Respiratory mechanisms and metabolic adaptations of an intertidal crab, Chasmagnathus granulata (Dana, 1851)

Santos, Euclydes A; Baldisseroto, B.; Blanchini, Adalto; Colares, Elton Pinto; Nery, Luiz Eduardo Maia; Manzoni, Gilberto Caetano

doi:10.1016/0300-9629(87)90092-2

Cited by 51 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…On the other hand, C. granulata is extremely well adapted to exposure to atmospheric air, showing a particularly great gill area in comparison to other semiterrestrial crab species (Santos et al, 1987). This enables this species to occupy the uppermost parts of the intertidal, and it even occurs frequently at large distance (several hundred metres) from the water's edge in the supratidal zone, where C. angulatus would not survive (pets.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution and habitat preferences of two grapsid crab species in Mar Chiquita Lagoon (Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina)

Spivak

Anger

Luppi

et al. 1994

Helgolander Meeresunters

186

161

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Cyrtograpsus angulatus and Chasmagnathus granulata (Grapsidae) are the two dominant decapod crustacean species in the outer parts of Mar Chiquita Lagoon, the southernmost in a series of coastal lagoons that occur along the temperate Atlantic coasts of South America. Distribution and habitat preferences (water and sediment type) in these crab species were studied in late spring. There is evidence of ontogenetic changes in habitat selection of both species. Recruitment of C. angulatus takes place mainly in crevices of tube-building polychaete (Ficopomatus enigmaticus) "reefs" and, to a lesser extent, also in other protected microhabitats {under stones). In the latter, mostly somewhat larger juveniles were found, suggesting that these are used as a refuge for growing individuals. Adults are most frequently found on unprotected muddy and sandy beaches. C. angulatus was found in all parts of Mar Chiquita Lagoon, including freshwater, brackish, and marine habitats. C. granutata, in contrast, was restricted to the lower parts of the lagoon, where brackish water predominates and freshwater or marine conditions occur only exceptionally. It showed highest population density on "dry mud" flats and in Spartina densiflora grassland, where it can build stable burrows and where high contents of organic matter occur in the sediment. Such habitats are characterized by mixed populations of juveniles (including newly settled recruits) and adults, males and females {including a high percentage of ovigerous). Unstable "wet mud" as well as stony sand were found to be inhabited by chiefly adult populations, with only few ovigerous females. In "dry mud" flats, the proportion of males increased vertically with increasing level in the intertidal zone, showing a significantly increasing trend also in their average body size. These observations may be explained by higher resistance of males, in particular of large individuals, to desiccation, salinity, and temperature stress occurring in the upper intertidal. However, an opposite, or no such, tendency was found in the distribution of ovigerous and nonovigerous females, respectively. With increasing distance from the water edge, salinity increased and pH decreased significantiy in C. granulata burrows, whereas temperature showed no consistent tendency within the intertidal gradient. A highly significant linear relationship (r = -0.794; P <0.001) between salinity and pH in water from crab burrows is described. This regression hne is significantly different from one that had been observed in water from th e lagoon, indicating consistently lower pH values at any salinity level in burrow water. This is interpreted as a result of crab and/or microbial respiration.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution and habitat preferences of two grapsid crab species in Mar Chiquita Lagoon (Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina)

Spivak

Anger

Luppi

et al. 1994

Helgolander Meeresunters

186

161

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“…Thus, crabs are exposed to atmospheric air and dig burrows down to a 50-cm depth (Boschi 1972;Rossi 1982). Accordingly, Chasmaynathus proves to be a euryhaline animal (Botto and Yrigoyen 1979) that can live with low levels of oxygen consumption (Santos et al 1987).…”

Section: General Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habituation and associative learning during exploratory behavior of the crab Chasmagnathus

Dimant

Maldonado

1992

J Comp Physiol A

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Summary. Chasmagnathus crabs placed in a choicechamber device (a dark compartment, DC, and a light one, LC, of identical size separated by a central partition with a sliding door) display an exploratory activity that declines over time (training session). Such decrement persists at the testing session, 24 h later, and meets the criterion of stimulus specificity, so that it is accounted for in terms of a long-term habituation. Alternative explanations involving far-reaching effects of handling, change of context or isolation during the training session, are excluded. If animals are allowed to find food in LC during training, no decrease in the exploratory activity is shown and the enhanced effect on exploring is retained for at least 24 h. This result is interpreted as an instance of associative learning, appetitively motivated. Performances are analysed measuring the latencies to pass from DC to LC, so that crabs given food in training show in testing shorter latencies than controls. In addition, unlike controls, trained crabs often display at testing a feeding behavior despite the absence of food or odor of food in the choice-chamber. The possible use of both exploratory habituation and appetitive learning in studies on memory modulation is discussed.

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“…Na + uptake rate, and therefore probably Na + turnover, is inversely related to the body mass in D. magna over a wide range (0.050-3.700·mg; Fig.·1). This relationship can be explained by the fact that, in freshwater fish and crustaceans, the body mass-specific area of the salt-transporting organs, especially the gills, is also inversely related to body mass (Hughes and Morgan, 1973;Santos et al, 1987). Note that the slope (-0.305) obtained for the log-log relationship between the whole-body Na + uptake and body mass is very close to that (-0.328) observed when several aquatic species were considered (Grosell et al, 2002).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sodium uptake in different life stages of crustaceans: the water fleaDaphnia magnaStrauss

Bianchini

Wood

2008

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Respiratory mechanisms and metabolic adaptations of an intertidal crab, Chasmagnathus granulata (Dana, 1851)

Cited by 51 publications

References 10 publications

Distribution and habitat preferences of two grapsid crab species in Mar Chiquita Lagoon (Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina)

Distribution and habitat preferences of two grapsid crab species in Mar Chiquita Lagoon (Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina)

Habituation and associative learning during exploratory behavior of the crab Chasmagnathus

Sodium uptake in different life stages of crustaceans: the water fleaDaphnia magnaStrauss

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