Exposure to Sublethal Ammonia Concentrations Alters the Duration and Intensity of Agonistic Interactions in the Crayfish, Orconectes rusticus
نویسندگان
چکیده
Crayfish extract information from chemical stimuli during social interactions. Commercial fertilizers increase background ammonia concentrations which may interfere with chemical communication. Background pollution can disrupt perception of chemical stimuli in three ways: masking, sensory impairment, physiological impairment or in combination. We investigated whether exposure to ammonia alters agonistic behavior. Crayfish pairs exposed to 0.9 mg/L ammonia fought for a longer duration, while crayfish exposed to 9.0 mg/L ammonia fought for a shorter duration. Altering activity patterns of crayfish may alter crayfish populations leading to a nonproportional impact because of their importance to the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems.
منابع مشابه
Acid Tolerance and Effects of Sublethal Acid Exposure on Iono-regulation and Acid-base Status in Two Crayfish Procambarus Clarki and Orconectes Rusticus
Acid-toxicity tests were performed using two crayfish species, Procambarus clarki Girard and Orconectes rusticus Girard to determine the median lethal pH (LC60) after 4 days exposure to acid. Four-day LC50 values of pH 2*5-2-8 were observed, indicating that these animals are more acid-tolerant than most fish species. Haemolymph acid-base variables and major ion concentrations were measured duri...
متن کاملCRUSTACEANS Crayfish: Northern crayfish Orconectes virilis Louisiana crayfish Procambarus clarkii Water nymph crayfish Orconectes nais Rusty crayfish Orconectes rusticus
Crayfish: Northern crayfish Orconectes virilis Louisiana crayfish Procambarus clarkii Water nymph crayfish Orconectes nais Rusty crayfish Orconectes rusticus Utah is inhabited by a single native crayfish known as the Pilose crayfish Pacifastacus (Hobbsastacus) gambelii. Its native range is in northern Utah’s Bear River, Weber River and Ogden River drainages and in the Raft River Mountain’s drai...
متن کاملActivity patterns, behavioural repertoires, and agonistic interactions of crayfish: A non-manipulative field study
Agonistic behaviour of crayfish has been studied extensively in laboratory settings where pairs or groups of individuals are allowed to interact within an experimental arena. Crayfish agonistic behaviour within its natural context, however, has received little attention to date. The present, non-manipulative field study explored activity patterns, behavioural repertoires, and agonistic encounte...
متن کاملEvolution of invasive traits in nonindigenous species: increased survival and faster growth in invasive populations of rusty crayfish (Orconectes rusticus)
The importance of evolution in enhancing the invasiveness of species is not well understood, especially in animals. To evaluate evolution in crayfish invasions, we tested for differences in growth rate, survival, and response to predators between native and invaded range populations of rusty crayfish (Orconectes rusticus). We hypothesized that low conspecific densities during introductions into...
متن کاملConnecting laboratory behavior to field function through stable isotope analysis.
Inherent difficulties of tracking and observing organisms in the field often leave researchers with no choice but to conduct behavioral experiments under laboratory settings. However, results of laboratory experiments do not always translate accurately to natural conditions. A fundamental challenge in ecology is therefore to scale up from small area and short-duration laboratory experiments to ...
متن کامل