Pill Bugs Research Articles

Nanoscale Surface Metal-Coating Method without Pretreatment for High-Magnification Biological Observation and Applications.

Biospecimen imaging is essential across various fields. In particular, a considerable amount of research has focused on developing pretreatment techniques, ranging from freeze-drying to the use of highly conductive polymers, and on advancements in instrumentation, such as cryogenic electron microscopy. These specialized techniques and equipment have facilitated nanoscale and microscale bioimaging. However, user access to these environments remains limited. This study introduced a novel technique to achieve high conductivity in bioimaging by employing a magnetically controlled sputtering cathode to facilitate low-temperature deposition and low-electron bombardment. This approach allows for the convenient high-magnification observation of highly structured three-dimensional specimens, such as pill bugs and butterfly wings, and fragile specimens, such as single-cell protozoan parasites, using metal deposition only. Furthermore, it is easily accessible in the field of bioimaging because it does not require any pretreatment and enables surface analysis of biospecimens with an electron microscope using only a single pretreatment process. Protozoa, which are microorganisms, were successfully observed at high magnification without structural changes due to thermal denaturation. Furthermore, metallic film deposition and electrochemical signal measurements using these metallic films were achieved in pill bugs.

Eggs in faeces: defensive mechanisms and effects of faecal coating by a water scavenger beetle, Coelostoma stultum (Coleopterea: Hydrophilidae).

The egg stage in insect development is vulnerable to fluctuations in environmental conditions and attacks by natural enemies. Protective devices are effective means of avoiding both abiotic and biotic damage to eggs. Although some insects use their faeces as a protective device, few studies have focused on using faeces for egg protection, and studies that examined the mechanism are lacking. Females of a water scavenger beetle, Coelostoma stultum, typically lay eggs and coat them with cocoons and their faeces. The efficacy of a double defensive device, however, remains uncertain. Here, we conducted field observations and laboratory experiments to assess the protective effects of cocoons with faecal coating on eggs against predation and determine the duration and mechanisms of this defence. Our findings reveal that the faeces on the egg cocoon protected eggs from predation by the pill bugs, Armadillidium vulgare, and marsh slugs, Deroceras laeve. Laboratory experiments showed that the defensive effect of faecal coating was maintained for three days and decreased daily. The double protective traits with faecal coating on the egg cocoons protected the eggs from instense predation pressure in C. stultum. The behavioural patterns of the pill bugs and egg predation rates indicate that the faecal coating behaviour in C. stultum protects eggs with chemical compounds and textural camouflage in mud when the antennae of the pill bugs touch faeces. It is important to note that for this defence to be effective, the chemistry and texture of the faeces should be similar to that of the oviposition sites.

Body Size and Weight of Pill Bugs (Armadillidium vulgare) Vary between Urban Green Space Habitats.

Rapid urban development poses a threat to global biodiversity. At the same time, urban green spaces offer opportunities for holding biodiversity in cities. Among biological communities, the soil fauna plays a crucial role in ecological processes but is often ignored. Understanding the effects of environmental factors on soil fauna is critical for ecological conservation in urban areas. In this study, five typical green space habitats were selected including bamboo grove, forest, garden, grassland, and wasteland in spring, for detecting the relationship between habitats and Armadillidium vulgare population characteristics in Yancheng, China. Results indicate that soil water content, pH, soil organic matter, and soil total carbon varied significantly among habitats, as well as the body length and body weight of pill bugs. The higher proportion of larger pill bugs was found in the wasteland and the lower proportion in the grassland and the bamboo grove. The body length of pill bugs was positively related to pH. Soil total carbon, soil organic matter, and the number of plant species were correlated with the body weight of pill bugs.

Evaluation of turn alternation in pill bugs using omnidirectional motion compensator ANTAM

Evaluation of turn alternation in pill bugs using omnidirectional motion compensator ANTAM

Assessment and Comparison of Cable-Actuation of Pill Bug Inspired Adaptive Origami Structure Using Computer Vision and Dynamic Relaxation

The ancient art of origami can be harnessed for the development of adaptive structures, including those at civil-engineering scale. This can be enhanced with biomimetics, the study and development of synthetic mechanisms that mimic the structure or functionality of biological organisms in nature. The origami structure presented in this paper draws inspiration from pill bugs, a species of woodlice that can alter its shape between a flat and a rolled configuration. The panel type origami pill bug structure is modelled as bars, hinges, and active elements for actuation. This paper provides analysis and comparison of a new formulation of the form-finding method called dynamic relaxation for the analytical study with a computer vision algorithm for the experimental study of a 3D-printed model. The objective of this study is to simulate and experimentally validate the quasi-static and dynamic response to characterize the kinematic properties and dynamic behavior of the origami pill bug structure.

