms and identify various continuous body movements under stressful conditions.