Synthesis and measurement of valve activities by an improved online clam-based behavioral monitoring system
Journal
Computers and Electronics in Agriculture
Journal Volume
90
Pages
106-118
Date Issued
2013
Author(s)
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to develop an improved clam-based online behavioral monitoring system. The improved system consists of a valvometry apparatus and three kinds of valve closure analytic programs that can offer a real-time and cost-effective valvometric technique to effectively detect valve activities of clams Corbicula fluminea. The improved valvometry apparatus mainly applied electromagnetic mutual-inducting actions and principles to measure the distance between two inductances as the sensing theory of determining the magnitude of the bivalve shell gape. It evolved into a noninvasive and unconstrained valvometric technique, allowing freshwater bivalves to move freely and burrow in the bottom sands of observed tanks with minimal experimental constraint. By employing a compiled LabVIEW graphic control program on a personal computer, the clam-based online behavioral monitoring system can monitor and analyze the daily valve activities of a group of clams in real time. A strict laboratory procedure associated with an improved valvometric technique was performed in the bioassay experiment to observe the magnitudes of shell gape as the determining thresholds of valve closing (VC) and siphon extension (SE) statuses. A statistics-based approach describing bivalve behavioral movements of C. fluminea exposed to unpolluted environment was performed. Our results demonstrated that the magnitudes of shell gape of 20% and 50% can be adopted as the determining thresholds of VC and SE statuses, respectively, to digitalize the valve movements in bivalves, allowing a well-established sequence framework for quantifying the characterization of the daily valve behavioral rhythm. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.
SDGs
Type
journal article