Microplastic exposure increases predictability of predator avoidance strategies in hermit crabs
The contamination of natural systems with plastic debris has become one of the most pressing global environmental issues. Microplastics (MPs) are of particular concern because their ubiquity and small size make them available for ingestion by a range of aquatic biota. MP exposure studies are hence p...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2020-11-01
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| Series: | Journal of Hazardous Materials Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666911020300058 |
| _version_ | 1818623459287105536 |
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| author | Gerrit B. Nanninga Cat Horswill Sarah M. Lane Andrea Manica Mark Briffa |
| author_facet | Gerrit B. Nanninga Cat Horswill Sarah M. Lane Andrea Manica Mark Briffa |
| author_sort | Gerrit B. Nanninga |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The contamination of natural systems with plastic debris has become one of the most pressing global environmental issues. Microplastics (MPs) are of particular concern because their ubiquity and small size make them available for ingestion by a range of aquatic biota. MP exposure studies are hence proliferating rapidly but are typically limited to the analyses of population-level responses in toxicity endpoints across treatments. Potential contaminant-induced alterations in behavioural patterns, however, could manifest on numerous levels of variation: at the population-level, between individuals and within individuals. Here, we used repeated measures on startle response durations – a risk-avoidance mechanism – in European hermit crabs, Pagurus bernhardus, to measure behavioural responses to MP exposure across multiple levels of variation. We found that MP exposure led to a significant decrease of startle duration at the population-level as well as a reduction of intra-individual variation. In other words, crabs became less risk averse on average and their behaviour became more predictable with increasing MP concentrations. Collectively, our findings indicate that MP pollution might increase susceptibility to predation in hermit crabs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T18:41:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3a24533a1ee649538f9de3de5e3368c9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2666-9110 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T18:41:24Z |
| publishDate | 2020-11-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Hazardous Materials Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-3a24533a1ee649538f9de3de5e3368c92022-12-21T22:21:02ZengElsevierJournal of Hazardous Materials Letters2666-91102020-11-011100005Microplastic exposure increases predictability of predator avoidance strategies in hermit crabsGerrit B. Nanninga0Cat Horswill1Sarah M. Lane2Andrea Manica3Mark Briffa4School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK; Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK; Corresponding author at: Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK.Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK; ZSL Institute of Zoology, Regent’s Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK; Centre for Biodiversity and Environmental Research, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UKSchool of Biological and Marine Sciences, Animal Behaviour Research Group, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UKDepartment of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UKSchool of Biological and Marine Sciences, Animal Behaviour Research Group, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UKThe contamination of natural systems with plastic debris has become one of the most pressing global environmental issues. Microplastics (MPs) are of particular concern because their ubiquity and small size make them available for ingestion by a range of aquatic biota. MP exposure studies are hence proliferating rapidly but are typically limited to the analyses of population-level responses in toxicity endpoints across treatments. Potential contaminant-induced alterations in behavioural patterns, however, could manifest on numerous levels of variation: at the population-level, between individuals and within individuals. Here, we used repeated measures on startle response durations – a risk-avoidance mechanism – in European hermit crabs, Pagurus bernhardus, to measure behavioural responses to MP exposure across multiple levels of variation. We found that MP exposure led to a significant decrease of startle duration at the population-level as well as a reduction of intra-individual variation. In other words, crabs became less risk averse on average and their behaviour became more predictable with increasing MP concentrations. Collectively, our findings indicate that MP pollution might increase susceptibility to predation in hermit crabs.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666911020300058Intra-individual variationRepeatabilityAnthropogenic contaminantsStartle responsePredation risk |
| spellingShingle | Gerrit B. Nanninga Cat Horswill Sarah M. Lane Andrea Manica Mark Briffa Microplastic exposure increases predictability of predator avoidance strategies in hermit crabs Journal of Hazardous Materials Letters Intra-individual variation Repeatability Anthropogenic contaminants Startle response Predation risk |
| title | Microplastic exposure increases predictability of predator avoidance strategies in hermit crabs |
| title_full | Microplastic exposure increases predictability of predator avoidance strategies in hermit crabs |
| title_fullStr | Microplastic exposure increases predictability of predator avoidance strategies in hermit crabs |
| title_full_unstemmed | Microplastic exposure increases predictability of predator avoidance strategies in hermit crabs |
| title_short | Microplastic exposure increases predictability of predator avoidance strategies in hermit crabs |
| title_sort | microplastic exposure increases predictability of predator avoidance strategies in hermit crabs |
| topic | Intra-individual variation Repeatability Anthropogenic contaminants Startle response Predation risk |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666911020300058 |
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