Antipredatory strategies of terrestrial isopods

Tuf, Ivan H.; Ďurajková, Barbora

doi:10.3897/zookeys.1101.76266

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 98 publications

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“…Provided the defensive benefits of conglobation, we propose the “attackers stress” hypothesis to explain why conglobation behaviours originated in pill scarab beetles. The conglobation behaviour has always been seen as a defensive behaviour to make the body more compact and less easy to be attacked by detaching legs, this is the case of Isopods 51 , and some beetles such as Histeridae and Byrrhidae.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The evolution of conglobation in Ceratocanthinae

Lü

Ballerio²,

Wang

et al. 2022

Commun Biol

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Conglobation is an adaptive behaviour occurring independently in various animal groups. Here, we study the evolution of conglobation in Ceratocanthinae, a beetle group with the ability to roll three body segments into a tight ball. It is here implied that this ability evolved only once in the Mesozoic. Evidence is offered suggesting that the high defensive strength of Ceratocanthinae is due not only to the spherical body shape but also to the thickness and stronger mechanical properties of the dorsal cuticle. We further validate five adaptive characters including the allometrically thickened body wall and find that the specific adaptation of different body segments are likely separate evolutionary events. Finally, we propose an “attackers stress” hypothesis to explain the origin of conglobation behaviours. This work contributes to understanding how and why conglobation behaviour may have evolved in this group.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The evolution of conglobation in Ceratocanthinae

Lü

Ballerio²,

Wang

et al. 2022

Commun Biol

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“…Antipredatory strategies among terrestrial crustaceans are very diverse and include tonic immobility, aggregation or sticking to the ground, the release of strongly acidic secretions, jumping, and effective escape (see review in Tuf and Ďurajková 2022 ). In addition, they can team up with other individuals, and use stridulation ( Cividini et al 2020 ).…”

Section: Diversity and Abundance In Terrestrial Habitatsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Terrestrial crustaceans (Arthropoda, Crustacea): taxonomic diversity, terrestrial adaptations, and ecological functions

Marín¹,

Tiunov²

2023

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Terrestrial crustaceans are represented by approximately 4,900 species from six main lineages. The diversity of terrestrial taxa ranges from a few genera in Cladocera and Ostracoda to about a third of the known species in Isopoda. Crustaceans are among the smallest as well as the largest terrestrial arthropods. Tiny microcrustaceans (Branchiopoda, Ostracoda, Copepoda) are always associated with water films, while adult stages of macrocrustaceans (Isopoda, Amphipoda, Decapoda) spend most of their lives in terrestrial habitats, being independent of liquid water. Various adaptations in morphology, physiology, reproduction, and behavior allow them to thrive in virtually all geographic areas, including extremely arid habitats. The most derived terrestrial crustaceans have acquired highly developed visual and olfactory systems. The density of soil copepods is sometimes comparable to that of mites and springtails, while the total biomass of decapods on tropical islands can exceed that of mammals in tropical rainforests. During migrations, land crabs create record-breaking aggregations and biomass flows for terrestrial invertebrates. The ecological role of terrestrial microcrustaceans remains poorly studied, while omnivorous macrocrustaceans are important litter transformers and soil bioturbators, occasionally occupying the position of the top predators. Notably, crustaceans are the only group among terrestrial saprotrophic animals widely used by humans as food. Despite the great diversity and ecological impact, terrestrial crustaceans, except for woodlice, are often neglected by terrestrial ecologists. This review aims to narrow this gap discussing the diversity, abundance, adaptations to terrestrial lifestyle, trophic relationships and ecological functions, as well as the main methods used for sampling terrestrial crustaceans.

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“…They play a vital role in terrestrial ecosystems by breaking down decaying matter and unlocking nutrients for plants and other organisms. They are also a common food source for larger organisms including spiders, centipedes, amphibians, and reptiles (Tuf & Ďurajková, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Terrestrial Isopods Generate Microplastics from Low‐Density Polyethylene Without Effects on Survival

Musgrave,

Prosser

2024

Enviro Toxic and Chemistry

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With concern growing regarding the impact of microplastics (MPs) on terrestrial ecosystems, it is important to assess the role invertebrates may play in the fate of MPs within these ecosystems. MPs commonly enter these environments through improperly discarded waste or the application of treated biosolids and/or wastewater on agricultural soils. This study investigated whether three species of terrestrial isopod (Porcellio scaber, Porcellio laevis, and Porcellionides pruinosus) ingest plastic debris and generate MPs during exposures varying from 24‐h up to 14 days and whether this may have an adverse effect on their health. Test vessels were designed to expose isopods to plastic fragments in the form of polyethylene plastic foam. Isopods were exposed to plastic that was either a) pristine, or b) weathered in a soil and water solution prior to incorporation in test vessels. When exposed to weathered polyethylene, all three species generated MPs (min‐max size values for all durations inclusive: P. laevis = 114 – 1673 µm; P. scaber = 99 – 1635 µm; P. pruinosus = 85 – 1113 µm) through the consumption of macroplastic fragments with no observed impact on their health. In the shorter duration exposures, the number of MPs generated by the isopod species in this study was highly variable between experimental vessels (min‐max generated MPs for 14‐day exposure: P. laevis = 25 ‐ 420; P. scaber = 50 – 583; P. pruinosus = 48 ‐ 311). However, as the exposure durations increase there was a clear trend of increasing MP generation, indicating that the isopods continued to consume the plastic fragments so long as the surface was weathered. A significant difference in the size of generated MPs was observed as well, with smaller isopod species generating smaller MP fragments on average. The results of this study confirm that certain species of isopod can contribute to the generation of MPs, which constitutes an additional pathway of MPs exposure to soil ecosystems.

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Antipredatory strategies of terrestrial isopods

Cited by 10 publications

References 98 publications

The evolution of conglobation in Ceratocanthinae

The evolution of conglobation in Ceratocanthinae

Terrestrial crustaceans (Arthropoda, Crustacea): taxonomic diversity, terrestrial adaptations, and ecological functions

Terrestrial Isopods Generate Microplastics from Low‐Density Polyethylene Without Effects on Survival

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Antipredatory strategies of terrestrial isopods

Cited by 10 publications

References 98 publications

The evolution of conglobation in Ceratocanthinae

The evolution of conglobation in Ceratocanthinae

﻿Terrestrial crustaceans (Arthropoda, Crustacea): taxonomic diversity, terrestrial adaptations, and ecological functions

Terrestrial Isopods Generate Microplastics from Low‐Density Polyethylene Without Effects on Survival

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Product

Resources

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Terrestrial crustaceans (Arthropoda, Crustacea): taxonomic diversity, terrestrial adaptations, and ecological functions