Comparative exploratory movements of two terrestrial isopods (suborder: Oniscidea), in response to humidity and availability of food
In: BehaviourDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
Search for other papers by Sasindu L. Gunawardana in
Current site
Google Scholar
Search for other papers by Karl W. Larsen in
Current site
Google Scholar
Abstract
Unfavourable conditions within familiar environments may prompt organisms to make forays into other habitats, at least temporarily. This behaviour is in turn linked to key demographic processes such as immigration, emigration, and eventually, metapopulation dynamics. How such movements are triggered by environmental conditions (much less their interaction effects) has rarely been experimentally tested. To address this, we examined how environmental conditions (3 levels of food and 3 levels of humidity) within a microcosm affect the movements of two species of isopods (Armadillidium vulgare and Porcellio scaber) out of their familiar habitat. We used web-camera checkpoints to record the movements of individually marked animals as they conducted forays along corridors that lead to new, unused habitats. Thirty-six trials were run in total for each species, with each trial involving 16 animals (8 ♂♂, 8 ♀♀). Relatively unfavourable conditions of low humidity, low food levels, and their interaction prompted changes to all the foray metrics we measured. However, different levels of mobility and tolerance to desiccation between the two species also appeared linked to the degree of responses, e.g., Porcellio demonstrated a greater tendency to depart from familiar habitat under low humidity, possibly due to their superior mobility and greater susceptibility to desiccation. This study improves our understanding of how different environmental conditions act in concert to affect the exploratory movements away from familiar habitat, and how these responses differ even for closely-related species.
Purchase
Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Institutional Login
Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials
Personal login
Log in with your brill.com account
-
Alerstam, T., Hedenström, A. & Åkesson, S. (2003). Long-distance migration: evolution and determinants. — Oikos 103: 247-260.
-
Avgar, T., Mosser, A., Brown, G.S. & Fryxell, J.M. (2013). Environmental and individual drivers of animal movement patterns across a wide geographical gradient. — J. Anim. Ecol. 82: 96-106.
-
Ayari, A., Raimond, M., Souty-Grosset, C. & Nasri-Ammar, K. (2016). Hierarchical organization of the cuticle of the subsocial desert isopod, Hemilepistus reaumurii. — J. Struct. Biol. 193: 115-123.
-
Baines, C.B., McCauley, S.J. & Rowe, L. (2014). The interactive effects of competition and predation risk on dispersal in an insect. — Biology Letters 10: 20140287.
-
Benton, T.G., Solan, M., Travis, J.M.J. & Sait, S.M. (2007). Microcosm experiments can inform global ecological problems. — Trends Ecol. Evol. 22: 516-521. DOI:10.1016/j.tree.2007.08.003.
-
Bowler, D.E. & Benton, T.G. (2005). Causes and consequences of animal dispersal strategies: relating individual behaviour to spatial dynamics. — Biol. Rev. 80: 205-225.
-
Bradley, E., Trewick, S.A. & Morgan-Richards, M. (2017). Genetic distinctiveness of the Waikawa Island mouse population indicates low rate of dispersal from mainland New Zealand. — N. Z. J. Ecol. 41: 245-250.
-
Brigić, A., Antonović, I., Alegro, A., Šegota, V. & Bujan, J. (2017). Terrestrial isopods (Isopoda: Oniscidea) as unexpected inhabitants of extreme habitats. — Eur. J. Soil Biol. 82: 66-71.
-
Charnov, E.L. (1976). Optimal foraging attack strategy of a mantid. — Am. Nat. 110: 141-151.
-
Christy, M.T., Savidge, J.A., Yackel Adams, A.A., Gragg, J.E. & Rodda, G.H. (2017). Experimental landscape reduction of wild rodents increases movements in the invasive brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis). — Manage. Biol. Invasion. 8: 455-467.
-
Cooper, S.D., Diehl, S., Kratz, K. & Sarnelle, O. (1998). Implications of scale for patterns and processes in stream ecology. — Austr. Ecol. 23: 27-40.