Full vs. Empty

Full vs. Empty

Historic dispersal barriers determine genetic structure and connectivity in a supratidal sandy-beach brooder

The supralittoral zones of sandy beaches are particularly vulnerable to coastal development and other activities that cause localised habitat destruction. Supratidal species, such as peracarid crustaceans, which lack a pelagic larval phase and tend to avoid direct contact with the swash, are therefore expected to be distributed as isolated populations, with implications for their long-term survival. Genetic population structure of one such species, the pill bug Tylos capensis, was investigated based on mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) haplotype sequences, to assess demographic history and regional population connectivity in the presence of potential dispersal barriers (an estuary, coastal cliffs) along the Indian Ocean coast of South Africa. Here, pill bugs demonstrated strong and significant genetic structure at the regional scale, with 3 distinct clades across the species’ geographic distribution. At a localised spatial scale, coastal cliffs intersecting the high shore appeared to be a strong barrier to gene flow between adjacent populations, while a permanently open estuary did not limit gene flow. Estimates of historic gene flow and patterns of COI differentiation coincided with greater habitat continuity during the Pleistocene glaciations at sea levels between -75 and -120 m, when the African south coast was probably dominated by sandy beaches. While gene flow among low-dispersing pill bug populations is unlikely to benefit from a network of closely spaced coastal protected areas, the isolated nature of this species, coupled with the cryptic diversity inherent in this taxon, emphasizes the need for their protection. The importance of protecting the intact littoral active zone of beaches is highlighted.

Development of an automatic turntable-type multiple T-maze device and observation of pill bug behavior.

In recent years, various animal observation instruments have been developed to support long-term measurement and analysis of animal behaviors. This study proposes an automatic observation instrument that specializes for turning behaviors of pill bugs and aims to obtain new knowledge in the field of ethology. Pill bugs strongly tend to turn in the opposite direction of a preceding turn. This alternation of turning is called turn alternation reaction. However, a repetition of turns in the same direction is called turn repetition reaction and has been considered a malfunction of turn alternation. In this research, the authors developed an automatic turntable-type multiple T-maze device and observed the turning behavior of 34 pill bugs for 6 h to investigate whether turn repetition is a malfunction. As a result, most of the pill bug movements were categorized into three groups: sub-diffusion, Brownian motion, and Lévy walk. This result suggests that pill bugs do not continue turn alternation mechanically but elicit turn repetition moderately, which results in various movement patterns. In organisms with relatively simple nervous systems such as pill bugs, stereotypical behaviors such as turn alternation have been considered mechanical reactions and variant behaviors such as turn repetition have been considered malfunctions. However, our results suggest that a moderate generation of turn repetition is involved in the generation of various movement patterns. This study is expected to provide a new perspective on the conventional view of the behaviors of simple organisms.

Effective Techniques for the Care, Reproduction & Utilization of the Terrestrial Isopod Porcellio scaber in Your Science Classroom

Terrestrial isopods (often referred to as sow bugs or pill bugs) are small, land-dwelling crustaceans. Because of their gentle nature, terrestrial isopods are excellent animals to have in a science classroom. There are many fun and effective classroom activities that utilize terrestrial isopods to teach science concepts, but there are multiple barriers to acquiring the large number of terrestrial isopods needed for classroom activities. Furthermore, when terrestrial isopods are brought into the classroom, the possibility exists that they will die inhumanely because finding good information on their proper care and reproduction can be difficult. Websites, books, and magazines frequently provide contradictory, inaccurate, incomplete, overly complex, and inhumane care information. To address these issues, this article explains how to set up a simple, low-maintenance, and inexpensive classroom enclosure for the terrestrial isopod species Porcellio scaber. These techniques, which I use in my classroom, produce large numbers of healthy captive-bred P. scaber. This article also presents examples of effective, hands-on classroom activities utilizing P. scaber.

