Skip to main content
Log in

The use of slope and visual information in sandhoppers: innateness and plasticity

  • Published:
Marine Biology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Mediterranean sandhoppers of the species Talitrus saltator (Montagu) from the Tyrrhenian population of Burano (Grosseto, Italy) were tested by rearing under different conditions in order to enquire into the innateness and modifiability of orientation with respect to substrate slope and landscape features. Tests were conducted from November 1990 to November 1991. The results were as follows: the sandhoppers responsed to slope only by orienting themselves downslope on dry substrate and upward on a wet one. These responses appeared to be innate but modifiable by experience. Visual dishomogeneity (half horizon covered with a black strip), with a horizontal substrate, elicited an innate orientation towards the black shape, again modifiable by experience. When a black strip was positioned around the upper half of the inclined arena, the sandhoppers responded differently, dependent upon their prior experience: wild individuals responded to the visual stimulus, amphipods reared in optical homogeneity did not make a choice and those reared in conditions identical to those of the test arena responded to slope by orienting downwards and away from the balck strip. With a black strip around the lower half of the inclined arena and with a dry substrate identical responses were shown by wild-caught and laboratory-reared sandhoppers, i.e., downslope and towards the black strip.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature cited

  • Batschelet, E. (1981). Circular statistics in biology. Academic Press, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Craig, P. (1973). Orientation of the sand-beach amphipod, Orchestoidea corniculata. Anim Behav. 21: 699–706

    Google Scholar 

  • Edwards, J., Naylor, E., (1987). Endogenous circadian changes in orientational behaviour of Talitrus saltator. J. mar. biol. Ass. U.K. 67: 17–26

    Google Scholar 

  • Ercolini, A., Scapini, F. (1974). Sun compass and shore slope in the orientation of littoral amphipods (Talitrus saltator Montagu). Monitore zool. ital. (Nuova Serie) 8: 85–115

    Google Scholar 

  • Geppetti, L., Tongiorgi, P. (1967). Nocturnal migration of Talitrus saltator (Montagu) (Crustacea-Amphipoda). Monitore zool. ital. (Nuova Serie) 1: 37–40

    Google Scholar 

  • Hartwick, R. (1976). Beach orientation in talitrids amphipods: capacities and strategies. Behavl Ecol. Sociobiol. 1: 447–458

    Google Scholar 

  • Mardia, K. V. (1972). Statistics of directional data. Academic Press, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Papi, F., Pardi, L. (1953). Ricerche sull'orientamento di Talitrus saltator (Montagu) (Crustacea-Amphipoda). II-Sui fattori che regolano la variazione dell'angolo di orientamento nel corso del giorno. L'orientamento di notte. L'orientamento diurno di altre popolazionl. Z. vergl. Physiol. 35: 490–518

    Google Scholar 

  • Papi, F., Tongiorgi, P. (1963). Innate and learned components in the astronomical orientation of wolf spiders. Ergebn. Biol. 26: 259–280

    Google Scholar 

  • Pardi, L., Ercolini, A. (1986). zonal recovery mechanisms in talitrid crustaceans. Boll. Zool. 53: 139–160

    Google Scholar 

  • Pardi, L., Papi, F. (1953). Ricerche sull'orientamento di Talitrus saltator Montagu (Crustacea-Amphipoda). I-L'orientamento durante il giorno in una popolazione del litorale tirrenico. Z. vergl. Physiol. 35: 459–489

    Google Scholar 

  • Pardi, L., Scapini, F. (1979) Solar orientation and landscape visibility in Talitrus saltator Montagu (Crustacea Amphipoda). Monitore zool ital. (Nuova Serie) 13: 210–211

    Google Scholar 

  • Scapini, F. (1987). Erbliches und Erlerntes in der Orientierung der Strandflöhe. In: Lindauer, M. (ed.) Information processing in animals, Vol. 4. Die Orientierung der Strandflohkrebse im Grenzbereich Meer/Land. Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart, p. 55–74

    Google Scholar 

  • Scapini, F., Buiatti, M., Ottaviano, O. (1988a). Phenotypic plasticity in sun orientation of sandhoppers. J. comp. Physiol. A. 163: 739–747

    Google Scholar 

  • Scapini, F., Chelazzi, L., Colombini, I., Fallaci, M. (1992). Surface activity zonation and migrations on Talitrus saltator on a Mediterranean beach. Mar. Biol. 112: 573–581

    Google Scholar 

  • Scapini, F., Ercolini, A., Boccacci, R. (1988b). Laboratory experiments on geotaxis phototaxis and anemotaxis in two species of littoral amphipods. Monitore zool. ital. (Nuova Serie) 22: 89–103

    Google Scholar 

  • Scapini, F., Fasinella, D. (1990). Genetic determination and plasticity in the sun orientation of natural populations of Talitrus saltator. Mar. Biol. 107: 141–145

    Google Scholar 

  • Scapini, F., Pardi, L. (1979). Nuovi dati sulla tendenza direzionale innata nell'orientamento solare degli Anfipodi litorali. Atti Accad. naz. Lincei Rc (Classe sci. fis. mat. nat.) (Serie VIII) 66: 592–597

    Google Scholar 

  • Siegel, S., Castellan, J. (1988). Non parametric statistics for the behavioral sciences. McGraw-Hill Co., Inc. International, Singapore

    Google Scholar 

  • Ugolini, A., Scapini, F., Pardi, L. (1986). Interaction between solar orientation and landscape visibility in Talitrus saltator (Crustacea: Amphipoda). Mar. Biol. 90: 449–460

    Google Scholar 

  • Williamson, D. (1951). Studies in the biology of talitridae (Crustacea Amphipoda): visual orientation in Talitrus saltator. J. mar. biol. Ass. U.K. 30: 91–99

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

Communicated by M. Sarà, Genova

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Scapini, F., Lagar, M.C. & Mezzetti, M.C. The use of slope and visual information in sandhoppers: innateness and plasticity. Marine Biology 115, 545–553 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00349361

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00349361

Keywords

Navigation