Our laboratory is interested in how animals acquire and process information about their sensory environments.  We have focused on sand scorpions in our research, owing to their clean native habitat, slow walking behavior, and fluorescent epicuticle.  The chemo-, mechano-, and visual sensory systems of these animals are all approachable to physiological investigation and we use a combination of behavioral, morphological, and electrophysiological techniques to deduce circuitry and neural coding of sensory information in this ancient group of animals.


Click here for further background on our research.

Drawing by Coral 2000
         

 
Publications  
  Taylor MS, Cosper C, Gaffin DD (2012) Behavioral evidence of pheromonal signaling in desert grassland scorpions, Paruroctonus utahensis. The Journal of Arachnology. (in press)  
  Gaffin DD, Bumm LA, Taylor MS, Popokina NV, Mann S (2012) Scorpion fluorescence and reaction to light. Animal Behaviour 83:429−436. link
  Gaffin DD (2011) In situ infrared videography of sand scorpion nighttime surface activity. In: Fet V, Selden PA, editors. “SCORPIONS 2011” John L. Cloudsley-Thompson 90th Birthday Commemorative Volume. Euscorpius 122: 1−13.
pdf
  Knowlton ED, Gaffin DD (2011) Functionally redundant peg sensilla on the scorpion pecten. Journal of Comparative Physiology A 197:895−902. link
  Knowlton ED, Gaffin DD (2011) Electrophysiology of scorpion peg sensilla. Journal of Visualized Experiments 50. link
  Knowlton ED, Gaffin DD (2010) A new tip-recording method to test scorpion pecten chemoresponses to water-soluble stimulants. Journal of Neruroscience Methods 193:264–270. pdf
  Gaffin DD (2010) Analysis of sensory processing in scorpion peg sensilla. The Journal of Arachnology 38:1-8.
  Knowlton ED, Gaffin DD (2009) A new approach to examining scorpion peg sensilla: the mineral oil flood technique. The Journal of Arachnology 37:379-382.
 

Blass GRC, Gaffin DD (2008) Light wavelength biases of scorpions. Animal Behavior 76:365-373.
  Lewis R, Parker B, Gaffin D, Hoefnagels M (2007) Life, 6th ed. McGraw-Hill Corporation. (General biology textbook).
 
Fet V, Gaffin DD (2004) Preface. Proceedings of the 3rd Scorpiology Symposium, American Arachnological Society 28th Annual Meeting, Norman, Oklahoma, 28 June 2004. Euscorpius 17: i-–v.
pdf
 
Porterfield JZ, Gaffin DD, Porterfield C, Johnston C (2004) Screening for scorpions: a non-invasive approach to tracking the movements of arachnids in sand. Proceedings of the 3rd Scorpiology Symposium, American Arachnological Society 28th Annual Meeting, Norman, Oklahoma, 28 June 2004. Euscorpius 17:17-23

pdf
 
Bost KC, Gaffin DD (2004) Sand scorpion home burrow navigation in the laboratory. Proceedings of the 3rd Scorpiology Symposium, American Arachnological Society 28th Annual Meeting, Norman, Oklahoma, 28 June 2004. Euscorpius 17:1-5.
pdf
 
Gaffin DD, Walvoord ME (2004) Scorpion peg sensilla: are they the same or are they different? Proceedings of the 3rd Scorpiology Symposium, American Arachnological Society 28th Annual Meeting, Norman, Oklahoma, 28 June 2004. Euscorpius 17:7-15.
pdf
 
Steinmetz SB, Bost KC, Gaffin DD (2004) Response of male Centruroides vittatus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) to aerial and substrate-borne chemical signals. Euscorpius 12:1-6.
pdf
 
Lewis R, Gaffin D, Hoefnagels M, Parker B (2004) Life, 5th ed. McGraw-Hill Corporation. (General biology textbook).
link
 
Gaffin DD (2002) Electrophysiological analysis of synaptic interactions within peg sensilla of scorpion pectines. Microscopy Research and Technique 58:325-334.
pdf
 
Lewis R, Gaffin D, Hoefnagels M, Parker B (2002) Life, 4th ed. McGraw-Hill Corporation. (General biology textbook).
link
 
Gaffin DD (2001) Electrophysiological evidence of synaptic interactions between sensory neurons in peg sensilla of Centruroides vittatus (Say, 1821) (Scorpiones: Buthidae). In: Fet V, Selden PA, editors. Scorpions 2001. In memoriam Gary A. Polis. Burnham Beeches, Bucks: British Arachnological Society. pp 325-330.
pdf
 
