Cannibalism during intermolt period in early stages of the Southern King Crab Lithodes santolla (Molina 1872): Effect of stage and predator–prey proportions

Sotelano, M. Paula; Lovrich, Gustavo A.; Romero, M. Carolina; Tapella, Federico

doi:10.1016/j.jembe.2011.10.029

Cited by 20 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Reduced risk of predation for N. diomedeae is likely to be an important stimulus for the association. Juvenile lithodid crabs are particularly vulnerable to predation during their frequent inter‐molt periods, and may even be cannibalized by larger juveniles (Sotelano et al., ). Although it is not possible to determine rates of predation on N. diomedeae (solitary or paired) from this study, we postulate that crabs sheltering beneath holothurians are less exposed to potential predators.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Symbiosis between the holothurian Scotoplanes sp. A and the lithodid crab Neolithodes diomedeae on a featureless bathyal sediment plain

et al. 2016

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Vulnerability to predation may be high for many megafaunal taxa in deep-sea sedimentary habitats where physical heterogeneity is low. During ROV observations in a bathyal sediment plain off Central California, juveniles of the lithodid crab Neolithodes diomedeae were frequently observed on or under the holothurian (sea cucumber) Scotoplanes sp. A, and are hypothesized to benefit from this association as a nursery or refugium from predation. Ninety-six percent (n = 574 of 599) of the juvenile N. diomedeae observed (density varied from 0.02-0.75/m 2 among sites and seasons) in the study area were associated with Scotoplanes sp. A. Of the 2596 Scotoplanes sp. A observed (density varied from 0.48 to 25.90/m 2 ), 22% were attended by at least one juvenile crab, and rarely two crabs (n = 4). Solitary N. diomedeae were rarely observed. This decapod-holothurian symbiosis appears to be largely commensal, with juvenile crabs (carapace width = 0.03-0.31 × holothurian length) observed on or beneath Scotoplanes sp. A in a habitat with few refugia from epibenthic predators. Other hypotheses may explain or enhance the potential benefits of the association for N. diomedeae, such as elevated food availability due to the activities of Scotoplanes sp. A. The relationship may be mutualistic if there is a benefit for the holothurian, including the removal of epizoic parasites. Ultimately, the nursery or other effects on the population dynamics of N. diomedeae may be minimal in low-relief, sediment-dominated habitats, as very few sub-adult crabs were observed in the study area and were likely consumed upon outgrowing their refugia.While sedimentary habitats may be a sink for N. diomedeae populations, growth of juvenile crabs during their association with Scotoplanes sp. A should increase energy flow to its predator populations. This association has not been reported previously but may be expected in sediment-dominated habitats where these species overlap. K E Y W O R D Sbenthic, deep-sea, Holothuroidea, Lithodidae, species interactions, symbiosis

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Symbiosis between the holothurian Scotoplanes sp. A and the lithodid crab Neolithodes diomedeae on a featureless bathyal sediment plain

et al. 2016

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“…Assuming a high pathogenicity of microsporidians (e.g. in crayfish: [41]), then it would be hypothesized that an early-stage infection of A. rohanae implies a mechanism of control of host population growth.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Widespread infection of Areospora rohanae in southern king crab ( Lithodes santolla ) populations across south Chilean Patagonia

et al. 2019

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Cottage cheese disease is caused by microsporidian parasites that infect a wide range of animal populations. Despite its potential to affect economically important activities, the spatial patterns of prevalence of this disease are still not well understood. Here, we analyse the occurrence of the microsporidian Areospora rohanae in populations of the king crab Lithodes santolla over ca 800 km of the southeastern Pacific shore. In winter 2011, conical pots were deployed between 50 and 200 m depth to capture crabs of a wide range of sizes. The infection was widely distributed along the region, with a mean prevalence of 16%, and no significant association between prevalence and geographical location was detected. Males, females and ovigerous females showed similar prevalence values of 16.5 (13–18.9), 15 (9.2–15) and 16.7% (10–19%), respectively. These patterns of prevalence were consistent across crab body sizes, despite the ontogenetic and sex-dependent variations in feeding behaviour and bathymetric migrations previously reported for king crabs. This study provided the first report of the geographical distribution of A. rohanae infecting southern king crabs.

