Unravelling the Ecological Significance of Endogenous Rhythms in Intertidal Crabs

Thurman, Carl L.

doi:10.1080/09291010412331313232

Cited by 44 publications

(55 citation statements)

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“…Changes in the periodicity of the tides and phasing with the diel (light-dark) cycle among the four tidal regimes of the world's oceans necessitate changes in the timing of behaviors relative to these environmental cycles (12)(13)(14)(15). In the most extreme case, the periodicity of tides doubles from 12.4 to 24.8 h between semidiurnal (two tides per day) and diurnal (one tide per day) regimes.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The expression of one behavior or the other is precluded in this tidal regime. Behaviors regulating larval transport display a wide range of expression for species that span both tidal regimes because the periodicity of tidal vertical migrations must double from the semidiurnal to the diurnal tidal regime for larval transport patterns to be conserved (13,15). The conservation of larval transport also would necessitate the suppression of diel vertical migrations in the diurnal tidal regime (13).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Behavioral tradeoff in estuarine larvae favors seaward migration over minimizing visibility to predators

Morgan

Anastasia

2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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The ability of microscopic larvae to control their fate and replenish populations in dynamic marine environments has been a longrunning topic of debate of central importance to understanding the ecology and evolution of life in the sea and managing resources in a changing global environment. After decades of research documenting behaviors that keep larvae close to natal populations, it is becoming apparent that larval behaviors in a broader spectrum of species promote long-distance migrations to offshore nursery grounds. Larvae must exert considerable control over their movements. We now show that larval emigration from estuaries is favored even over minimizing visibility to predators. An endogenous tidal vertical migration that would expedite seaward migration of Uca pugilator larvae was maintained experimentally across two tidal regimes. The periodicity of the rhythm doubled to match the local tidal regime, but larvae ascended to the surface during the daytime rather than at night. This process would conserve larval emigration but increase the visibility to predators across part of the species range. The periodicity of tidal vertical migration by Sesarma cinereum larvae failed to double and was inappropriately timed relative to both environmental cycles in the absence of a diel cycle. The timing system regulating tidally timed behaviors in these two species of crabs evidently differed. Phenotypic plasticity can conserve larval transport of both species when tidal and diel cycles are present. It may be widespread in the sea where diverse habitats are encountered across extensive species ranges.dispersal ͉ larval transport ͉ vertical migration ͉ phenotypic plasticity ͉ species ranges M ost marine animals spend weeks or months developing as larvae in the plankton, where large spatial and temporal variation in survival is a key determinant of the structure and dynamics of adult populations (1, 2). Large swings in larval recruitment have led to the prevailing belief that microscopic larvae are cast adrift in a vast, dynamic ocean with little behavioral control over their destinies. Larvae frequently are viewed as being overwhelmed by strong currents that carry them far from natal populations and a suitable habitat for completing the adult phase of the lifecycle (3-5). This view has remained entrenched, despite a long history of research demonstrating that larvae of some species develop within estuaries by overcoming net seaward flow, whereas others migrate far across the continental shelf and return to estuaries late in development (6, 7). These interspecific differences in larval transport are behaviorally mediated by the timing, duration, and amplitude of vertical migrations around the mean depth of larvae relative to seawardflowing surface waters and landward-flowing bottom waters (8-10). Evidence for larval retention along open coasts and islands recently indicated that behavioral regulation of larval transport may be widespread (11). This finding has important implications for the dynamics and structure of pop...

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Behavioral tradeoff in estuarine larvae favors seaward migration over minimizing visibility to predators

Morgan

Anastasia

2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…Small changes in hydrostatic pressure reinforce the tidal rhythm in coastal fishes (Gibson 1984) and crustaceans (Akiyama 2004). Additionally, the modulation of behavior in response to tidal hydrodynamics was previously observed in fishes performing diel vertical migrations (Michalsen et al 1996) and in coastal crabs (Thurman 2004;Brown et al 2010). The activity cycles reported herein were not observed under laboratory constant conditions, and therefore, the presence of a biological clock sustaining an endogenous rhythm cannot be proven.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 53%