Gaffin DD, Brownell PH (2001) Chemosensory behavior and physiology. In: Brownell PH, Polis GA, editors. Scorpion Biology and Research. Oxford University Press. pp 184-203.
pdf
 
Camp EA, Gaffin DD (1999) Escape behavior mediated by negative phototaxis in the scorpion Paruroctonus utahensis (Scorpiones, Vaejovidae). The Journal of Arachnology 27:679-684.
pdf
 
Gaffin DD, Brownell PH (1997) Electrophysiological evidence of synaptic interaction within chemosensory peg sensilla of scorpion pectines. Journal of Comparative Physiology A, 181:301-307.
pdf
 
Gaffin DD, Brownell PH (1997) Response properties of chemosensory peg sensilla on the pectines of scorpions. Journal of Comparative Physiology A, 181:291-300.
pdf
 
Gaffin DD, Wennstrom KL, Brownell PH (1992) Water detection in the desert sand scorpion Paruroctonus mesaensis (Scorpionida, Vejovidae). Journal of Comparative Physiology A, 170:623-629.
pdf
 
Gaffin DD, Brownell PH (1992) Evidence of chemical signaling in the sand scorpion, Paruroctonus mesaensis (Scorpionida:Vejovidae). Ethology, 91:59:69.
pdf
  Gaffin DD, Jubran I (1991) TSG Software: Data acquisition and analysis program. Biotechnology Software, 8:4-7.
  Gaffin DD, Gaffin AZ (1988) Thinking objectively: a biological approach to designing neural networks. Micro Cornucopia, 44:26-31.
     
Posters
  Gaffin DD, Bumm LA, Taylor MS, Popokina NV, Mann S (2011) Scorpion fluorescence and reaction to light. Annual Meeting of the American Arachnological Society, July 8-11, 2011, Lewis and Clark College, Portland, Oregon.

 
  Knowlton ED, Gaffin DD (2010) Hasty tasting of chemical information: functionally redundant peg sensilla on the scorpion pecten. Ninth International Congress of Neuroethology, Salamanca, Spain.
  Gaffin DD (2009) Going out for dinner and taking a new way home: videotaping the scorpion’s evening walk. Annual Meeting of the American Arachnological Society, June 26-30, 2009, Arkansas Tech University; Russelville, Arkansas. abstract
poster
  Knowlton ED, Gaffin DD (2008) A new approach to examining scorpion peg sensilla: the mineral oil flood technique. Annual Meeting of the American Arachnological Society, June 25-30, 2008, University of California; Berkeley, California.
  Gaffin DD (2007) Scorpion peg sensilla: a rapid, parallel-sampling system for acquiring ground-based, chemosensory information. Eighth International Congress of Neuroethology, University of British Columbia; Vancouver, British Collumbia, Canada.
  McKee R, Gaffin DD (2004) Non-visual orientation of sand scorpons. Annual Meeting of the American Arachnological Society, June 23-27, 2004, University of Oklahoma; Norman, Oklahoma.
  Steinmetz S, Gaffin DD (2002) Response of male Centruroides vittatus to aerial and substrate-borne chemical signals. Annual Meeting of the American Arachnological Society, June 2002, University of California; Riverside, California.
 

Gaffin DD (1999) The Faculty-in-Residence Program at the University of Oklahoma.  Annual Conference of the First-Year Experience, February 21, 1999, University of South Carolina; Columbia, South Carolina.
poster
  Gaffin DD, Camp EA (1998) Response properties of scorpion pectinal nerves to chemical and mechanical stimulation.  Proceedings from the Fifth International Congress of Neuroethology, UC San Diego; La Jolla, California.
     
Student projects    
  Jordan AM (2010) Can scorpions detect fluorescing scorpions? Honors Thesis
  Carter SN (2003) Is the mechanoreceptor involved in the neural circuitry of scorpion peg sensilla? Honors Thesis.
  Hines MA (2002) Use of a micro-engineered chemical delivery device to evaluate scorpion peg sensillum response to organic stimulants.  Honors Thesis.
  Stephens AV (2000) Seismic echolocation: do scorpions use this novel method of orientation to aid in locomotion? Honors Thesis.
  Falgiani M (1999) Electrophysiological investigation of the sensitivity of scorpion basitarsal compound slit sensilla to vibratory stimuli. Honors Thesis.
  Parizi M (1998) Investigation of spiking frequency of chemosensitive neurons in scorpion pectines in relation to photoperiod. Honors Thesis.
   
   
Home Burrow