Increased potential for shell competition among hermit crabs (Pagurus beringanus and Pagurus granosimanus) in the rocky intertidal

Author(s):  
Brooke Z. Torjman ◽  
Erika V. Iyengar

Abstract We examined the prevalence and shell use of two species of hermit crabs (Pagurus granosimanus and Pagurus beringanus) in exposed and protected microhabitats at five sites in the rocky temperate intertidal on San Juan Island, Washington, to compare present habitat partitioning and potential interspecific competition to that reported nearly 50 years ago. We found that, in contrast to previous findings, the two species of hermit crabs overlapped extensively at some sites, typically those with less wave action. While the hermit crabs typically inhabited certain types of shells significantly more than others, and that use was congruent across microhabitats and species of hermit crabs at the same site, the dominant domicile differed substantially across sites. We provide a more complete ranking of shell use than previous authors and note site-specific dominant shell use. We conclude that previous habitat partitioning by depth may have weakened at protected sites. We hypothesize that increasing temperatures have caused P. granosimanus to expand its range deeper into the intertidal, which may increase the degree of interspecific competition for shells at the edge of the species’ tidal height range, where they overlap. Whether the habitat shift by this hermit crab is due to recent alterations in climate (particularly elevated temperatures, ocean acidification and lower local open ocean salinity) is unknown, but warrants further study.

Behaviour ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 153 (13-14) ◽  
pp. 1545-1566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariana Velasque ◽  
Mark Briffa

Studies on animal behaviour have suggested a link between personality and energy expenditure. However, most models assume constant variation within individuals, even though individuals vary between observations. Such variation is called intraindividual variation in behaviour (IIV). We investigate if IIV in the duration of the startle response is associated with metabolic rates (MR) in the hermit crabPagurus bernhardus. We repeatedly measured startle response durations and MR during each observation. We used double hierarchical generalized linear models to ask whether among and IIV in behaviour was underpinned by MR. We found no association between the mean duration of the startle responses and either routine MR or MR during startle response. Nevertheless, we found that IIV increased with MR during startle responses and decreased with routine MR. These results indicate that crabs with higher MR during startle responses behave less predictably, and that predictability is reduced during exposure to elevated temperatures.


Author(s):  
Wendy L. Billock ◽  
Stephen G. Dunbar

Both the need for shelter and the need for food can be motivations that alter animal behaviour. We tested the hypothesis that the hermit crab, Pagurus samuelis, deprived of food, shells, or both will respond differently from control hermit crabs when presented with food and shells concurrently. We measured the number of contacts made with both food and shells, and time elapsed until hermit crabs either began feeding or inserted into shells. We interpreted making few contacts and initiating behaviour quickly to be an indication of short decision time and high motivation; whereas, making many contacts and having long initiation time indicated a long decision time and low motivation to acquire resources. Control (C) hermit crabs made 72% more contacts with food and 53% more contacts with shells than shell-less (S) crabs. Control hermit crabs also made 34% more contacts with food and 35% more contacts with shells than starved and shell-less (StS) hermit crabs. This suggests that S hermit crabs were more motivated to acquire shells than C crabs. In addition, StS hermit crabs chose to insert into provided shells, while hermit crabs remaining in their shells chose to feed. Results indicate that being shell-less is a stronger motivation than being starved, such that finding shelter takes priority over finding food when both are needed. In rocky intertidal environments, resources such as food and shells are likely to be ephemeral. Hermit crabs that are motivated to make appropriate decisions to acquire specific resources may have a distinct advantage over those that are distracted by numerous objects in their environment.


Author(s):  
N. M. P. Low ◽  
L. E. Brosselard

There has been considerable interest over the past several years in materials capable of converting infrared radiation to visible light by means of sequential excitation in two or more steps. Several rare-earth trifluorides (LaF3, YF3, GdF3, and LuF3) containing a small amount of other trivalent rare-earth ions (Yb3+ and Er3+, or Ho3+, or Tm3+) have been found to exhibit such phenomenon. The methods of preparation of these rare-earth fluorides in the crystalline solid form generally involve a co-precipitation process and a subsequent solid state reaction at elevated temperatures. This investigation was undertaken to examine the morphological features of both the precipitated and the thermally treated fluoride powders by both transmission and scanning electron microscopy.Rare-earth oxides of stoichiometric composition were dissolved in nitric acid and the mixed rare-earth fluoride was then coprecipitated out as fine granules by the addition of excess hydrofluoric acid. The precipitated rare-earth fluorides were washed with water, separated from the aqueous solution, and oven-dried.


Author(s):  
J. L. Brimhall ◽  
H. E. Kissinger ◽  
B. Mastel

Some information on the size and density of voids that develop in several high purity metals and alloys during irradiation with neutrons at elevated temperatures has been reported as a function of irradiation parameters. An area of particular interest is the nucleation and early growth stage of voids. It is the purpose of this paper to describe the microstructure in high purity nickel after irradiation to a very low but constant neutron exposure at three different temperatures.Annealed specimens of 99-997% pure nickel in the form of foils 75μ thick were irradiated in a capsule to a total fluence of 2.2 × 1019 n/cm2 (E > 1.0 MeV). The capsule consisted of three temperature zones maintained by heaters and monitored by thermocouples at 350, 400, and 450°C, respectively. The temperature was automatically dropped to 60°C while the reactor was down.


Author(s):  
Robert C. Rau ◽  
Robert L. Ladd

Recent studies have shown the presence of voids in several face-centered cubic metals after neutron irradiation at elevated temperatures. These voids were found when the irradiation temperature was above 0.3 Tm where Tm is the absolute melting point, and were ascribed to the agglomeration of lattice vacancies resulting from fast neutron generated displacement cascades. The present paper reports the existence of similar voids in the body-centered cubic metals tungsten and molybdenum.


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