Behavioral rhythms of hydrocarbon seep fauna in relation to internal tides

Aguzzi¹,

Costa²,

Furushima³

et al. 2010

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Behavioral rhythms in marine organisms are generally studied in coastal areas in relation to day-night and tidal cycles. In contrast, the presence of these rhythms in demersal deep-sea fauna remains poorly characterized at present due to technological constraints on direct observation and sampling repeatability. In this study, our aim was to determine the presence of tidally synchronized behavioral rhythms of the demersal fauna at a hydrocarbon seep in Sagami Bay (1100 m depth; central Japan) using automated video-image analysis. Time series of visual counts were obtained for eelpouts (zoarcid fishes), red crabs Paralomis multispina, and snails Buccinum soyomaruae. Water pressure data were used as a marker of internal tidal action. By fitting 24-h and 12-h Fourier harmonics onto 24-h time series segments, a power content value was obtained as a marker of diurnal and semidiurnal fluctuations within the biological data sets. Rhythms were stronger in eelpouts and were weaker in red crabs and snails. Visual counts of eelpouts peaked during spring phases with an infradian periodicity of 13 d. These results are discussed, taking into consideration that animal responses may be of a reactive type (i.e. exogenous) or may be controlled by a biological clock through putative hydrodynamic entrainment. Observed differences in the magnitudes of the rhythms were related to the different modes of species locomotion (i.e. swimming in eelpouts versus walking and crawling in red crabs and snails, respectively) in relation to seabed currents.

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“…The need for a flexible timing system which enables biological rhythms to adjust to local variations in the phase, period, amplitude, and pattern of the tide was first recognized by Barnwell (1976). However, studies examining the impact of different tidal forms on the expression and utility of circatidal rhythms, especially in species with wide geographic ranges spanning multiple tidal regimes, have largely focused on the locomotory and egg hatching rhythms of adult crabs (see Morgan 1995, Morgan & Christy 1995, Thurman 2004 for reviews). Nevertheless, how planktonic larvae that are transported considerable distances away from adult habitats cope with spatial variability in the complexity and form of tidal currents is unknown.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The temporal and spatial (mainly vertical) distribution of fiddler crab larvae in areas with mixed and diurnal tides is unknown. Yet, flexibility in the pattern of vertical migration and the timing systems controlling this behavior would be adaptive since it would maximize larval survival and reproductive success across tidal habitats (Barnwell 1976, Thurman 2004. This is especially true in areas where the ability to exploit tidal currents significantly enhances the transport of larvae away from shorelines, where planktivorous fishes are abundant, to coastal waters where environmental conditions are more favorable for development (Morgan 1987, Morgan & Christy 1997, Christy 2003.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Circatidal swimming behaviors of fiddler crab Uca pugilator larvae from different tidal regimes

López‐Duarte

Tankersley²

2007

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Fiddler crab Uca pugilator larvae are released within estuaries near the time of high tide and are exported offshore to undergo development. Previous studies indicate that zoea-1 larvae use selective tidal-stream transport (STST) to migrate from adult habitats to shelf waters. In areas with semidiurnal tides, this behavior is mediated by a circatidal rhythm that is characterized by upward swimming toward the surface during ebb tide, followed by a descent toward the bottom during flood tide. We tested the hypothesis that U. pugilator zoeae from different tidal regimes possess activity rhythms that match local tidal patterns. Ovigerous crabs with late-stage embryos were collected from areas with semidiurnal, diurnal, and mixed tides and from an area within a microtidal coastal lagoon. Following hatching, swimming activity was monitored under constant conditions for 96 h. Zoeae from semidiurnal and diurnal regimes possessed activity rhythms with free-running periods that matched the tides at the collection sites (≈12.4 and 24.8 h, respectively). Crabs from beaches with mixed tides displayed asymmetrical oscillations in swimming activity with dominant periodicities that corresponded to the semidiurnal and diurnal constituents of the tides. Zoeae from microtidal areas possessed rhythms that were similar to those observed in crabs from areas with semidiurnal tides. At all locations, peaks in activity occurred during the time of expected ebb currents, which is consistent with STST behavior favoring seaward transport. Differences in larval activity patterns suggest that STST behaviors are controlled by separate circatidal and circalunidian clocks or paired circalunidian clocks coupled in antiphase.

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Unravelling the Ecological Significance of Endogenous Rhythms in Intertidal Crabs

Cited by 44 publications

References 64 publications

Behavioral tradeoff in estuarine larvae favors seaward migration over minimizing visibility to predators

Behavioral tradeoff in estuarine larvae favors seaward migration over minimizing visibility to predators

Behavioral rhythms of hydrocarbon seep fauna in relation to internal tides

Circatidal swimming behaviors of fiddler crab Uca pugilator larvae from different tidal regimes

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