Differences in the swimming behaviour of the amphipod Corophium volutator from different populations

Abstract

The swimming behaviour of Corophium volutator from Wales and East Anglia was investigated to establish whether differences apparent from two previous studies are real or artefacts of the different techniques used. Swimming C. volutator were caught in a Welsh estuary in the summer, but only rarely in the autumn and winter, and in both daylight and darkness. In simulated tidal conditions in the laboratory C. volutator from two sites in East Anglia never swam, while those from Wales swam whenever the substratum was immersed, in daylight and darkness, mostly on the ebb tide and in winter. The unnatural swimming in winter may have been stimulated by laboratory conditions, but the East Anglian amphipods were not so affected. The tidal swimming rhythm is different to east coast C. volutator which only swim at night. This difference may be related to the time of spring tides, when most swimming occurs. In Wales high water of spring tides may occur only in daylight in summer and nocturnal swimming may not be possible. The ebb tide swimming by C. volutator in Wales contrasts with the flood and ebb swimming of east coast amphipods and may reflect differences in their habitats. The former were collected close to the sea while the latter were 15 km up a narrow estuary and may represent a sub-population of amphipods with a disposition to swim early (on the flood tide) enabling them to colonise upstream habitats.