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Robinson T. Landmark use by ghost crab (Ocypode quadrata) during wayfinding in a complex maze. Behav Processes 2024; 217:105026. [PMID: 38582301 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2023] [Revised: 03/26/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024]
Abstract
Species of crab have been shown to spatially track and navigate to consequential locations through different processes, such as path integration and landmark orienting. Few investigations examine their ability to wayfind in complex environments, like mazes, with multiple intersections and how they may utilize specific features to benefit this process. Spatial learning potentially would lend a fitness advantage to animals living in complicated habitats, and ghost crab (Ocypode quadrata) is a semiterrestrial species that typically occupies extensive beach environments, which present many navigational challenges. Despite their potential, there are currently no studies that investigate forms of spatial cognition in these animals. To better diversify our knowledge of this trait, the current research exposed ghost crab to a maze with seven intersections. Animals were given multiple trials to learn the location of a reward destination to a specific criterion proficiency. In one condition several landmarks were distributed throughout the maze, and in another the environment was completely empty. Results showed that ghost crab in the landmark present group were able to learn the maze faster, they required significantly fewer trials to reach the learning criterion than those in the landmark absent group. However, only approximately half of the total sample met the learning criterion, indicating the maze was rather difficult. These findings are interpreted through theories of route learning that suggest animals may navigate by establishing landmark-turn associations. Such processes have implications for the cognitive ability of ghost crab, and spatial learning in this species may support the notion of convergent evolution for this trait.
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Quijón PA. Predator-prey interactions in a coastal setting: Linking crab feeding rates to small scale distribution of clams. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 196:106452. [PMID: 38492324 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
A coastal predator-prey system, juvenile green crabs (Carcinus maenas) preying upon juvenile hard clams (Mercenaria mercenaria), was used to explore the link between crab predation rates and clam density and small-scale distribution patterns. The channel working area of a racetrack flume was adapted to form a sedimentary arena in a flowing seawater system (5 cm s-1) to assess crab predation rates in relation to clam density and distribution patterns (clams clustered in one patch vs two nearby vs two farther apart). The trials detected significant differences in relation to clam initial density and distribution with strong (∼50%) declines in clam mortality levels among spatial arrangements (one patch > two nearby > two farther apart). Feeding of clams was associated with the time taken by crabs to handle the first clam (first patch), and the frequency of three distinct types of crab behavior (eating, resting, and searching). Altogether these results suggest that small-scale changes in number and distribution of juvenile clams matter and may have unexpectedly strong effects on the outcome of predator-prey interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro A Quijón
- Coastal Ecology Laboratory, Department of Biology, University of Prince Edward Island, 550 University Avenue, Charlottetown, PE, C1A4P3, Canada.
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Vargas-Vargas IL, Pérez-Hernández E, González D, Rosetti MF, Contreras-Galindo J, Roldán-Roldán G. Evidence of long-term allocentric spatial memory in the Terrestrial Hermit Crab Coenobita compressus. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0293358. [PMID: 37883496 PMCID: PMC10602228 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Spatial learning is a complex cognitive skill and ecologically important trait scarcely studied in crustaceans. We investigated the ability of the Pacific (Ecuadorian) hermit crab Coenobita compressus, to learn an allocentric spatial task using a palatable novel food as reward. Crabs were trained to locate the reward in a single session of eleven consecutive trials and tested subsequently, for short- (5 min) and long-term memory 1, 3 and 7 days later. Our results indicate that crabs were able to learn the location of the reward as they showed a reduction in the time required to find the food whenever it was present, suggesting a visuo-spatial and olfactory cue-guided task resolution. Moreover, crabs also remember the location of the reward up to 7 days after training using spatial cues only (without the food), as evidenced by the longer investigation time they spent in the learned food location than in any other part of the experimental arena, suggesting a visuo-spatial memory formation. This study represents the first description of allocentric spatial long-term memory in a terrestrial hermit crab.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilse Lorena Vargas-Vargas
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Estefany Pérez-Hernández
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Daniel González
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Marcos Francisco Rosetti
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
- Instituto National de Psiquiatría, Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Mexico City, Mexico
| | | | - Gabriel Roldán-Roldán
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
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Okada K, Kumano N. Reproduction-related interactions and loads induce continuous turn alternation leading to linearity in a terrestrial isopod. Naturwissenschaften 2022; 109:23. [DOI: 10.1007/s00114-022-01795-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Revised: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Apparatus design and behavioural testing protocol for the evaluation of spatial working memory in mice through the spontaneous alternation T-maze. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21177. [PMID: 34707108 PMCID: PMC8551159 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-00402-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial working memory can be assessed in mice through the spontaneous alternation T-maze test. The T-maze is a T-shaped apparatus featuring a stem (start arm) and two lateral goal arms (left and right arms). The procedure is based on the natural tendency of rodents to prefer exploring a novel arm over a familiar one, which induces them to alternate the choice of the goal arm across repeated trials. During the task, in order to successfully alternate choices across trials, an animal has to remember which arm had been visited in the previous trial, which makes spontaneous alternation T-maze an optimal test for spatial working memory. As this test relies on a spontaneous behaviour and does not require rewards, punishments or pre-training, it represents a particularly useful tool for cognitive evaluation, both time-saving and animal-friendly. We describe here in detail the apparatus and the protocol, providing representative results on wild-type healthy mice.
