Factors affecting biodiversity on hermit crab shells

Piotr Balazy,Piotr Kuklinski,Marta Gluchowska,David K A Barnes,Maria Włodarska-Kowalczuk

doi:10.1007/s10750-016-2704-z

Piotr Balazy, Piotr Kuklinski + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-016-2704-z

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Abstract

This study explores the abundance, diversity and assemblage structure of epifauna on the shells used by two hermit crab species (Pagurus bernhardus and P. pubescens) in the Arctic (Svalbard and Northern Norway) and investigates the biotic and physical drivers of such patterns. Contrary to our expectations, we found that location (which reflects the variability in environmental conditions and the local species pool of potential colonizers) is a key determinant not only in the cold, ice-scoured, glacier-dominated Arctic shallows of Svalbard but also in boreal Norwegian fjords, where other factors were hypothesized to be more important. Depending on region, shell area and identity were of lesser magnitude, with larger and more irregular shells containing more diverse assemblages. Crab host species also played a role (P. pubescens-inhabited shells supported larger number of individuals and higher diversity than those of P. bernhardus) but this effect might be species or region specific. In this study, no effect of crab gender could be detected. The study indicated that epifaunal assemblages of hermit crab shells are influenced by complex set of factors that interact together to different degree at various locations.

Highlights

In many marine environments, hard surfaces are a limiting resource (Jackson, 1977; Kuklinski et al, 2008; Wahl, 2009), but some organisms have hard externa which provide a surface for colonization
Our study aims to describe factors affecting epifaunal species composition and abundance, diversity (S, H0) and total abundance (N) on gastropod shells used by hermit crabs from Northern Norway, across Barents Sea’s shallow bank (Svalbard Bank) to Spitsbergen Island (Svalbard Archipelago)
The 439 gastropod shells collected across both areas (Svalbard—302, Northern Norway—137) were inhabited by two hermit crab species (Pagurus pubescens and P. bernhardus)

Summary

Introduction

Hard surfaces are a limiting resource (Jackson, 1977; Kuklinski et al, 2008; Wahl, 2009), but some organisms have hard externa which provide a surface for colonization Such epibiosis is common and widespread across many groups of sessile taxa. An example of potential basibionts is decapod crustaceans, which are a species-rich and abundant group with a broad geographical distribution (Hayward & Ryland, 1999). They are long-lived, slow-moving and large enough to provide considerable substrate for other invertebrates. Decapods are one of the most frequently used substrates for epibionts which is reflected in the literature as focus for ecologists studying epibiosis (Connell & Keough, 1985; Dick et al, 1998; Hayward & Ryland, 1999; McGaw, 2006; Dvoretsky & Dvoretsky, 2008, 2009, 2010)

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