Swarms of swift scavengers: ecological role of marine intertidal hermit crabs in California

Laidre, Mark E.; Greggor, Alison L.

doi:10.1007/s00227-015-2639-3

Cited by 15 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…The range of P. samuelis extends from Nootka Sound, British Columbia to northwest Baja California, Mexico (McLaughlin, 1974;Jensen, 2014). Individuals are usually found in the mid to high rocky intertidal where they are important detritivores (Morris et al, 1980;Hazlett, 1981;Laidre & Greggor, 2015) and contributors to energy recycling. The high levels of biological turnover in intertidal zones result in abundant carrion (Laidre & Greggor, 2015) available to scavengers, such as P. samuelis, which thrive in these habitats.…”

Section: Crustacean Research 46mentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal tolerance of the hermit crab <i>Pagurus samuelis</i> subjected to shallow burial events

2017

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Abstract.Sedimentation and increasing temperature caused by human disturbances and global climate change are additive in their effects on coastal areas. To assess their influence on intertidal organisms, we studied the hermit crab, Pagurus samuelis, under acute temperature changes and shallow burial conditions. We applied three temperatures (5°C, 20°C, and 30°C) and two burial depths (3 cm and 6 cm) with a control at the surface (0 cm), and monitored survival, shell abandonment, and burial escape. Survival was primarily affected by temperature, with hermit crabs twice as likely to survive at 20°C than at 30°C, and at 5°C than at 30°C. The combined conditions of 30°C and 6 cm were the least favorable for survival. Hermit crabs which abandoned their shells were more likely to survive burial at 20°C and 30°C than those retaining their shells. Fewer hermit crabs abandoned their shells when exposed to 5°C than to 20°C and 30°C. Crabs buried at 6 cm were 85.0% less likely to abandon shells than those buried at 3 cm, and heavier shells were less readily abandoned than lighter shells. Although overall, 35% of hermit crabs escaped burial to the sediment surface, hermit crabs buried in the combined conditions of 30°C and 6 cm were significantly slower to reach the surface. Our results show that the combined stresses of temperature and burial can impact survival of hermit crabs in intertidal zones. While human activities, including dredging, industrial and domestic dumping, and coastal construction, result in relatively immediate increased inputs of sediment in coastal environments, climate change may endanger intertidal organisms, such as P. samuelis, living near their thermal tolerance over the long term, with both increasing temperature and sedimentation from more frequent storm events.

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Section: Crustacean Research 46mentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermal tolerance of the hermit crab <i>Pagurus samuelis</i> subjected to shallow burial events

2017

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“…Within coastal ecosystems, crustaceans provide several ecological and economic services (LeBlanc, 2007) playing an important role in the structure of food webs (Laidre and Greggor, 2015;Shaffer et al, 1995) and energy flux (Kristensen, 2008;Robertson, 1986). Therefore, the impacts of environmental stressors on crustaceans have been well studied (e.g., hypoxia, Peruzza et al, 2018;hypercapnia, Borges et al, 2018;salinity fluctuations, Joseph and Philip, 2007;and pollutants, Vogt et al, 2018) and sublethal effects are known to cause physiological disruption (LeBlanc, 2007;Moullac and Haffner, 2000), which thereby induce impairments in behavioral performance (Felten et al, 2008;Hebel et al, 1997;Tuomainen and Candolin, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vulnerability of juvenile hermit crabs to reduced seawater pH and shading

Ragagnin

McCarthy

Fernandez

et al. 2018

Marine Environmental Research

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Multiple simultaneous stressors induced by anthropogenic activities may amplify their impacts on marine organisms. The effects of ocean acidification, in combination with other anthropogenic impacts (apart from temperature) are poorly understood, especially in coastal regions. In these areas, shading caused by infrastructure development, such as harbor construction, may potentially interact with CO2-induced pH reduction and affect invertebrate populations. Here, we evaluated the effects of reduced pH (7.6) and shading (24h in darkness) on mortality, growth, calcification and displacement behavior to live predator (danger signal) and dead gastropod (resource availability signal) odors using juveniles of the hermit crab Pagurus criniticornis collected in Araçá Bay (São Paulo state, Southeastern Brazil). After a 98 day experimental period, both stressors had a significant interaction effect on mortality, and an additive effect on total growth. No difference in calcification was recorded among treatments, indicating that individuals were able to maintain calcification under reduced pH conditions. When exposed to odor of live predators, crab responses were only affected by shading. However, an interactive effect between both stressors was observed in response to gastropod odor, leading to reduced displacement behavior. This study shows how local disturbance impacts may enhance the effects of global environmental change on intertidal crustacean populations.

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“…The negative impact of tyres on hermit crabs was unexpected, and the effects of ghost fishing on their populations, and cascading effects these may have on coastal communities and ecosystems, are unknown. Because hermit crabs are important as both prey and scavengers [ 7 , 19 ] and ecosystem engineers [ 8 ], the extent of the ghost fishing effect that tyres may have on them and other benthos warrants further study.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More than 800 described species were recognized from the world's ocean, from intertidal area to deep seas, exceptionally with some terrestrial or freshwater species [ 6 ]. Hermit crabs occupy an important position in the food web of coastal ecosystems, not only as food for other animals such as fish, but also as scavengers that feed on the carcasses of animals and plants [ 7 ]. In addition, hermit crabs function as ecosystem engineers, providing a habitat for other organisms by re-using gastropod shells, which are usually buried on the sea floor [ 8 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marine-dumped waste tyres cause the ghost fishing of hermit crabs

Sogabe

Takatsuji

2021

R. Soc. open sci.

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Poorly managed waste tyres pose serious environmental and health risks, ranging from air pollution caused by fire, leaching of heavy metals and outbreaks of mosquitos, to destruction of vegetation and coral reefs. We report a previously unrecognized ecological risk to marine organisms from waste tyres. Over 1 year, we made monthly counts of hermit crabs ( n = 1278) invading and/or being trapped within six tyres anchored to the seabed at 8 m depth in Mutsu Bay, Japan. A complementary aquarium experiment in which hermit crabs were released into a tyre confirmed that they could not escape. We report marine-dumped waste tyres to ghost fish in a manner analogous to discarded fishing gear. Because hermit crabs play important roles in coastal food webs as both prey and scavengers, declines in their numbers as a consequence of this ghost fishing might affect coastal ecosystems.

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Swarms of swift scavengers: ecological role of marine intertidal hermit crabs in California

Abstract: Main text (including references): 5,475 With 2 Tables and 4 Figures Electronic Supplementary Material (4 Supplementary Figures)

Cited by 15 publications

References 40 publications

Thermal tolerance of the hermit crab <i>Pagurus samuelis</i> subjected to shallow burial events

Thermal tolerance of the hermit crab <i>Pagurus samuelis</i> subjected to shallow burial events

Vulnerability of juvenile hermit crabs to reduced seawater pH and shading

Marine-dumped waste tyres cause the ghost fishing of hermit crabs

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