Composition of Resident Macro-Invertebrates in Refuse Dumps at University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Improper dumping of solid wastes has detrimental impact on both aquatic and terrestrial environments. The macro-invertebrate fauna, resident in open dumps have recently drawn the attention of researchers. In Nigeria, solid wastes are regularly dumped in low-lying lands close to slums. Lack of sorting the wastes results in medical and hazardous wastes being mixed with household biodegradable solid wastes that serve as breeding sites for insects, vermin and scavengers. The dumps are capable of causing air, water and arthropod-borne diseases. Macro-invertebrates(centipedes, earthworms, insects, millipedes, pill bugs, snails and spiders,) of University of Port Harcourt dumps were collected with pitfall traps. Arthropods dominated in number in the dumps and are more diversified. The higher abundance of the arthropods and relatively representation of annelids and molluscs in all the dumps were attributed to ecological partitioning of the invertebrates and the dumps providing them suitable ground for habitation, feeding, reproduction and development. The health implications of the insect an invertebrates were discussed. The international best practice of recovery, recycle, reuse and reduction in addition to use of incinerator and landfill systems in waste management were recommended as blue print for the larger community of Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Relationships between Potentially Toxic Elements in intertidal sediments and their bioaccumulation by benthic invertebrates.

The bioaccumulation of Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) by benthic invertebrates in estuarine sediments is poorly understood. We sampled and analysed PTEs in sediments and benthic invertebrates from five sites in the Skeena Estuary (British Columbia, Canada), including sites adjacent to an abandoned cannery and a decommissioned papermill. Our aim was to elucidate baseline levels of PTE concentrations at sites that may be recovering from disturbance associated with prior industrial development and identify organisms that could be used to biomonitor the impact of future industrial developments. There was no indication that sediments of the salmon cannery were polluted, but acidic sediments adjacent to the papermill contained elevated concentrations of Cd, Cr, Hg and Pb. Benthic invertebrate community assemblages confirm that sediments have mostly recovered from prior industrial development associated with discharge of papermill sludge. Overall, we did not observe any relationship between PTE concentrations in the sediment and PTE concentrations in invertebrate tissues. However, we did observe a negative relationship between sediment pH and the Biota-Sediment Accumulation Factor (BSAF) of most PTEs for Oregon pill bugs (Gnorimosphaeroma oregonensis). G. oregonensis, observed at all sites, feeds on the fibers associated with the papermill discharge. Thus, G. oregonensis is a useful biomonitors for quantifying the impact of the decommissioned papermill, and are candidate biomonitors for assessing the impact of similar industrial development projects on intertidal ecosystems.

When marks become graphics. Rediscovering a forgotten Bertin’s fork?

Abstract. Adaptations of Semiology of Graphics: Diagrams, Networks, Maps (Bertin, 1967), and more broadly Jacques Bertin’s graphics research published since the mid-sixties, are manifold. So is the wide range of fields chosen to present various visual transformations and deep interpretations proposed to explain his actual graphical methods. From agriculture to demography, or european electric industry to animal behaviour responding to the light (pill bugs…), anything that can be quantified, compared and classified could fit in some graphic treatment for a better understanding. In this respect, graphics is able to go deeper and faster than any other analysis.I would like to present a forgotten, unusual, rather unfinished, attempt to make use of graphics in a french design graduate school pedagogy during the eighties. Obviously, the impact of Bertin's research is huge in the cartography and social or historical sciences, but it seems seldom in the more casual educational domain, and more particularly in graphic design training course. Is it a paradox?

Ants as Predators of Diorhabda elongata (Chrysomelidae), a Biological Control Agent of Saltcedar (Tamarix spp.), in Texas

Four species of leaf beetles, Diorhabda spp, (Chrysomelidae), were introduced for biological control of saltcedar, Tamarix spp., an invasive small tree or shrub, in the US. In Texas, three species established at some sites but failed to establish or initially established but did not persist at other sites. Diorhabda larvae pupate in leaf litter on the soil surface and thus are exposed to ants and other soil-active predators. Predation by ants on Diorhabda pupa was evaluated as a potential factor in limiting establishment of Diorhabda populations at field sites in West Texas. Nighttime observations of pupae found that native ants represented 46-65% and pill bugs (Isopoda: Armadillidiidae) represented 8-51% of observed predation events. The predation rate of Diorhabda pupae by ants was significantly greater where red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, was present. When present, S. invicta was responsible for 93-100% of observed predation during the day. In the absence of S. invicta, native ants Monomorium spp., Crematogaster spp., and Formica perpilosa Wheeler were observed preying on Diorhabda pupae. Results suggested that predation by ants, especially red imported fire ant, could limit establishment of Diorhabda spp. released for biological control of saltcedar.

