Behaviour and haemolymphatic ionic composition of the intertidal crab Chasmagnathus granulata dana, 1851 (Crustacea: Decapoda) during emersion

• 1.1. Behavioural observations and haemolymphatic measurements of Na⁺ K⁺ and Ca⁺ were performed in Chasmagnalhus granulata during emersion.
• 2.2. Activity levels were found to be higher during voluntary emersion periods than when the animals were submerged. A lt₅₀ of 39.45 hr was observed when no access to water was allowed.
• 3.3. The Na⁺ and K⁺ and Ca⁺ levels increased during aerial exposure. The Na⁺ and K⁺ levels were restored prior the end of the experimental period. Mechanisms for such regulation are therefore discussed. The Ca²⁺ levels, remaining high during emersion, are probably a result of acid-base balance adjustments.

     

Carbohydrate metabolism during osmoregulation in Chasmagnathus granulata dana, 1851 (crustacea,decapoda)

• 1.1. Since glucose is one of the main energetic substrates for general metabolic processes in crustaceans, analysis of carbohydrate levels can furnish information on the energy metabolism of intact animals during osmoregulation.
• 2.2. Different groups of Chasmagnathus granulata were transferred to different salinities (0 and 40%), and the glucose and glycogen concentrations in blood, gills, muscle and hepatopancreas were determined at the beginning of the experiment and 24, 72, 168 and 360 hr after the salinity changes.
• 3.3. Differences in tissues carbohydrate levels were observed between summer and winter, that reflected differences in reserve mobilization.
• 4.4. In the summer, hypo- and hyperosmotic shocks induced an increase in carbohydrate levels in almost all tissues studied, indicating gluconeogenesis.
• 5.5. In the winter, a carbohydrate mobilization occurred only in the gills and hepatopancreas after both osmotic shocks.
• 6.6. Thus, the substrate reserve used for energy production required for osmoregulation seems to be dependent on the season and tissues.

     

Lipids as energy source during salinity acclimation in the euryhaline crab Chasmagnathus granulata dana, 1851 (crustacea-grapsidae)

Lipids seem to be the major energy store in crustaceans. Moreover, they are extremely important in maintaining structural and physiological integrity of cellular and sub cellular membranes. During salinity adaptation, energy-demanding mechanisms for hemolymph osmotic and ionic regulation are activated. Thus, the main goal of this work was to verify the possible involvement of lipids as an energy source in the osmotic adaptation process. The estuarine crab Chasmagnathus granulata was captured and acclimated to salt water at 20 per thousand salinity and 20 +/- 2 degrees C, for 30 days. After acclimation, crabs were divided into groups of ten and transferred to fresh water (0 per thousand ), salt water at 40 per thousand salinity, or maintained in salt water at 20 per thousand salinity (control group), without feeding. Before and seven days after the salinity change, wet weight and lipid concentration in gills, muscle, hepatopancreas, and hemolymph were determined according to the colorimetric assay of sulphophosphovanilin. Results show that hepatopancreas lipids were not mobilized during osmotic stress regulation. Gill and muscle lipids were significantly lower in crabs subjected to hypo-osmotic stress than those subjected to the hyper-osmotic stress or maintained at the control salinity. Our results point to the occurrence of lipid mobilization and involvement of these compounds in the osmotic acclimation process in C. granulata, but with differences between tissues and the osmotic shock (hypo or hyper) considered.     

Respiratory mechanisms and metabolic adaptations of an intertidal crab,Chasmagnathus granulata (Dana, 1851)

• 1.1. The ventilatory mechanism, gill area, sites of oxygen uptake, oxygen consumption and activity of a crab from south Brazil, Chasmagnathus granulata, were investigated.
• 2.2. The oxygen uptake seems to be restricted to the gill lamellae.
• 3.3. The gill area varies with the wet body weight, being relatively higher in smaller animals. There is not a significative reduction of the gill area in relation to species of the infralittoral zone.
• 4.4. C. granulata presents a mechanism for recirculating the water of its branchial chamber when exposed to atmospheric air.
• 5.5. The oxygen consumption and activity are reduced when the animals are exposed to atmospheric air. The reduction in the oxygen consumption may be related to the poorly adapted respiratory system, while the decrease in activity may be a mechanism for saving energy during this hypoxic period.

