Physiological and behavioral response of the Asian shore crab, Hemigrapsus sanguineus , to salinity: implications for estuarine distribution and invasion
The invasive Asian shore crab, , is ubiquitous in the rocky intertidal zone of the western North Atlantic. A likely contributor to this colonization is that is able to handle a wide range of salinities, and is thus more likely to spread through a greater geographic area of estuaries. This study inve...
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Published in | PeerJ (San Francisco, CA) Vol. 6; p. e5446 |
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Main Authors | , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
United States
PeerJ, Inc
14.08.2018
PeerJ Inc |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | The invasive Asian shore crab,
, is ubiquitous in the rocky intertidal zone of the western North Atlantic. A likely contributor to this colonization is that
is able to handle a wide range of salinities, and is thus more likely to spread through a greater geographic area of estuaries. This study investigated the salinity effects on this animal by observing survival across a range of salinities, the maintenance of hemolymph osmolality under different salinities, and behavioral preference for and avoidance of salinities.
showed high survival across a broad range of salinities, had little change in hemolymph osmolality over a short-term salinity shock, and behaviorally distinguished between salinities when presented with a choice, under both acclimation salinities of 5 PSU or 35 PSU. Such results suggest
has a hardiness for the rapid changes in salinity that happen in the intertidal zone, yet is capable of physically moving to a more optimal salinity. This enhances their competitiveness as an invader, particularly surviving lower salinities that present challenges during high-precipitation events in rocky intertidal areas, and partially explains this species' dominance in this habitat type. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 2167-8359 2167-8359 |
DOI: | 10.7717/peerj.5446 |