Psychopathy subfactors distinctively predispose to dispositional and state-level of sadistic pleasure

Background and objectivesSadistic pleasure — the enjoyment of harm-infliction to others — can have devastating interpersonal and societal consequences. The current knowledge on non-sexual, subclinical forms of sadistic pleasure is poor. The present study therefore focussed on the personality correlates of sadistic pleasure and investigated the relationship between the different subcomponents of psychopathy and both dispositional and state-level sadistic pleasure. MethodN = 120 males drawn from a community sample filled out questionnaires to assess their level of psychopathy and dispositional sadism. Then, participants engaged in a bug-grinder procedure in which they were led to believe that they were killing pill bugs. The positive affect they reported after ostensibly killing the bugs served as measures of sadistic pleasure. The bug-grinding task was repeated a second time after installing either a positive victim attitude combined with giving human names to the bugs, or a negative victim attitude combined with labeling the bugs with numbers. ResultsAlthough the Self-centred Impulsivity component of psychopathy had some relevance to sadism, it was the Coldheartedness subscale that showed the strongest relationship to sadistic pleasure. Specifically, increased Coldheartedness was uniquely related to more positive affect, along with less guilt after bug grinding. LimitationsDrawbacks of the study include the unique reliance on a male, community sample, and the potential impact of demand characteristics, including a suggestion that the participant put at least some bugs into the grinder. ConclusionsOur findings underscore the differential predictive value of psychopathy components for sadistic pleasure. Coldheartedness can be considered especially disturbing because of its unique relationship to harm-infliction of the most irreversible nature (i.e. killing), and gaining pleasure out of it.

Roll with the fear: environment and state dependence of pill bug (Armadillidium vulgare) personalities

Most studies on animal personality evaluate individual mean behaviour to describe individual behavioural strategy, while often neglecting behavioural variability on the within-individual level. However, within-individual behavioural plasticity (variation induced by environment) and within-individual residual variation (regulatory behavioural precision) are recognized as biologically valid components of individual behaviour, but the evolutionary ecology of these components is still less understood. Here, we tested whether behaviour of common pill bugs (Armadillidium vulgare) differs on the among- and within-individual level and whether it is affected by various individual specific state-related traits (sex, size and Wolbachia infection). To this aim, we assayed risk-taking in familiar vs. unfamiliar environments 30 times along 38 days and applied double modelling statistical technique to handle the complex hierarchical structure for both individual-specific trait means and variances. We found that there are significant among-individual differences not only in mean risk-taking behaviour but also in environment- and time-induced behavioural plasticity and residual variation. Wolbachia-infected individuals took less risk than healthy conspecifics; in addition, individuals became more risk-averse with time. Residual variation decreased with time, and individuals expressed higher residual variation in the unfamiliar environment. Further, sensitization was stronger in females and in larger individuals in general. Our results suggest that among-individual variation, behavioural plasticity and residual variation are all (i) biologically relevant components of an individual’s behavioural strategy and (ii) responsive to changes in environment or labile state variables. We propose pill bugs as promising models for personality research due to the relative ease of getting repeated behavioural measurements.

Orientation in Pill Bugs: An Interdisciplinary Activity to Engage Students in Concepts of Biology, Physics & Circular Statistics

We present a novel laboratory activity to introduce students to experimental approaches often used by biologists to study orientation in animals. We first provide an overview of the current understanding of magnetoreception – the ability of some organisms to sense magnetic fields. We then outline an exercise that uses common pill bugs (Armadillidium vulgare) to examine whether a pulsed magnetic field affects their directional preference. The first part of the experiment includes the construction and visual testing of a pulse magnetizer built using low-cost and easily obtainable materials. Afterward, students examine the orientation of pill bugs both before and after being subjected to a magnetic pulse. Finally, students analyze their results with circular statistics using the open-source R coding platform, providing them experience in coding languages and statistical analysis. The interdisciplinary and biophysical nature of this experiment engages students in concepts of electromagnetic induction, magnetism, animal behavior, and statistics.