     

Seasonal variation in the energy metabolism in an estuarine crab,Chasmagnathus granulata (Dana, 1851)

• 1.1. The effects of seasonal variation on the carbohydrate and lipid metabolism of the Chasmagnathus granulata were investigated.
• 2.2. Glycemia is high in winter and summer and low in spring and fall.
• 3.3. The glycogen content in the hepatopancreas and muscle is higher in fall and winter, and decreases during spring and summer.
• 4.4. The muscle lipids are higher in summer, and decrease during fall and winter whereas hepatopancreas lipids are higher except in the fall.
• 5.5. The crabs show change in the metabolic pattern of lipids and carbohydrates during the seasons of the year.

     

Gill Na(+),K(+)-ATPase and osmoregulation in the estuarine crab, Chasmagnathus granulata Dana, 1851 (Decapoda, Grapsidae)

Some kinetic properties of gill Na(+),K(+)-ATPase of the estuarine crab, Chasmagnathus granulata, and its involvement in osmotic adaptation were analyzed. Results suggest the presence of different Na(+),K(+)-ATPase isoforms in anterior and posterior gills. They have different affinities for Na(+), but similar affinity values for K(+), Mg(2+), ATP and similar enzymatic profiles as a function of temperature of the incubation medium. Ouabain concentrations which inhibit 50% of enzyme activity were also similar in the two types of gills. Enzyme activity and affinity for Na(+) are higher in posterior gills than in anterior ones. Furthermore, affinities of Na(+),K(+)-ATPase of posterior gills for Na(+) and K(+) were similar to or higher than those of gills or other structures involved in the osmoregulation in several euryaline decapod crustaceans. Acclimation to low salinity was related to a significant increase in the maximum Na(+), K(+)-ATPase activity, mainly in posterior gills. On the other hand, crab acclimation to high salinity induced a significant decrease in maximum enzyme activity, both in anterior and posterior gills. These results are in accordance to the osmoregulatory performance showed by C. granulata in diluted media, and point out the major role of posterior gills in the osmoregulation of this species.     

Branchial carbonic anhydrase (CA) of gills of Chasmagnathus granulata (Crustacea Decapoda)

The occurrence, localization and response to environmental salinity of carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity were studied in all of the gills of the euryhaline crab Chasmagnathus granulata from Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon (Buenos Aires Province, Argentina). CA activity in all gills appeared to be dependent on salinity. The pattern of distribution of CA activity among gills was different upon transition of C. granulata from osmoionoconformity (more uniform distribution) to hyperregulation (highest activity in posterior gills 6-8). Upon abrupt salinity change a differential response of CA activity occurred among gills which could suggest a differential role of CA in ion transport process in different gills of this crab. Furthermore, CA activity in anterior and posterior gills was found in cytosolic and microsomal fractions, although highest activity appeared to be membrane-associated. Both pools of CA were also strongly influenced by salinity and very sensitive to sulfonamide acetazolamide. The results suggest a differential participation of branchial CA in ionoregulatory mechanisms of C. granulata.     

Postsettlement growth of two estuarine crab species, Chasmagnathus granulata and Cyrtograpsus angulatus (Crustacea, Decapoda, Grapsidae): laboratory and field investigations

The estuarine grapsid crabs Chasmagnathus granulata and Cyrtograpsus angulatus belong to the most typical and dominant inhabitants of brackish coastal lagoons in southeastern South America. In a combined laboratory and field investigation of juvenile growth, we measured the increase in body size in these species under controlled conditions as well as in field experiments (in Mar Chiquita lagoon, Argentina), seasonal changes in size frequency distribution of a natural population, and growth related changes in selected morphometric traits of male and female juveniles (relations between carapace width, carapace length, propodus height and length of the cheliped, and pleon width). At 24°C, Cy. angulatus grew faster than Ch. granulata; it reached the crab-9 instar (C9; 13 mm carapace width) after 92 days, while Ch. granulata required 107 days to reach the C8 instar (7.4 mm). At 12°C, growth ceased in both species. The pleon begins to show sexual differences in the C5 (Cy. angulatus) and C8 instar (Ch. granulata), respectively, while the chelae differentiate earlier in Ch. granulata than in Cy. angulatus (in C4 vs C6). In the field, growth was maximal in summer, and was generally faster than in laboratory cultures. However, there is great individual variability in size (about 25% even in the first crab instar) and in size increments at ecdysis, increasing throughout juvenile growth. Our data indicate that, in the field, small-scale and short-term variations in feeding conditions, temperature, and salinity account for an extremely high degree of variability in the absolute and relative rates of growth as well as in the time to sexual differentiation. Received in revised form: 20 September 2001 Electronic Publication     

Variation in early developmental stages in two populations of an intertidal crab, Neohelice (Chasmagnathus) granulata

