Noise negatively affects foraging and antipredator behaviour in shore crabs

2013 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew A. Wale ◽  
Stephen D. Simpson ◽  
Andrew N. Radford
1986 ◽  
Vol 95 (4) ◽  
pp. 437-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
D R Joel ◽  
P J Sanjeeva Raj ◽  
R Raghavan
Keyword(s):  

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 20170497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon Vitt ◽  
Janina E. Zierul ◽  
Theo C. M. Bakker ◽  
Ingolf P. Rick

Ultraviolet-B radiation (UVB) reaching the earth's surface has increased due to human-caused stratospheric ozone depletion. Whereas the harmful effects of UVB on aquatic organisms are well studied at the molecular and cellular level, recent studies have also begun to address behavioural changes caused by sublethal amounts of UVB. However, the behavioural consequences of long-term exposure to ecologically relevant UVB levels over several life stages are virtually unknown, particularly with regard to predator–prey behaviour. We found increased predator-inspection behaviour together with a smaller body length in three-spined sticklebacks ( Gasterosteus aculeatus ) after fish were exposed for about seven months to natural sunlight conditions with enhanced UVB, compared with full siblings exposed to natural sunlight only. The observed change in antipredator behaviour may reflect a direct behavioural response mediated through UVB-induced oxidative stress during development. Alternatively, the smaller body size in UVB-exposed fish may result in an increased inspection effort allowing them to spend more time foraging. Our findings suggest that, within the scope of environmental change, UVB radiation constitutes an important stress factor by eliciting behavioural responses that influence crucial ecological processes, such as predator–prey interactions.


1971 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 813-832
Author(s):  
B. M. H. BUSH ◽  
ALAN ROBERTS

1. Intracellular and extracellular recordings from the two large-diameter S and T sensory fibres of the posterior thoracico-coxal muscle receptor in shore crabs confirm the graded, dynamic-static nature of the receptor potentials evoked by stretching the receptor muscle, and the lack of afferent impulses. 2. Slow ramp-function stretches evoke receptor potentials with characteristic shapes, which differ between the two fibres in several respects: (i) The dynamic component in the S fibre resembles an algebraic sum of length and velocity responses and a variable initial ‘acceleration’ (?) transient, while in the T fibre it commonly declines (‘adapts’) during stretching, especially at greater velocities and starting lengths. (ii) On release of stretch the S fibre usually exhibits a ‘negative velocity response’, but the T fibre repolarizes rapidly often with a slight hyperpolarization. (iii) The dynamic response of the T fibre is generally greater than that of the S fibre, and increases more steeply and approximately logarithmically with stretch velocity over a 10- to 50-fold range. (iv) The ‘static response’ or degree of depolarization increases fairly linearly with receptor length in the S fibre but very non-linearly in the T fibre. (v) The T fibre displays pronounced hysteresis in its dynamic and static responses at increasing and decreasing lengths, but the S fibre shows little hysteresis. (vi) The T fibre but not the S fibre commonly shows small rapid oscillations or ‘noise’ superimposed upon strongly depolarized ‘static’ potentials. (vii) The S and T responses may be affected reciprocally by some forms of receptor muscle contraction. 3. Graded receptor potentials evoked in the ‘D’ fibre by stretching the non-muscular depressor-receptor strand of the coxo-basal joint show little hysteresis. 4. Receptor muscle fibres respond to motor nerve stimulation or spontaneous motor impulses from the thoracic ganglion with slow, facilitating and summating excitatory junctional potentials. 5. The mechanisms underlying the differences between S and T responses, and their functional significance to the animal, are discussed, and comparisons are drawn with other muscle receptors.


1905 ◽  
Vol 2 (7) ◽  
pp. 305-310
Author(s):  
Henry Woodward

Having been desired by my friend Miss Caroline Birley to examine two Crustaceans in nodules from the Mekran Coast— part of a much larger series, mostly enclosing fossil shells, described by Mr. R. B. Newton, F.G.S. (see ante, pp. 293–303)—I gladly comply with the request to add a note thereon to his paper.The first concretion, when broken open, displays the dorsal aspect in impression and counterpart of a small crab, 5½ cm. broad by 3 cm. deep, having one long, slender, forcipated chela, imperfectly preserved, measuring nearly 5 cm. in length; and part of one of the fifth posterior pair of feet, adapted for swimming, showing it to have been near to the family Portunidæ, to which our common shore-crabs of the genus Portunus belong. None of these, however, can be satisfactorily compared with the fossil crab from Ormara, which is certainly referable to another genus.


Behaviour ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 135 (8) ◽  
pp. 1213-1228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renée Godard ◽  
Catherine Wannamaker ◽  
Bonnie Bowers

AbstractStudies of a limited number of species of fish in the superorder Ostariophysi have shown they they exhibit strong antipredator behaviour to conserved alarm substance in feces and in other byproducts from predatory fish that have consumed ostariophysans. Our experiments examined the ability of a previously untested ostariophysan to recognize chemical cues from two species of snake predators. In Experiment 1, shoals of golden shiners (Notemigonus chrysoleucas) exhibited strong shelter-seeking responses to water which contained waste byproducts from either a sympatric snake or an allopatric snake which had been fed golden shiners but not to a distilled water control. There was no difference in response to the sympatrie snake predator, northern water snakes (Nerodia sipedon), compared to the allopatric snake predator, black-bellied garter snakes (Thamnophis melanogaster). In Experiment 2, individual shiners exhibited vigourous dashing when presented with water which contained waste byproducts from N. sipedon fed golden shiners but exhibited a much weaker response to water which contained waste byproducts from N. sipedon fed green swordtails (Xiphophorus helleri, a non-ostariophysan) or to a water control. These results suggest that the alarm substance produced in the epidermis of the golden shiners is conserved in snake waste byproducts. Experiment 3 showed that there was little difference in shelter-seeking behaviour by shoals of shiners when presented with water in which N. sipedon had soaked, water in which T. melanogaster had soaked, or a distilled water control. Thus it appears that secretions from the skin of these predators may not be chemically labelled.


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