Epibiosis in Crustacea: an overview

Abstract

Although epibiosis in Crustacea has been well known for a long time, only during recent decades these associations have been considered from various aspects: physiological, evolutionary, ecological, and so forth. Current research has begun to study in detail the processes concerning epibiosis and their effects on the biology of the organisms involved. The aim of this study is to present a general overview of epibiosis in Crustacea, including its ecological importance, adaptations to epibiotic life, specificity of the associations, and other characteristics of epibiont-basibiont interactions. RESUMENA pesar de que la epibiosis en crustáceos es bien conocida desde hace tiempo, sólo durante las últimas décadas las asociaciones ha sido consideradas desde variados aspectos: fisiológico, evolutivo, ecológico, etc. Desde entonces, se han empezado a estudiar en detalle los procesos concernientes a la epibiosis and sus efectos en la biología de los organismos implicados en este tipo de relación. El propósito del presente estudio es presentar una visión general de la epibiosis en los crustáceos, considerando su importancia ecológica, las adaptaciones a la vida epibiótica, la especificidad de las asociaciones, y otras características de las variadas interacciones epibionte-basibionte. 1 )

New record of Epistylis hentscheli (Ciliophora, Peritrichia) as an epibiont of Procambarus (Austrocambarus) sp. (Crustacea, Decapoda) in Chiapas, Mexico

“…Epibiosis is a facultative association, in which both participants gain advantages but also have disadvantages from this interaction (Fernandez-Leborans 2010). In this case, the advantage for the epibiont E.hentscheli is some protection against predators and a constant water flow providing food and oxygen.…”

“…The advantages for the basibiont Procambarus (Austrocambarus) sp. include protection against desiccation and harmful ultraviolet radiation (Wahl 2008), while disadvantages include the alteration of the body surface and reduced efficiency of locomotion and defense (Fernandez-Leborans 2010). …”

“…The basibionts are usually significantly larger than epibionts, have body surfaces that are physiologically inactive, and are sessile or slow-moving (Threlkeld et al 1993; Wahl and Mark 1999). Epibiosis is a continuous and dynamic process in which the benefits and costs for basibionts and epibionts can change depending on environmental conditions (Fernandez-Leborans 2010). …”

“…Epibiotic associations between crustaceans and ciliates are very common, since the calcified surface of the crustacean functions as a semi-permanent substrate, providing an optimal habitat for epibionts ciliates, especially in those areas where other substrates are not suitable for long-term colonization (Fernandez-Leborans 2010). Among the ciliate epibionts of crustaceans, the Peritrichia (Fernandez-Leborans and Tato-Porto 2000a), Suctoria (Batisse 1994; Fernandez-Leborans and Tato-Porto 2000b) and Chonotricha (Fernandez-Leborans 2010) are the most commonly reported.…”

“…Among the ciliate epibionts of crustaceans, the Peritrichia (Fernandez-Leborans and Tato-Porto 2000a), Suctoria (Batisse 1994; Fernandez-Leborans and Tato-Porto 2000b) and Chonotricha (Fernandez-Leborans 2010) are the most commonly reported. Regarding the 13 species of the sessilid peritrich genus Epistylis (Table 1), so far there have been no reports of E.hentscheli as epibiont of crustaceans.…”