Air-exposure behavior: a restricted or a common conduct among intertidal hermit crabs?

A new behavior related to shell care was recently reported for the intertidal hermit crab Clibanarius erythropus (Latreille, 1818) in the Gulf of Cádiz (southwestern Europe). It also has been observed in other species of the diogenid genera Clibanarius Dana, 1952, and Calcinus Dana, 1951, however, it has not been described as an active behavior. In the present study, intertidal hermit crabs from different species and localities were sampled to assess if air-exposure is a shell cleaning behavior restricted to some species of intertidal hermit crabs or if it is a more generalized behavior among species inhabiting intertidal habitats. The results revealed that air-exposure is an active behavior in species of Clibanarius and Calcinus, since we observed it also in Clibanarius albidigitus Nobili, 1901, and Calcinus obscurus Stimpson, 1859, from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, although not in other intertidal species studied by us. We found interspecific differences in tolerance to physical stress of emerged hermit crabs. This air-exposure tolerance can be interpreted as a physiological adaptation to desiccation stress and is also related to the shell type they inhabit. Also, we provide additional features and details of the air-exposure behavior, combining observations of the first description in 2015 with our new field observations.UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Básicas::Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología (CIMAR)UCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Ciencias Básicas::Facultad de Ciencias::Escuela de Biologí

Efeitos de Fatores Ambientais na Reprodução de Tartarugas Environmental factors effects in turtles reproduction

Para as espécies de tartaruga que apresentam a determinação sexual dependente da temperatura da incubação o local e o momento da desova, exercem influências que vão além da definição do sexo dos embriões. A influência do local da desova se estende a todo o desenvolvimento embrionário afetando o comportamento e o tamanho dos filhotes. O momento em que ocorre a desova trará conseqüências ao ambiente térmico dos ninhos à medida que a temperatura e a umidade variam ao longo do ano. A umidade será decisiva nas trocas hídricas e gasosas entre os ovos e o meio afetando a absorção do vitelo e o crescimento dos embriões. As cheias e os alagamentos são importantes fatores de perda de ninhos nas espécies de tartaruga de água doce. A desova no momento adequado possibilita uma incubação segura, sem a interferência de alagamentos dos ninhos e conseqüente morte dos embriões. A predação dos ninhos varia de acordo com o local da desova, o tipo e a abundância de predadores e a profundidade da câmara de ovos. A escolha de pontos de desova no interior da vegetação, onde a taxa de predação é geralmente menor, nem sempre é a estratégia mais frequentemente adotada pelas tartarugas, uma vez que esse procedimento pode levar a uma maior exposição das fêmeas aos predadores, à diminuição do sucesso da eclosão ou a alterações na razão sexual provocadas por diferenças na temperatura da incubação.<br>Turtle species in which the sex determination is dependent of incubation temperature, the nest site and the laying moment will affect more than embryo sex determination. The influence of the laying site extends all over the embryonic development, affecting hatching weight and size. The time of the egg-laying will bring consequences to the nest thermal environment, as the temperature and humidity change throughout the year. The humidity will be decisive in gaseous and hydric exchanges between eggs and the environment, affecting yolk absorption and embryo growth. Floods and inundation are important factors related to nest loss in freshwater turtle species. Egg laying at the appropriated time makes a safe incubation possible, without the interference of nest inundation and subsequent embryo death. The nest predation varies according to the egg-laying site, type and abundance of predator and nest depth. The choice of areas in the middle of vegetation, where the predation rate is generally smaller, is not always the most used strategy by turtles, since this procedure can decrease the hatching success or provoke changes in sex ratio