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Humphreys RK, Neuhäuser M, Ruxton GD. Turn alternation and the influence of environmental factors on search routes through branched structures by ladybirds (Coccinella septempunctata and Adalia bipunctata). Behav Processes 2020; 182:104292. [PMID: 33290834 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2020.104292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Revised: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Turn alternation is a locomotory behaviour wherein an animal makes consecutive turns in opposite directions (left-then-right or right-then-left). It has been suggested that its adaptive function is to maintain locomotion in a relatively constant general direction while negotiating obstacles. Previous work has focussed on the use of turn alternation in prey species in artificial horizontal mazes. In the first study presented here, we tested whether predatory seven-spot ladybirds (Coccinella septempunctata) exhibit turn alternation when repeatedly presented with consecutive choice turning decisions on vertically oriented twigs. Our findings suggest that turn alternation occurs vertically as well as horizontally, on plant structures as well as terrestrially, and in a type of animal (predatory insect) in which turn alternation has received little attention. In the second study presented here, we tested whether characteristics of branched structures explored by two-spot ladybirds (Adalia bipunctata) influence turning decisions. Our findings suggest that ladybirds exhibit preferences for thicker over thinner, straighter over more deviating headings, and higher over lower turning choice options at bifurcations. These exploratory studies indicate that while turn alternation is an observable phenomenon in ladybirds, it is not the only predictor of searching behaviour on branched structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosalind K Humphreys
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Dyer's Brae House, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9TH, UK.
| | - Markus Neuhäuser
- Department of Mathematics and Technology, Koblenz University of Applied Sciences, RheinAhrCampus, Remagen, Germany
| | - Graeme D Ruxton
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Dyer's Brae House, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9TH, UK
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Shokaku T, Moriyama T, Murakami H, Shinohara S, Manome N, Morioka K. Development of an automatic turntable-type multiple T-maze device and observation of pill bug behavior. THE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS 2020; 91:104104. [PMID: 33138567 DOI: 10.1063/5.0009531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, various animal observation instruments have been developed to support long-term measurement and analysis of animal behaviors. This study proposes an automatic observation instrument that specializes for turning behaviors of pill bugs and aims to obtain new knowledge in the field of ethology. Pill bugs strongly tend to turn in the opposite direction of a preceding turn. This alternation of turning is called turn alternation reaction. However, a repetition of turns in the same direction is called turn repetition reaction and has been considered a malfunction of turn alternation. In this research, the authors developed an automatic turntable-type multiple T-maze device and observed the turning behavior of 34 pill bugs for 6 h to investigate whether turn repetition is a malfunction. As a result, most of the pill bug movements were categorized into three groups: sub-diffusion, Brownian motion, and Lévy walk. This result suggests that pill bugs do not continue turn alternation mechanically but elicit turn repetition moderately, which results in various movement patterns. In organisms with relatively simple nervous systems such as pill bugs, stereotypical behaviors such as turn alternation have been considered mechanical reactions and variant behaviors such as turn repetition have been considered malfunctions. However, our results suggest that a moderate generation of turn repetition is involved in the generation of various movement patterns. This study is expected to provide a new perspective on the conventional view of the behaviors of simple organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takaharu Shokaku
- Department of Network Design, Meiji University, Nakano, Tokyo 164-8525, Japan
| | - Toru Moriyama
- Faculty of Texitile Science and Technology, Shinshu University, Ueda, Nagano 386-8567, Japan
| | - Hisashi Murakami
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo 153-8904, Japan
| | - Shuji Shinohara
- Faculty of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
| | - Nobuhito Manome
- Faculty of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan
| | - Kazuyuki Morioka
