Day-night activity rhythm of the cold seep shrimp Alvinocaris stactophila (Caridea: Alvinocarididae) from the Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

The activity rhythm of the cold seep shrimp Alvinocaris stactophila from the Gulf of Mexico slope (650 m depth) was investigated in the laboratory in relation to an artificial 12 h light-dark regime. Animals were sampled with a submersible and transferred into individual aquaria where their activity was monitored for 5 d by taking digital video snapshots every 30 s. An observer analysed the footage by counting the number of times an animal crossed two perpendicular lines drawn on a PC screen per 30 min interval. Resulting time series were represented over consecutive days and the waveform analysis was used to precisely assess the phase (i.e. the peak timing) and its limits (i.e. onset and offset) in relation to light ON and OFF. The majority (73%) of animals showed a marked nocturnal pattern of activity with number of movements close to zero during the photophase. Waveform analysis showed that the behavioural transition from activity to inactivity after light ON occurred within approximately 1 h. Considering the general lack of knowledge on the regulation of activity rhythms of crustaceans from subtidal areas, the present data provide a new insight on the role played by light in the regulation of animal activity rhythm in deep-water environments such as those of the cold seeps in the Gulf of Mexico.