Behavioral pattern of pill bugs revealed in virtually infinite multiple T-maze

A behavior called turn alternation has been studied extensively in terrestrial isopods. This behavior is seen when they alternate their path choice on successive trials of the T-maze test. We made the multiple T-maze device which consists of two turntables with a T-maze mounted on each and examined the behavior of 36 pill bugs (Armadillidium vulgare) that each completed 130 successive T-maze trials. As a result, in addition to turn alternation, turn repetition (turning in the same direction on two successive turns) appeared at a rate of 20%. In the turn sequences, we observed segments consisting of successive turn alternations and defined the number of turn alternations in a segment as the length of it. Cumulative frequency distribution of segment lengths obeyed power law with exponent of 1.76. This result suggests that pill bugs in the multiple T-maze device behaved as Levy walkers which forage in an environment, where resources are unpredictably distributed.

Development of automatic measurement system to observe long-term behaviors of pill bugs

Development of automatic measurement system to observe long-term behaviors of pill bugs

Seasonal Variation in the Food Habits of the Eurasian Harvest Mouse (Micromys minutus) from Western Tokyo, Japan.

A previous quantitative analysis of the food composition of the Eurasian harvest mouse (Micromys minutus) in Japan showed that it is insectivorous and granivorous. This supports the expectation that such a small mammal requires highly nutritious foods. Other studies have analyzed the feces of harvest mice, but these were only collected during winter in order to minimize disturbance of the animals. In the present study, we collected samples from all four seasons in order to understand changes in diet throughout the year. Results showed apparent seasonal differences in the diet of harvest mice. Insects accounted for ca. 30% of the diet in summer and autumn and seeds increased from 27% in winter to 50% in spring, suggesting the insectivorous nature of the harvest mouse in summer and autumn and graminivorous nature in winter and spring. These results strongly suggest that the harvest mouse is an opportunistic feeder. It has previously been thought that the harvest mice capture insects in the stalk zone of tall grassland community, but here, DNA analysis shows that harvest mice feed on ground-dwelling invertebrates, such as pill bugs (Armadillidium sp.) and carrion beetles (Calosilpha sp. or Ptomascopus sp.). This suggests that the harvest mouse goes down to the ground to feed on them.

Impact of technogenic pollution of urban environment on vitality indicators of urban biota (Mollusk fauna, soil mesofauna, epiphytic lichens)

Abstract—The article presents results of ecological, chemical, and bioindication assessment of the urban ecosystem of an industrial city in the South of Ukraine. The dynamics of physical and chemical parameters of soil, surface water, and air in various functional areas of the city was analyzed. The complex pollution index for environmental components was determined. Bioindicative assessment of the ecological condition of the urban ecosystem was performed based on vitality parameters of epiphytic lichen flora, soil mesofauna, and freshwater mollusk fauna. Based on bioindicators’ vitality, zones with different ecological conditions were demarcated. Toxic effects of various pollutants on living organisms and tolerance of some bioindicator species under anthropogenic pressure were analyzed. It was found that the amount of zoophages increases and homogenization of anamorphoscope composition of major mesopedobionts groups with the dominance of individual species is observed in anthropogenically transformed areas. In alkaline soils of functional areas of the urban ecosystem, prevalence of calcicole species—millipedes, pill bugs, and gastropods—was noted, which allows them to be used as soils’ alkalization level indicators. The degree of correlation between the viability of bioindicator groups and complex pollution index of basic components of the urban environment was determined. For instance, an inverse correlation between the vitality of epiphytic lichen flora (G, %) and the complex atmospheric air environmental contamination index (Pa) (–0.80, p < 0.05); and a direct correlation between the decline in the vitality of soil mesofauna (\(\overline G \), %) and complex soil contamination index (Zs) (0.84, p < 0.05) were discovered. Therefore, biomorphs of epiphytic lichen flora and some groups of mesopedobionts can be used as pollution indicators for urban environments. Based on the study results, an algorithm for complex ecological, chemical, and bioindication assessment of ecological condition of an urban ecosystem in an industrial city was proposed.