Background matching in the brown shrimp Crangon crangon: adaptive camouflage and behavioural-plasticity
Abstract A combination of burrowing behaviour and very efficient background matching makes the brown shrimp Crangon crangon almost invisible to potential predators and prey. This raises questions on how shrimp succeed in concealing themselves in the heterogeneous and dynamic estuarine habitats they...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2018-02-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-21412-y |
| _version_ | 1830416401689477120 |
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| author | Andjin Siegenthaler Alexander Mastin Clément Dufaut Debapriya Mondal Chiara Benvenuto |
| author_facet | Andjin Siegenthaler Alexander Mastin Clément Dufaut Debapriya Mondal Chiara Benvenuto |
| author_sort | Andjin Siegenthaler |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract A combination of burrowing behaviour and very efficient background matching makes the brown shrimp Crangon crangon almost invisible to potential predators and prey. This raises questions on how shrimp succeed in concealing themselves in the heterogeneous and dynamic estuarine habitats they inhabit and what type of environmental variables and behavioural factors affect their colour change abilities. Using a series of behavioural experiments, we show that the brown shrimp is capable of repeated fast colour adaptations (20% change in dark pigment cover within one hour) and that its background matching ability is mainly influenced by illumination and sediment colour. Novel insights are provided on the occurrence of non-adaptive (possibly stress) responses to background changes after long-time exposure to a constant background colour or during unfavourable conditions for burying. Shrimp showed high levels of intra- and inter-individual variation, demonstrating a complex balance between behavioural-plasticity and environmental adaptation. As such, the study of crustacean colour changes represents a valuable opportunity to investigate colour adaptations in dynamic habitats and can help us to identify the mayor environmental and behavioural factors influencing the evolution of animal background matching. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T21:24:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-979efa07b1434373858921e400134150 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T21:24:03Z |
| publishDate | 2018-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-979efa07b1434373858921e4001341502022-12-21T19:26:12ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222018-02-018111210.1038/s41598-018-21412-yBackground matching in the brown shrimp Crangon crangon: adaptive camouflage and behavioural-plasticityAndjin Siegenthaler0Alexander Mastin1Clément Dufaut2Debapriya Mondal3Chiara Benvenuto4Ecosystems and Environment Research Centre, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of SalfordEcosystems and Environment Research Centre, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of SalfordEcosystems and Environment Research Centre, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of SalfordEcosystems and Environment Research Centre, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of SalfordEcosystems and Environment Research Centre, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of SalfordAbstract A combination of burrowing behaviour and very efficient background matching makes the brown shrimp Crangon crangon almost invisible to potential predators and prey. This raises questions on how shrimp succeed in concealing themselves in the heterogeneous and dynamic estuarine habitats they inhabit and what type of environmental variables and behavioural factors affect their colour change abilities. Using a series of behavioural experiments, we show that the brown shrimp is capable of repeated fast colour adaptations (20% change in dark pigment cover within one hour) and that its background matching ability is mainly influenced by illumination and sediment colour. Novel insights are provided on the occurrence of non-adaptive (possibly stress) responses to background changes after long-time exposure to a constant background colour or during unfavourable conditions for burying. Shrimp showed high levels of intra- and inter-individual variation, demonstrating a complex balance between behavioural-plasticity and environmental adaptation. As such, the study of crustacean colour changes represents a valuable opportunity to investigate colour adaptations in dynamic habitats and can help us to identify the mayor environmental and behavioural factors influencing the evolution of animal background matching.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-21412-y |
| spellingShingle | Andjin Siegenthaler Alexander Mastin Clément Dufaut Debapriya Mondal Chiara Benvenuto Background matching in the brown shrimp Crangon crangon: adaptive camouflage and behavioural-plasticity Scientific Reports |
| title | Background matching in the brown shrimp Crangon crangon: adaptive camouflage and behavioural-plasticity |
| title_full | Background matching in the brown shrimp Crangon crangon: adaptive camouflage and behavioural-plasticity |
| title_fullStr | Background matching in the brown shrimp Crangon crangon: adaptive camouflage and behavioural-plasticity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Background matching in the brown shrimp Crangon crangon: adaptive camouflage and behavioural-plasticity |
| title_short | Background matching in the brown shrimp Crangon crangon: adaptive camouflage and behavioural-plasticity |
| title_sort | background matching in the brown shrimp crangon crangon adaptive camouflage and behavioural plasticity |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-21412-y |
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