Duration of embryonic development, egg size, larval size at hatching, and starvation tolerance of the first zoeal stage were studied in an intertidal crab from the southwestern Atlantic, Neohelice (formerly Chasmagnathus) granulata. These reproductive traits were quantified comparing (a) two populations living in ecologically contrasting coastal habitats in Argentina, a brackish lagoon, Mar Chiquita, MC vs. an open marine habitat near San Antonio, Patagonia, SA, (b) beginning vs. end of the reproductive season, and (c) two temperatures during egg development (18 vs. 27°C). Eggs in an early stage of embryonic development were in both populations larger at the beginning than at the end of the season, and were consistently larger in the SA population. These size differences persisted through larval hatching, independent of the temperature during embryogenesis. At 18°C, eggs produced at the beginning of the season developed in both populations more rapidly than those from the end of the reproductive season, while the opposite trend was observed at 27°C. The stage duration of the zoea I was in both populations shorter at the beginning as compared to the end of the season. The nutritional flexibility of the zoea I stage was compared using as indices the point-of-reserve-saturation (PRS₅₀) and the point-of-no-return (PNR₅₀). The PRS₅₀ was consistently lower in larvae from SA than in those from MC. In the MC population, this index was lower at the beginning than at the end of the season, while no significant seasonal difference was observed in larvae from SA. The PNR₅₀ varied between temperatures of embryonic development and populations, showing also significant interactions between all three factors. The PRS₅₀ was on average lower, and the PNR₅₀ was higher, than values previously reported for N. granulata, suggesting a stronger nutritional flexibility in the larvae used in the present study. Our results indicate significant intraspecific variability among separate populations, seasonal variation, and carry-over effects of environmental conditions prevailing during the embryonic phase, all of which may affect the performance of the larval phase.     

Inhibitory effects of cadmium on carbonic anhydrase activity and ionic regulation of the estuarine crab Chasmagnathus granulata (Decapoda,Grapsidae)

This work was aimed at evaluating the gill carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity of the estuarine crab Chasmagnathus granulata exposed in vivo to cadmium, at different salinities. The in vivo effect of the specific inhibitor acetazolamide (AZ) was also assayed. Besides, the inhibition of CA activity by different heavy metals (cadmium, copper, zinc) and AZ were evaluated under in vitro conditions. For the in vivo assays, adult males were acclimated to salinities of 2.5 or 30‰. The corresponding 96-h LC₅₀ of cadmium was 2.69 mg l⁻¹ at 2.5‰, and >50 mg l⁻¹ at 30‰. Cadmium only caused a significant lower CA activity than control at 2.5‰. EC₅₀ for CA inhibition was estimated to be 1.59 mg l⁻¹ at 2.5‰. Statistical differences in Na⁺ hemolymphatic levels (P<0.05) were only detected at 2.5‰, between 0 and 1.25 mg l⁻¹ of cadmium, but no statistical differences were observed for Cl⁻ levels at any assayed salinity. As CA inhibition registered at 2.5‰ was followed by only changes in Na⁺ concentration, it is likely that cadmium exposure could differentially affect ions permeability, among others factors. The concentrations that inhibited in vitro 50% of enzymatic activity (IC₅₀) were 2.15×10⁻⁵, 1.62×10⁻⁵, 3.75×10⁻⁶ and 4.4×10⁻¹⁰ M for cadmium, copper, zinc and AZ, respectively. The comparison with IC₅₀ values of other aquatic species, indicates a higher CA sensitivity for C. granulata to pollutants.     

Isolation of polymorphic microsatellite loci from the endangered mudflat crab Chasmagnathus convexus (Crustacea: Decapoda: Varunidae)

Chasmagnathus convexus is a mudflat crab that is distributed throughout East Asia. However, most populations of this species in Korea are endangered due to continuing seashore developments and habitat fragmentations. In this study, we isolated and characterized nine microsatellite loci from C. convexus. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 3 to 23. The expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.145 to 0.974 and the observed heterozygosities ranged from 0.150 to 0.947. Cross-species amplifications for 10 other Varunid crab species were performed. These microsatellite markers could be useful for planning conservation strategies for C. convexus and related species.     