-
Cowlishaw, G. (1997). Trade-offs between foraging and predation risk determine habitat use in a desert baboon population. — Anim. Behav. 53: 667-686.
-
Dias, N., Hassall, M. & Waite, T. (2012). The influence of microclimate on foraging and sheltering behaviours of terrestrial isopods: implications for soil carbon dynamics under climate change. — Pedobiologia (Jena) 55: 137-144.
-
Díaz, H., Orihuela, B., Forward, R.B., Jr. & Rittschof, D. (2003). Orientation of juvenile blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, to currents, chemicals, and visual cues. — J. Crust. Biol. 23: 15-22.
-
Dussault, C., Courtois, R., Ouellet, J.-P. & Girard, I. (2005). Space use of moose in relation to food availability. — Can. J. Zool. 83: 1431-1437.
-
Edney, E.B. (1960). Terrestrial adaptations: the physiology of Crustacea. — Academic Press, New York.
-
Fountain, T., Nieminen, M., Siren, J., Wong, S.C., Lehtonen, R. & Hanski, I. (2016). Predictable allele frequency changes due to habitat fragmentation in the Glanville fritillary butterfly. — Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 113: 2678-2683.
-
Fuller, T.K., Boitani, L., Fuller, T.K. & Fuller, T. (2000). Research techniques in animal ecology: controversies and consequences. — Columbia University Press, New York, NY.
-
Hassall, M. (1996). Spatial variation in favourability of a grass heath as a habitat for woodlice (Isopoda: Oniscidea). — Pedobiologia 40: 514-528.
-
Hassall, M., Helden, A., Goldson, A. & Grant, A. (2005). Ecotypic differentiation and phenotypic plasticity in reproductive traits of Armadillidium vulgare (Isopoda: Oniscidea). — Oecologia 143: 51-60.
-
Hild, S., Neues, F., Žnidaršič, N., Štrus, J., Epple, M., Marti, O. & Ziegler, A. (2009). Ultrastructure and mineral distribution in the tergal cuticle of the terrestrial isopod Titanethes albus. Adaptations to a karst cave biotope. — J. Struct. Biol. 168: 426-436.
-
Hoese, B. (1981). Morphology and function of the water conducting system in terrestrial isopods (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscoidea). — Zoomorphology 98: 135-167.
-
Hoffmann, G. (1985). The influence of landmarks on the systematic search behaviour of the desert isopod Hemilepistus reaumuri. — Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 17: 335-348.
-
Hornung, E. (2011). Evolutionary adaptation of oniscidean isopods to terrestrial life: structure, physiology and behavior. — Terr. Arthropod Rev. 4: 95-130.
-
Hsia, C.C.W., Schmitz, A., Lambertz, M., Perry, S.F. & Maina, J.N. (2013). Evolution of air breathing: oxygen homeostasis and the transitions from water to land and sky. — Comp. Physiol. 3: 849-915.
-
Johnson, A.R., Wiens, J.A., Milne, B.T. & Crist, T.O. (1992). Animal movements and population dynamics in heterogeneous landscapes. — Landsc. Ecol. 7: 63-75.
-
Jones, K.M.M. & Boulding, E.G. (1999). State-dependent habitat selection by an intertidal snail: the costs of selecting a physically stressful microhabitat. — J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 242: 149-177.
-
Kingsford, M.J., Leis, J.M., Shanks, A., Lindeman, K.C., Morgan, S.G. & Pineda, J. (2002). Sensory environments, larval abilities and local self-recruitment. — Bull. Mar. Sci. 70(Suppl.): 309-340.
-
Krebs, J.R., Kacelnik, A. & Taylor, P. (1978). Test of optimal sampling by foraging great tits. — Nature 275: 27-31.
-
Legrand, D., Trochet, A., Moulherat, S., Calvez, O., Stevens, V.M., Ducatez, S., Clobert, J. & Baguette, M. (2015). Ranking the ecological causes of dispersal in a butterfly. — Ecography 38: 822-831.
