Influences on movement and migration in the hermit crab Pagurus bernhardus

Abstract

Dispersion in a littoral population of Pagurus bernhardus in south-west England is shown to be random, with members demonstrating no evidence of site attachment. Movement patterns within the population are shown to be asynchronous and random, and to be dictated by the quantity and quality of each individual's shell contacts. These, in turn, affect the time that individuals spend within the habitat. This implies that population dynamics and residence times are so influenced by the availability of suitable empty gastropod shells that movement and migration in hermit crabs should be regarded as resource-dependent phenomena.

Hermit crabs in field studies and project work

“…The life history strategy of Pagurus bernhardus revolves around making the most effective use of this often scarce resource (Lancaster, 1990). Too few shells to meet the needs of the populationor access only to shells which are too large, too small, or which are badly broken-affects crab body size, reproduction, longevity, population size (see Lancas ter, 1988), and patterns of individual movement and migration (Lancaster and Wigham, 1990). Check to see if there are many empty, unbroken, shells on the shore.…”

Relationships between a hermit crab and its shell resource: spatial patterns within a seagrass-dominated landscape

“…This follows from the well-discussed paradigm that empty gastropod shells are a limiting resource for (at least) the larger size classes of hermit crabs (e.g. Provenzano 1960, Hazlett 1970, 1981, Kellogg 1976, Spight 1977, Scully 1979, Abrams 1980, Lancaster 1990. If gastropod shells are indeed limiting, then one might predict that the distribution of hermit crabs should be tightly linked to the distribution of empty gastropod shells.…”