Preliminary observations indicated that the grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio, parasitized by the isopod, Probopyrus pandalicola, captured significantly fewer prey items (Daphnia) and exhibited reduced activity compared to unparasitized conspecifics. Further research focused on elucidating the factors involved in altering the shrimp’s behavior. When viewed from above in an opaque container, acti...

Competition and predation are major biotic interactions that influence the structure of aquatic communities. The relative importance of each type of interaction is usually a function of the relative size of the organisms involved. This study used field experiments to assess potential size-dependent interactions among small juvenile killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) and grass shrimp (Palaemonete...

Embryos, larvae, and adults of Palaemonetes argentinus tolerate a wide range of salinities (1 to 25‰). While osmoregulatory capacities have previously been demonstrated in all postembryonic stages, little is known about the occurrence of osmoregulation during the embryonic phase. We examined ontogenetic and salinity-induced changes in the activity of a key enzyme involved in osmoregulation, Na+...

Internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) sequences from wild-type Exopalaemon carinicauda (N = 124) from the East China Sea were amplified and sequenced. Sequences were polymorphic and ranged from 388 to 583 bp in length. The average content of GC in sequences was significantly higher than that of AT. Altogether, 604 mutant sites with 123 haplotypes were detected; 46.7% were polymorphic sites. The ...

Hydrostatic pressure is an important, ubiquitous, environmental variable of particular relevance in the marine environment. However, it is widely overlooked despite recent evidence that some marine ectotherms may be demonstrating climate-driven bathymetric range shifts. Wide-ranging effects of increased hydrostatic pressure have been observed from the molecular through to the behavioural level....

The introduced oriental shrimp Palaemon macrodactylus has recently become widespread in temperate estuaries worldwide. However, this recent worldwide spread outside of its native range arises after a previous introduction to the US Pacific coast, where it was restricted for more than 30 years. Using a phylogeographic approach, the present work investigates the genetic history of the invasion of...