The influence of habitat, season and tidal regime in the activity of the intertidal crab Neohelice (=Chasmagnathus) granulata

The activity pattern of intertidal crabs is influenced by factors that usually change rhythmically following tidal and/or diel cycles, and is often associated with the use of refuges. The movement activity of the burrowing crab Neohelice granulata was compared among three populations from SW Atlantic coastal areas where they face different tidal regimes, water salinities, substrata and biological factors. At each site, we examined the seasonal activity of the crabs (individuals collected in pitfall traps) in two types of habitat: mudflat and salt marsh. The working hypothesis is that the activity would vary according to the diverse environmental conditions encountered at geographical and local scales. Crab activity varied between sites and seasons showing to be more intense when habitats were covered by water. The most active groups were large males, followed by large non-ovigerous females. Ovigerous females were almost inactive. Most crabs were near or inside burrows at low tides in Mar Chiquita and Bahía Blanca, but they were active at both low and high tides in San Antonio during spring and summer. N. granulata were active in a wide range of temperatures: from 10 to 37 °C at low tides and at temperatures as low as 2 °C when covered by water. Differences of activity between mudflat and salt marsh varied among sites depending on flooding frequencies. Movement activity of N. granulata varied both in space and in time; crabs move under very different abiotic conditions (e.g., low or high tide, daylight or night, low and high temperature) and their movement may also be prevented or elicited by biotic conditions like burrow complexity, food quality and predation pressure. The wide set of conditions under which N. granulata can be active may explain why this is the only semiterrestrial crab inhabiting latitudes higher than 40°S in South America.     

Occurrence of an alternative pathway in the larval development of the crab Chasmagnathus granulata Dana, 1851 under laboratory conditions

Larvae of the crab Chasmagnathus granulata were collected in a salt marsh located in the Lagoa dos Patos, Brazil and reared from eclosion to metamorphosis under different dietary regimes. Larvae reared individually in beakers of 40 ml and fed Tetraselmis chuii (zoea III and zoea IV), showed a supplementary stage, here designated as zoea V, with morphological characteristics intermediary between zoea IV and megalopa. No zoeae V molted to megalopa stage. To confirm the occurrence of the supplementary stage, mass cultures of larvae of C. granulata were fed Artemia sp. at high densities, we again detected the fifth zoeal instar. However, when zoeae V were individually placed in beakers and fed Artemia nauplii, they succeeded in molting into megalopae. We observed the occurrence of two types of zoeae IV — a smaller type (from which originated the zoeae V) and a larger type (which directly developed into megalopae). We conclude that stressful nutritional/environmental conditions were responsible for the occurrence of this alternative path of development.     

Relationships among salinity, egg size, embryonic development, and larval biomass in the estuarine crab Chasmagnathus granulata Dana, 1851

We studied interrelationships between initial egg size and biomass, duration of embryogenesis at different salinities, and initial larval biomass in an estuarine crab, Chasmagnathus granulata. Ovigerous females were maintained at three different salinities (15‰, 20‰ and 32‰); initial egg size (mean diameter), biomass (dry weight, carbon and nitrogen) as well as changes in egg size, embryonic development duration, and initial larval biomass were measured.

Initial egg size varied significantly among broods from different females maintained under identical environmental conditions. Eggs from females maintained at 15‰ had on average higher biomass and larger diameter. We hypothesise that this is a plastic response to salinity, which may have an adaptive value, i.e. it may increase the survivorship during postembryonic development. The degree of change in egg diameter during the embryonic development depended on salinity: eggs in a late developmental stage were at 15‰ significantly larger and had smaller increment than those incubated at higher salinities. Development duration was longer at 15‰, but this was significant only for the intermediate embryonic stages. Initial larval biomass depended on initial egg size and on biomass loss during embryogenesis. Larvae with high initial biomass originated either from those eggs that had, already from egg laying, a high initial biomass (reflecting individual variability under identical conditions), or from those developing at a high salinity (32‰), where embryonic biomass losses were generally minimum. Our results show that both individual variability in the provisioning of eggs with yolk and the salinity prevailing during the embryonic development are important factors causing variability in the initial larval biomass of C. granulata, and thus, in early larval survival and growth.     

Effects of substratum and conspecific adults on the metamorphosis of Chasmagnathus granulata (Dana) (Decapoda: Grapsidae) megalopae

The ability of marine invertebrate larvae to delay their metamorphosis in the absence of adequate environmental cues has been reported for numerous sedentary and sessile species. In the present study, the effect of various substrata and the presence of conspecific adults on the metamorphosis of a mobile species, the crab Chasmagnathus granulata, was evaluated. The duration of the megalopa stage in experiments with six different substrata and in the presence or absence of conspecific adults was compared in a laboratory study. In addition, the influence of natural substrata was compared with that of artificial substrata of similar grain size or texture. In a further experiment, the two most effective cues (natural mud and conspecific adults) were tested as single vs. combined factors. Natural mud and unidentified chemical cues from conspecific adults had the strongest accelerating effects on development duration to metamorphosis. With the exception of nylon threads (artificial filamentous substratum), none of the artificial substrata had a significant effect on the duration of the megalopa stage. Simultaneous exposure to natural mud and water containing chemical cues from conspecific adults accelerated metamorphosis more than each of these factors separately. Megalopae that were reared without a substratum (control) delayed their metamorphosis by 29% (about 3 days) compared with those in simultaneous contact with natural mud and rearing water of adult conspecifics. The results indicate that the metamorphosis of the megalopa of C. granulata is influenced by the presence or absence of environmental stimuli that are associated with the preferred adult habitat.     

