Feeding preferences of amphipod crustaceans Ampithoe ramondi and Gammarella fucicola for Posidonia oceanica seeds and leaves

The functional importance of herbivory in seagrass beds is highly variable among systems. In Mediterranean seagrass meadows, macroherbivores, such as the fish Sarpa salpa and the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, have received most research attention, so published evidence highlights their importance in seagrass consumption. The role of small crustaceans in seagrass consumption remains less studied in the region. Herbivory on Posidonia oceanica seeds has not previously been reported. In turn, crustacean herbivory on P. oceanica leaves is broadly recognized, although the species feeding on the seagrass are mostly unknown (except for Idotea baltica). This work evaluates P. oceanica consumption by two species of amphipod crustaceans commonly found in seagrass meadows. Ampithoe ramondi and Gammarella fucicola actively feed on P. oceanica leaves and seeds. Both species preferred seeds to leaves only when the seed coat was damaged. This study provides the first direct evidence of consumption of P. oceanica seeds by the two named amphipod crustaceans, and confirms that they also consume leaves of this seagrass species.

Фенотипическая пластичность в соотношении полов у Idotea baltica basteri (Crustacea, Isopoda) в Одесском заливе Черного моря

The degree of phenotypic plasticity in the Idotea baltica basteri Audouin, 1827 (Crustacea, Isopoda) sex ratio of the fouling community in the Odessa bay of the Black Sea was determined. The ratio of males and females in three main phenotypes of I. baltica basteri, namely: uniformis, albafusca and lineata was found. Crustaceans were collected on the underwater surface of traverses, located in three sea districts with the different degrees of water exchange intensity with the open sea. Water depth at the wall of traverses ranged from 1 to2,5 m. In the first most opened district among the individuals of uniformis phenotype the ratio of males and females was equal to 1:4, that for albafusca – 1:1,3 and lineata – 1:1. In the second area with the release of drainage waters among the individuals of uniformis phenotype this ratio was equal to 1:4,5, while the albafusca and lineata figures were 1:1,5 and 1:1, accordingly. In the third region, with the most difficult water exchange, among the individuals of phenotypes the ratios of males and females were as follows: uniformis – 1:8, albafusca – 1:2, and lineata – 1:1. When moving from the opened to semi-enclosed area among the individuals of all phenotypes there was a gradual decline in the proportion of males and accordingly, increases of the proportion of females. The greatest number of males in all areas under study is observed among the individuals of lineata phenotype, and that of females – among the individuals of uniformis phenotype. It is found that monochromatic colored females prefer to stay in the shaded places among the seagrass beds and brightly colored males usually move actively along the outside of the substrata.

The colonization of macroalgal rafts by the genusIdotea(sub-phylum Crustacea; order Isopoda): an active or passive process?

The association of invertebrate communities with macroalgae rafts has received much attention over recent decades, yet significant gaps in our knowledge remain with respect to the colonization process. Using laboratory-based experiments andin situfield trials in Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland, this study investigated whether members of the known rafting genusIdotea(sub-phylum Crustacea; order Isopoda) could effectively colonize rafts after shore seaweed detachment, or if their presence merely reflected a passive marooning process. Test tank arenas were used to identify traits that may influence the rafting potential of the dominant shore speciesIdotea granulosaand the well known rafterIdotea baltica. When released mid-water,I. granulosainitially ascended and associated with floating seaweed whereasI. balticatended to descend with no clear habitat association. These findings conflict with the differential distribution of theseIdoteaspecies among rafts and shore algae, thus highlighting the complex nature of the potential of organisms to raft. In the field we considered the relative ability of differentIdoteaspecies to colonize tethered rafts composed ofAscophyllum nodosumandFucus vesiculosus, cleaned of all vagile organisms and deployed at locations adjacent to established intertidalIdoteaspecies populations. At the end of the experiment (after 44 days) rafts were inhabited by known rafting and shoreline species, confirming that colonization can occur after algal detachment. Previously considered shoreline species on occasion outnumbered well known rafters suggesting that a wide range ofIdoteaspecies can readily avail of macroalgal rafts as a potential dispersal mechanism or alternative habitat.

Observations with a different approach to morphological colour variation in an isopod population (Crustacea: Isopoda)

Morphological colour variation in Idotea baltica basteri Audouin, 1827 (Isopoda: Crustacea) is reported for the first time on populations from a brackish water lake (Kucukcekmece Lagoon) in Turkey. According to pigmentation characteristics, the isopods were described and sorted to ten different colour morphs which are named as maculata, maculata-lineata, uniformis, uniformis-lineata, immaculatum, immaculatum-lineata, nigrum, nigrum-lineata, albafusca, and albafusca-fasciatum. The similarity of the morphs was compared by defining digit codes to some of the visual pigmentation characteristics and calculating the Bray-Curtis similarity index of the colour morphs. The albafusca and albafusca-fasciatum forms were found to be the most similar to each other (similarity 96%), whereas immaculatum forms were considered the most different from maculata-lineata (similarity 50%). The morphs named maculata and maculata-lineata, having the highest abundance with 70%, belong to the most successful forms which may achieve crypsis by background matching in their living habitat in Kucukcekmece Lagoon which has sandy and rocky bottom surface area.