Changes in temperature, pH, and salinity affect the sheltering responses of Caribbean spiny lobsters to chemosensory cues

Erica Ross,Donald Behringer

doi:10.1038/s41598-019-40832-y

Abstract

Florida Bay is home to a network of shallow mud-banks which act as barriers to circulation creating small basins that are often subject to extremes in temperature and salinity. Florida bay is also important juvenile habitat for the Caribbean spiny lobster Panulirus argus. While our understanding of the effect of environmental changes on the survival, growth, and movement of spiny lobsters is growing, the effect on their chemosensory abilities has not yet been investigated. Lobsters rely heavily on chemical cues for many biological and ecological activities, and here we report on the effect of extreme environmental events in temperature (32 °C), salinity (45ppt), and pH (7.65 pH) on social behavior and sheltering preference in P. argus. Under normal conditions, chemical cues from conspecifics are used by spiny lobsters to identify suitable shelter and cues from stone crabs and diseased individuals are used to determine shelters to be avoided. In all altered conditions, lobsters lost the ability to aggregate with conspecifics and avoid stone crabs and diseased conspecifics. Thus, seasonal extreme events, and potentially future climate change conditions, alter the chemosensory-driven behavior of P. argus and may result in decreased survivorship due to impaired shelter selection or other behaviors.

Highlights

Coastal ecosystems and the ecosystem services they provide are some of most economically important on the planet
The coastal ecosystem of Florida Bay is used as a nursery habitat by a large number of ecologically and commercially important species, including the Caribbean spiny lobster
Human induced climate change resulting in ocean acidification (OA) and an increasing intensity in storm events can negatively affect coastal ecosystems

Summary

Introduction

Coastal ecosystems and the ecosystem services they provide are some of most economically important on the planet. Marshes and mangroves serve as important controls on erosion and pollution[1,2,3]; near shore reefs and seagrass beds promote nutrient cycling[1,2,3]; and coastal ecosystems act as important nursery habitats for invertebrate and fish species, many of which support large commercial and recreational fisheries These ecosystems are some of the most heavily used natural systems and are negatively affected by human activity. The physical stressors created by the bank system are compounded by human activities such as changes in freshwater delivery from the Everglades and the increasing acidity and temperature associated with climate change These direct and indirect anthropogenic components have been identified as the dominant stressors affecting key species in the Florida Bay ecosystem[8,9,10]. Chemical cues from conspecifics and cohabitants are used by spiny lobsters to form aggregations and identify suitable shelter, while cues from predators, competitors, and diseased individuals are used to determine shelters that are unsafe and should be avoided[31,32,33]

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