- Department of Network Design, Meiji University, Nakano, Tokyo 164-8525, Japan
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Szabo B, Damas-Moreira I, Whiting MJ. Can Cognitive Ability Give Invasive Species the Means to Succeed? A Review of the Evidence. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Zheltova OM, Nepomnyashchikh VA. Organization of Exploratory Behavior in Danio rerio (Hamilton 1822, Cyprinidae) in a Maze. BIOL BULL+ 2020. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062359019090206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Phillmore LS, Klein RM. The puzzle of spontaneous alternation and inhibition of return: How they might fit together. Hippocampus 2019; 29:762-770. [PMID: 31157942 DOI: 10.1002/hipo.23102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2019] [Revised: 05/06/2019] [Accepted: 05/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Two isolated spatial phenomena share a similar "been there; done that" effect on spatial behavior. Originally discovered in rodent learning experiments, spontaneous alternation is a tendency for the organism to visit a different arm in a T-maze on subsequent trials. Originally discovered in human studies of attention, inhibition of return is a tendency for the organism to orient away from a previously attended location. Whereas spontaneous alternation was identified by O'Keefe & Nadel as dependent on an intact hippocampus, inhibition of return is dependent on neural structures that participate in oculomotor control (the superior colliculus, parietal and frontal cortex). Despite the isolated literatures, each phenomenon has been assumed to reflect a basic novelty-seeking process, avoiding places previously visited or locations attended. In this commentary, we explore and compare the behavioral manifestations and neural underpinnings of these two phenomena, and suggest what is still needed to determine whether they operate in parallel or serial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leslie S Phillmore
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Raymond M Klein
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
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Moriyama T, Migita M, Mitsuishi M. Self-corrective behavior for turn alternation in pill bugs (Armadillidium vulgare). Behav Processes 2016; 122:98-103. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2015.11.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2015] [Revised: 11/20/2015] [Accepted: 11/20/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Hegarty KG, Kight SL. Do predator cues influence turn alternation behavior in terrestrial isopods Porcellio laevis Latreille and Armadillidium vulgare Latreille? Behav Processes 2014; 106:168-71. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2014.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2014] [Revised: 06/10/2014] [Accepted: 06/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Leignel V, Stillman JH, Baringou S, Thabet R, Metais I. Overview on the European green crab Carcinus spp. (Portunidae, Decapoda), one of the most famous marine invaders and ecotoxicological models. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2014; 21:9129-9144. [PMID: 24793074 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-014-2979-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2014] [Accepted: 04/23/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Green crabs (Carcinus, Portunidae) include two species native to Europe--Carcinus aestuarii (Mediterranean species) and Carcinus maenas (Atlantic species). These small shore crabs (maximal length carapace, approximately 10 cm) show rapid growth, high fecundity, and long planktonic larval stages that facilitate broad dispersion. Carcinus spp. have a high tolerance to fluctuations of environmental factors including oxygen, salinity, temperature, xenobiotic compounds, and others. Shipping of Carcinus spp. over the past centuries has resulted in its invasions of America, Asia, and Australia. Classified as one of the world's 100 worst invaders by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Carcinus spp. are the most widely distributed intertidal crabs in the world. Their voracious predatory activity makes them strong interactors in local communities, and they are recognized as a model for invasiveness in marine systems as well as a sentinel species in ecotoxicology. This review shows an exhaustive analysis of the literature on the life cycle, diversity, physiological tolerance, genomic investigations, ecotoxicological use, historical invasion, control programs, and putative economical valorization of shore crabs.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Leignel
- Laboratoire Mer-Molécules-Sante, Université du Maine, Avenue Olivier Messiaen, 72085, Le Mans, France,
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