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“…Cannibalism occurs frequently in natural and cultured populations of decapod crustaceans [1,2] and inter-cohort cannibalism plays a major role in controlling population size and structure [3]. Various factors may influence the extent and rate of cannibalism, including: (1) food availability [4,5], (2) crustacean density [6][7][8][9], (3) habitat structural complexity [2,10], and (4) prey vulnerability [7,11]. During ecdysis, crustaceans are especially vulnerable to predation and/or cannibalism [11,12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During ecdysis, crustaceans are especially vulnerable to predation and/or cannibalism [11,12]. [7,11]. During ecdysis, crustaceans are especially vulnerable to predation and/or cannibalism [11,12].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[7,11]. During ecdysis, crustaceans are especially vulnerable to predation and/or cannibalism [11,12]. Numerous predator-prey studies have demonstrated that habitat complexity significantly reduces the effects of cannibalism [2,6,7,13,14] and the presence of multiple shelters has been shown to proportionally increase the survival of juvenile blue-swimmer crabs, Portunus pelagicus [1].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cannibalism and Habitat Selection of Cultured Chinese Mitten Crab: Effects of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation with Different Nutritional and Refuge Values

Zeng

Mao

et al. 2018

Water

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We examined the food preference of Chinese mitten crabs, Eriocheir sinensis (H. Milne Edwards, 1853), under food shortage, habitat choice in the presence of predators, and cannibalistic behavior by comparing their response to the popular culture plant Elodea nuttallii and the structurally more complex Myriophyllum verticillatum L. in a series of mesocosm experiments. Mitten crabs were found to consume and thus reduce the biomass of Elodea, whereas no negative impact on Myriophyllum biomass was recorded. In the absence of adult crabs, juveniles preferred to settle in Elodea habitats (appearance frequency among the plants: 64.2 ± 5.9%) but selected for Myriophyllum instead when adult crabs were present (appearance frequency among the plants: 59.5 ± 4.9%). The mortality rate of mitten crabs in the absence of plant shelter was higher under food shortage, primarily due to cannibalism. The proportion of molting crabs dying in the structurally more complex Myriophyllum habitats was significantly lower than in the less complex Elodea habitats, indicating that Myriophyllum provides better protection from cannibalistic behavior, likely due to its structurally more complex canopy. Stable isotope analyses of crab samples revealed a trophic shift in both δ13C and δ15N (Δδ13C: 2.2–4.0‰; Δδ15N: 1.5–2.8‰) during the experimental period. Significant positive correlations between body mass and δ13C and δ15N were recorded, suggesting that cannibalistic feeding might further increase crab growth and lead to ontogenetic increases in trophic position with increasing size. Our study overall demonstrates that a combination of submerged aquatic vegetation functioning as a highly suitable food with other less palatable plant species acting as efficient refuges against predators may be the optimal method of plant stocking in mitten crab aquacultures to ensure both high crab growth and a high survival rate.

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Cannibalism during intermolt period in early stages of the Southern King Crab Lithodes santolla (Molina 1872): Effect of stage and predator–prey proportions

Cited by 20 publications

References 42 publications

Symbiosis between the holothurian Scotoplanes sp. A and the lithodid crab Neolithodes diomedeae on a featureless bathyal sediment plain

Symbiosis between the holothurian Scotoplanes sp. A and the lithodid crab Neolithodes diomedeae on a featureless bathyal sediment plain

Widespread infection of Areospora rohanae in southern king crab ( Lithodes santolla ) populations across south Chilean Patagonia

Cannibalism and Habitat Selection of Cultured Chinese Mitten Crab: Effects of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation with Different Nutritional and Refuge Values

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