Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 May 2009
In 1955, Kerkut recorded the spontaneous activities of a tube foot of Asterias rubens L. Such activity consisted of cyclical protraction and retraction phases, one complete cycle lasting on average some 6·5 min (S.D. 2·5). The duration of the protraction phase was on average 4·3 min. It is reasonable to assume that under the conditions of this experiment a similar level of hydrostatic pressure was attained as was found by Binyon (1964), namely 30 cm water. There then followed a fairly rapid retraction of the podium and a quiescent period of some 2·2 min duration. An individual podium would thus execute some 9·2 cycles/h.