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Abstract
Severe environments, characterized by high temperatures and scarce rainfall, challenge organisms and may lead them to display behavioral adaptations to live in such areas. While there is a significant amount of research on behavioral adaptations to severe environments on land, aquatic habitats remain relatively understudied. In this study, we selected a population of Sylviocarcinus pictus crabs from the semiarid region of Brazil to investigate, describe, and quantify the behavioral repertoire of adult crabs in a laboratory setting. In the laboratory, we filmed (n = 10) adult crabs individually (five males and five females), for 72 consecutive hours. Subsequently, we analyzed and recorded their behaviors every 20 min, totaling (n = 240) videos analyzed. Based on the observations, we then constructed an ethogram with nine behaviors grouped into four categories: quiescence, environmental exploration, feeding, and self-cleaning. Our results indicate that, regardless of sex (P = 0.39), S. pictus individuals remained more quiescent during the light period (P < 0.05), with males spending 82.71% of the time quiescent and females spending 91.96% of their time quiescent. Additionally, individuals showed a substantial increase in the frequencies of activity-related behaviors during the dark period (P < 0.05), with no significant differences between sexes. Compared to other species, S. pictus proved to be even more quiescent, especially during the day, possibly in response to the harsh environmental conditions. In the natural environment, we observed crabs seeking shelter under rocks during the day, possibly as a response to high temperatures. These findings suggest that the crabs have developed behavioral strategies to optimize energy use in severe aquatic environments.
Published Version
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