Learning in Cnidaria: a summary

ABSTRACTBased on a systematic literature search, I recently reviewed learning in the phylum Cnidaria, animals possessing a nerve net as a nervous system but no centralized brain. I found abundant evidence of non-associative learning, both habituation and sensitization, but only sparse evidence of as...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Ken Cheng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2023-12-01
Series:Communicative & Integrative Biology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/19420889.2023.2240669
Description
Summary:ABSTRACTBased on a systematic literature search, I recently reviewed learning in the phylum Cnidaria, animals possessing a nerve net as a nervous system but no centralized brain. I found abundant evidence of non-associative learning, both habituation and sensitization, but only sparse evidence of associative learning. Only one well-controlled study on classical conditioning in sea anemones provided firm evidence, and no studies firmly supported operant conditioning in Cnidaria, although several provided suggestive evidence. More research on associative learning in this phylum is needed.
ISSN:1942-0889