Influence of temperature on larval survival, development, and respiration inChasmagnathus granulata (Crustacea, Decapoda)

Larvae of an estuarine grapsid crabChasmagnathus granulata Dana 1851, from temperate and subtropical regions of South America, were reared in seawater (32/%.) at five different constant temperatures (12, 15, 18, 21, 24 °C). Complete larval development from hatching (Zoea I) to metamorphosis (Crab I) occurred in a range from 15 to 24 °C. Highest survival (60% to the first juvenile stage) was observed at 18 °C, while all larvae reared at 12 °C died before metamorphosis. The duration of development (D) decreased with increasing temperature (T). This relationship is described for all larval stages as a power function (linear regressions after logarithmic transformation of bothD andT). The temperature-dependence of the instantaneous developmental rate (D ⁻¹) is compared among larval stages and temperatures using the Q₁₀ coefficient (van't Hoff's equation). Through all four zoeal stages, this index tends to increase during development and to decrease with increasingT (comparing ranges 12–18, 15–21, 18–24 °C). In the Megalopa, low Q₁₀ values were found in the range from 15 to 24 °C. In another series of experiments, larvae were reared at constant 18 °C, and their dry weight (W) and respiratory response to changes inT were measured in all successive stages during the intermoult period (stage C) of the moulting cycle. Both individual and weight-specific respiration (R, QO ₂) increased exponentially with increasingT. At each temperature,R increased significantly during growth and development through successive larval stages. No significantly differentQO ₂ values were found in the first three zoeal stages, while a significant decrease with increasingW occurred in the Zoea IV and Megalopa. As in the temperature-dependence ofD, the respiratory response to changes in temperature (Q₁₀) depends on both the temperature range and the developmental stage, however, with different patterns. In the zoeal stages, the respiratory Q₁₀ was minimum (1.7–2.2) at low temperatures (12–18 °C), but maximum (2.2–3.0) at 18–24 °C. The Megalopa, in contrast, showed a stronger metabolic response in the lower than in the upper temperature range (Q₁₀=2.8 and 1.7, respectively). We interpret this pattern as an adaptation to a sequence of temperature conditions that should typically be encountered byC. granulata larvae during their ontogenetic migrations: hatching in and subsequent export from shallow estuarine lagoons, zoeal development in coastal marine waters, which are on average cooler, return in the Megalopa stage to warm lagoons. We thus propose that high metabolic sensitivity to changes in temperature may serve as a signal stimulating larval migration, so that the zoeae should tend to leave warm estuaries and lagoons, whereas the Megalopa should avoid remaining in the cooler marine waters and initiate its migration to wards shallow coastal lagoons.     

Toxic effects of microcystins in the hepatopancreas of the estuarine crab Chasmagnathus granulatus (Decapoda,Grapsidae)

Microcystins are toxins produced by cyanobacteria, being toxic to aquatic fauna. It was evaluated alternative mechanisms of microcystins toxicity, including oxidative stress and histopathology in the hepatopancreas of the estuarine crab Chasmagnathus granulatus (Decapoda, Grapsidae). Microcystins was administered to crabs (MIC group) over 1 week, whereas the control (CTR group) received the saline from cyanobacteria culture medium. At day 7, catalase activity was higher in the MIC than in the CTR group, although a decrease of activity was verified in both groups with respect to time 0. Glutathione-S-transferase activity augmented in MIC with respect to CTR, suggesting a higher conjugation rate of the toxins with glutathione. No differences were detected in the superoxide dismutase activity. Lipid peroxidation remained stable in both groups. Histopathological analyses showed that the number of B cells decreased significantly in the CTR as a possible effect of starvation, while no significant change was observed in the MIC group. The hepatopancreas from the MIC group exhibited some necrotic tubules and melanin-like deposits. Overall, results showed that some enzymes of the antioxidant defense system were activated after microcystins exposure, this response being able to maintain lipid peroxidation levels, but insufficient to completely prevent histological damage.