Heading which way? Y-maze chemical assays: not all crustaceans are alike

Abstract

In a world full of chemicals, many crustaceans rely on elaborate olfactory systems to guide behaviors related to finding food or to assess the presence of conspecifics and predators. We analyzed the responses of the isopod Saduria entomon to a range of stimuli by which the animal is likely to encounter in its natural habitat using a Y-maze bioassay. In order to document the efficiency of the experimental design, the same bioassay was used to test the behavior of the crayfish Procambarus fallax whose ability to track odors is well documented. The crayfish performed well in the Y-maze and were able to locate the source of a food-related odor with high fidelity. The isopod S. entomon reacted indifferently or with aversion to most of the stimuli applied. In 1800 trials, only four out of 15 different stimuli yielded statistically significant results, and only one odorant was found to be significantly attractive.The findings raise several questions whether the stimuli presented and/or the experimental setup used represents an ecologically relevant situation for S. entomon. In each instance, our experiments illustrate that established methods cannot be readily transferred from one species to another.

Interpreting the Spatial-Temporal Structure of Turbulent Chemical Plumes Utilized in Odor Tracking by Lobsters

“…Our findings support that additional spatial information (i.e., leg chemosensing) may be highly beneficial to search in a turbulent environment along the benthos. Leg chemosensing search success rates of 81.7% and 93.5% are comparable to actual crustaceans searching in laboratory experiments [16,64]. Blue crab studies found leg chemosensing to be advantageous to search because of the leg's extended distance from the body in comparison to antennules and legs themselves were sufficient to locate odor sources [19,65].…”

Do Hydrothermal Shrimp Smell Vents?

“…Experiments at in situ pressure on board have also been previously conducted, and the shrimp in these experiments showed good survival rates and good physiological state after re-pressurization [36]. Finally, different parameters influence foraging, such as odor diffusion dynamics, water flow conditions, or the quality and quantity of the stimuli [54]; for example, it has been shown that flow velocities or stimulus concentrations below or above a certain threshold can interfere with, or even prevent, the localization of odor sources [55]. Thus, a configuration designed and adapted for one species is not necessarily appropriate for another species [54], as observed for P. elegans versus M. fortunata.…”

“…Finally, different parameters influence foraging, such as odor diffusion dynamics, water flow conditions, or the quality and quantity of the stimuli [54]; for example, it has been shown that flow velocities or stimulus concentrations below or above a certain threshold can interfere with, or even prevent, the localization of odor sources [55]. Thus, a configuration designed and adapted for one species is not necessarily appropriate for another species [54], as observed for P. elegans versus M. fortunata. For vent species, we tested one additional parameter, which was the presence of conspecifics.…”