Characteristics and controlling mechanisms in associations involving the southern oyster drill Thais haemostoma linne with the striped hermit crab Clibanarius vittatus (BOSC) and the Blue Crab Callinectes sapidus (Rathbun).

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dc.acquisition-srcen_US
dc.call-noen_US
dc.contract-noen_US
dc.contributor.authorChaszar, J.M.en_US
dc.contributor.otheren_US
dc.date.accessioned2010-02-15T16:56:08Z
dc.date.available2010-02-15T16:56:08Z
dc.date.issued1987en_US
dc.degreeen_US
dc.description34 p., Thesisen_US
dc.description-otheren_US
dc.description.abstractField and laboratory studies were conducted to determine characteristics and controlling mechanisms involved in attachment of the southern oyster drill Thais haemastoma to the shells of the striped hermit crab Clibanarius vittatus and the carapace of the blue crab Callinectes sapidus. Field studies were conducted at 3 stations on Horn Island, Mississippi, from 11 to 18 August 1984. The incidence of oyster drill attachment to the blue crab was 2.3% on one occasion at the west end of the island. Eight out of the nine blue crabs that were collected with attached drills also had associated barnacles. The percentage of barnacle-infested hermit crabs with attached drills was 73.3% compared to 41.1% of barnacle-infested hermit crabs without drills. A comparison of the three stations showed a percentage of 9.5% at station 1 on the west end, 6.7% at station 2, 5.5 km east, and 2.0% at station 3, 8 km east of the west end. A comparison of habitats within a lagoonal area (station 2) showed 6.7% on sand bars at the inlet, 3.3% on peat bars also at the inlet, 4.0% on sand substrate within the lagoon, 1.6% on Spartina, and .65% on an oyster reef. All field samples were taken only once and replicates need to be taken to determine variations within different parameters before any strong conclusions can be drawn. In a preliminary investigation of distant chemoattraction of T. haemastoma to prey effluents, the fragile barnacle Chthamalus fragilis was shown to initiate a significant positive rheotropic response in these drills compared to the controls (p less than or = 0.005). The effluents from the spat of the American oyster Crassostrea virginica also initiated a significant positive rheotropic response (p less than or = 0.05), however, to a lesser extent than barnacles. The hooked mussel Ischadium recurvum initiated no reponse from these oyster drills (p less than or = 0.05). It is postulated that a major controlling factor in the drill/crab symbiosis is that of distant chemoattraction from barnacles and other prey species associated with these crabs. It is also inferred that blue crabs and hermit crabs play a role in transporting these oyster drills from the ends of the island to the interior, and then into oyster reefs and detrital beds where the drills drop off to feed. This drill/crab association is described as having commensalistic and phoretic properties.en_US
dc.description.urihttp://gbic.tamug.edu/request.htmen_US
dc.geo-codeTexas coasten_US
dc.historyen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1969.3/20175
dc.latitudeen_US
dc.locationNOT AVAILABLE IN-HOUSE.en_US
dc.longitudeen_US
dc.notesen_US
dc.placeCollege Station, Texasen_US
dc.publisherTexas A&M University.en_US
dc.relation.ispartofseries2395.00en_US
dc.relation.urien_US
dc.scaleen_US
dc.seriesen_US
dc.subjectcontrolen_US
dc.subjectsouthern oyster drillen_US
dc.subjectthais haemostomaen_US
dc.subjectstriped hermit craben_US
dc.subjectClibanarius vittatusen_US
dc.subjectblue craben_US
dc.subjectCallinectes sapidusen_US
dc.titleCharacteristics and controlling mechanisms in associations involving the southern oyster drill Thais haemostoma linne with the striped hermit crab Clibanarius vittatus (BOSC) and the Blue Crab Callinectes sapidus (Rathbun).en_US
dc.typeBooken_US
dc.universityen_US
dc.vol-issueen_US

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