-
Mathieu, J., Barot, S., Blouin, M., Caro, G., Decaëns, T., Dubs, F., Dupont, L., Jouquet, P. & Nai, P. (2010). Habitat quality, conspecific density, and habitat pre-use affect the dispersal behaviour of two earthworm species, Aporrectodea icterica and Dendrobaena veneta, in a mesocosm experiment. — Soil Biol. Biochem. 42: 203-209.
-
McGlynn, T.P., Carr, R.A., Carson, J.H. & Buma, J. (2004). Frequent nest relocation in the ant Aphaenogaster araneoides: resources, competition, and natural enemies. — Oikos 106: 611-621.
-
McIntyre, N.E. & Wiens, J.A. (1999). Interactions between landscape structure and animal behavior: the roles of heterogeneously distributed resources and food deprivation on movement patterns. — Landsc. Ecol. 14: 437-447.
-
Moss, J.B., Gerber, G.P., Goetz, M., Haakonsson, J.E., Harvey, J.C., Laaser, T. & Welch, M.E. (2020). Contrasting patterns of movement across life stages in an insular iguana population. — J. Herpetol. 54: 67-77.
-
Paoletti, M.G. & Hassall, M. (1999). Woodlice (Isopoda: Oniscidea): their potential for assessing sustainability and use as bioindicators. — Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 74: 157-165.
-
Paradis, E., Baillie, S.R., Sutherland, W.J. & Gregory, R.D. (1998). Patterns of natal and breeding dispersal in birds. — J. Anim. Ecol. 67: 518-536.
-
Peters, R.H. (1983). The ecological implications of body size. — Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
-
Price-Rees, S.J., Lindström, T., Brown, G.P. & Shine, R. (2014). The effects of weather conditions on dispersal behaviour of free-ranging lizards (Tiliqua, Scincidae) in tropical Australia. — Funct. Ecol. 28: 440-449.
-
Refinetti, R. (2000). Circadian rhythem of locomotor activity in the pill bug, Armadillidium vulgare (Isopoda). — Crustaceana 73: 575-583.
-
Robinson, B.G., Larsen, K.W. & Kerr, H.J. (2011). Natal experience and conspecifics influence the settling behaviour of the juvenile terrestrial isopod Armadillidium vulgare. — Can. J. Zool. 89: 661-667.
-
Schmalfuss, H. (1984). Eco-morphological strategies in terrestrial isopods. The biology of terrestrial isopods. — Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. Symp. 53: 49-63.
-
Schmidt, C. & Wagele, J.W. (2001). Morphology and evolution of respiratory structures in the pleopod exopodites of terrestrial Isopoda (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidea). — Acta Zool. 82: 315-330.
-
Seidl, B.H. & Ziegler, A. (2012). Electron microscopic and preparative methods for the analysis of isopod cuticle. — Zookeys 176: 73-85.
-
Sih, A., Kats, L.B. & Moore, R.D. (1992). Effects of predatory sunfish on the density, drift, and refuge use of stream salamander larvae. — Ecology 73: 1418-1430.
-
Smigel, J.T. & Gibbs, A.G. (2008). Conglobation in the pill bug, Armadillidium vulgare, as a water conservation mechanism. — J. Insect Sci. 8: 44.
-
Spencer, W.D. (2012). Home ranges and the value of spatial information. — J. Mammal. 93: 929-947.
-
Stevens, V.M., Pavoine, S. & Baguette, M. (2010). Variation within and between closely related species uncovers high intra-specific variability in dispersal. — PLoS ONE 5: e11123.
-
Stewart, F.E.C., Fisher, J.T., Burton, A.C. & Volpe, J.P. (2018). Species occurrence data reflect the magnitude of animal movements better than the proximity of animal space use. — Ecosphere 9: e02112.
