Subjective resource value and shell abandoning behavior in hermit crabs

Turra, Alexander; Gorman, Daniel

doi:10.1016/j.jembe.2013.12.018

Cited by 19 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 62 publications

(86 reference statements)

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“…Likewise, observed that Pagurus criniticornis abandoned small shells more readily than larger ones. Hermit crabs use their shells as shelters to protect their soft abdomens from predators, abrasion, and desiccation (Reese, 1969;Vance, 1972;Bertness, 1981;Lancaster, 1988;Laidre, 2011) and abandon their shells when facing lifethreatening situations, such as asphyxiation (Pretterebner et al, 2012;Turra & Gorman, 2014). Our results support previous findings that shell abandonment increases the survival of hermit crabs when they are buried (Shives & Dunbar, 2010) or trapped (Turra & Gorman, 2014).…”

Section: Crustacean Research 46supporting

confidence: 87%

“…Hermit crabs can abandon shells as a behavioral strategy that may prolong their survival when they experience life-threatening stressors, such as entrapment and burial (Shives & Dunbar, 2010;Turra & Gorman, 2014). There is a greater tendency among hermit crabs to abandon shells in low predation environments compared to rocky areas, where predation is high .…”

Section: Crustacean Research 46mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hermit crabs use their shells as shelters to protect their soft abdomens from predators, abrasion, and desiccation (Reese, 1969;Vance, 1972;Bertness, 1981;Lancaster, 1988;Laidre, 2011) and abandon their shells when facing lifethreatening situations, such as asphyxiation (Pretterebner et al, 2012;Turra & Gorman, 2014). Our results support previous findings that shell abandonment increases the survival of hermit crabs when they are buried (Shives & Dunbar, 2010) or trapped (Turra & Gorman, 2014). Shell abandonment is largely dependent on shell adequacy and condition, with hermit crabs inhabiting sub-optimal and damaged shells typically abandoning their shells more rapidly than hermit crabs in optimal and undamaged shells .…”

Section: Crustacean Research 46mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hermit crabs can also assess adverse environmental conditions and accordingly choose to abandon their shells or not. Turra and Gorman (2014) found that hermit crabs readily abandon shells of high quality when subjected to life-threatening burial events, yet hold on to their shells when the threat is less severe (such as entrapment). For hermit crabs, surviving life-threatening situations superseded retention of the highest quality shells.…”

Section: Crustacean Research 46mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Thermal tolerance of the hermit crab Pagurus samuelis 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 46supporting

confidence: 87%

Section: Crustacean Research 46mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Crustacean Research 46mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Crustacean Research 46mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Thermal tolerance of the hermit crab Pagurus samuelis subjected to shallow burial events

2017

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“…Furthermore, this behavior could be in agreement with the fact that if the motivation of acquiring a better shell is really strong, the hermit crabs could be less distracted by any external contexts, such as, in this case, the presence of a predator (Elwood, 1995;Billock & Dunbar, 2011). More recently, experimental studies have detected that P. criniticornis demonstrated a great tendency to abandon it shells under conditions of simulated disturbance (Turra & Gorman, 2014).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 66%

Behavioral trade-off on shell exchange and exploration of the white spotwrist hermit crab Pagurus criniticornis (Crustacea, Anomura, Paguridae)

et al. 2015

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Abstract. The regulatory mechanisms of shell selection and occupation by hermit crabs can be determined by many factors such as competition, risk of predation, shell size, type and availability and also by physical damage. However, the relative importance among them has been scarcely studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of predator, shell quality and size in shell exchanges and exploratory behaviors of Pagurus criniticornis. The experiments were carried out by placing a hermit crab with a naturally damaged shell in an arena with or without a caged predator (the narrowback mud crab, Panopeus americanus) and 10 empty shells. Concerning the male data and the shell exchange dependency on the factors of shell quality and predator presence, we suggest that individuals were sensitive to the predator presence when carrying a damaged shell. This data could represent a clear trade-off between the benefit of occupying a better shell and the imminent risk of predation. Considering that shells provide protection and that extremely damaged shells may increase the risk of predation, the exchange behavior is directly related to the increase in protection from predators, even if the exchange activity itself exposes the animal to a high predation risk for a short time.

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Hermit crabs, shells, and sentience

Elwood

2022

Anim Cogn

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Subjective resource value and shell abandoning behavior in hermit crabs

Cited by 19 publications

References 62 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

Behavioral trade-off on shell exchange and exploration of the white spotwrist hermit crab <i>Pagurus criniticornis</i> (Crustacea, Anomura, Paguridae)

Hermit crabs, shells, and sentience

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