-
Sutherland, G.D., Harestad, A.S., Price, K. & Lertzman, K.P. (2000). Scaling of natal dispersal distances in terrestrial birds and mammals. — Conserv. Ecol. 4: 16.
-
Sutton, S., Harding, P. & Burn, D. (1972). Woodlice. — Ginn, London.
-
Tuck, J.M. & Hassall, M. (2005). Locating food in a spatially heterogeneous environment: implications for fitness of the macrodecomposer Armadillidium vulgare (Isopoda: Oniscidea). — Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 58: 545-551.
-
Vavrus, S., Ruddiman, W.F. & Kutzbach, J.E. (2008). Climate model tests of the anthropogenic influence on greenhouse-induced climate change: the role of early human agriculture, industrialization, and vegetation feedbacks. — Q. Sci. Rev. 27: 1410-1425.
-
Vinatier, F., Lescourret, F., Duyck, P.-F., Martin, O., Senoussi, R. & Tixier, P. (2011). Should I stay or should I go? A habitat-dependent dispersal kernel improves prediction of movement. — PLoS ONE 6: e21115.
-
Vittori, M., Vodnik, K. & Blejec, A. (2020). Changes in cuticle structure during growth in two terrestrial isopods (Crustacea: Isopoda: Oniscidea). — Nauplius 28: e2020041.
-
Wang, W., Qiao, Y., Li, S., Pan, W. & Yao, M. (2017). Low genetic diversity and strong population structure shaped by anthropogenic habitat fragmentation in a critically endangered primate, Trachypithecus leucocephalus. — J. Hered. 118: 542-553.
-
Wherry, T. & Elwood, R.W. (2009). Relocation, reproduction and remaining alive in the orb-web spider. — J. Zool. 279: 57-63.
-
Wiens, J.A. (1995). Landscape mosaics and ecological theory. — Springer, Dordrecht.
-
Wright, J.C. & Machin, J. (1990). Water vapour absorption in terrestrial isopods. — J. Exp. Biol. 154: 13-30.
-
Zimmer, M., Kautz, G. & Topp, W. (1996). Olfaction in terrestrial isopods (Crustacea: Oniscidea): responses of Porcellio scaber to the odour of litter. — Eur. J. Soil Biol. 32: 141-147.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 2110 | 530 | 8 |
| Full Text Views | 403 | 114 | 2 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 740 | 231 | 7 |
Comparative exploratory movements of two terrestrial isopods (suborder: Oniscidea), in response to humidity and availability of food
In: BehaviourDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada
Search for other papers by Sasindu L. Gunawardana in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Karl W. Larsen in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
Unfavourable conditions within familiar environments may prompt organisms to make forays into other habitats, at least temporarily. This behaviour is in turn linked to key demographic processes such as immigration, emigration, and eventually, metapopulation dynamics. How such movements are triggered by environmental conditions (much less their interaction effects) has rarely been experimentally tested. To address this, we examined how environmental conditions (3 levels of food and 3 levels of humidity) within a microcosm affect the movements of two species of isopods (Armadillidium vulgare and Porcellio scaber) out of their familiar habitat. We used web-camera checkpoints to record the movements of individually marked animals as they conducted forays along corridors that lead to new, unused habitats. Thirty-six trials were run in total for each species, with each trial involving 16 animals (8 ♂♂, 8 ♀♀). Relatively unfavourable conditions of low humidity, low food levels, and their interaction prompted changes to all the foray metrics we measured. However, different levels of mobility and tolerance to desiccation between the two species also appeared linked to the degree of responses, e.g., Porcellio demonstrated a greater tendency to depart from familiar habitat under low humidity, possibly due to their superior mobility and greater susceptibility to desiccation. This study improves our understanding of how different environmental conditions act in concert to affect the exploratory movements away from familiar habitat, and how these responses differ even for closely-related species.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 2110 | 530 | 8 |
| Full Text Views | 403 | 114 | 2 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 740 | 231 | 7 |
