Abstract
As has been previously shown, talitrid crustaceans have an inherited compass which causes them to head in a direction appropriate to their original shoreline (even after several generations in the laboratory), while learnt components can improve the correctness of orientation in natural conditions. In order to extend this analysis to a greater range of populations and to show differences in the determination of direction finding behaviour, seven natural populations ofTalitrus saltator (Montagu) from differently oriented shores of the Ligurian (Marina di Vecchiano, Pisa), Tyrrhenian (Castiglione della Pescaia and Tombolo di Feniglia, Grossetto) and Adriatic (Casal Borsetti, Ravenna; Torre Fantine, Marina di Lesina and Lido di Siponta, Foggia). Italian coasts were compared for their rigidity-plasticity in sun orientation. The study was conducted from 1982 to 1985. Differences were given in relation to the dynamics of the shorelines, the stability of which changes over the years due to natural and artificial causes. Furthermore, in order to reveal something about the genetic determination of the compass, mass-crosses between geographically distant populations (Ligurian-Tyrrhenian on one side and Adriatic on the other) were performed, and the F1 and F2 inexpert offspring tested for sun orientation. The results show a partial or total disruption of the compass in cross offspring which is discussed in the light of oligogenic and polygenic transmission mechanisms.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature cited
Batschelet, E. (1981). Circular statistics in biology. Academic Press, London
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (1984). Progetto finalizzato “conservazione del suolo”. Sottoprogetto “dinamica dei litorali”. Atlante delle spiagge italiane, Firence
Papi, F., Pardi, L. (1953). Ricerche sull'orientamento diTalitrus 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 popolazioni. Z. vergl. Physiol. 35: 490–518
Pardi, L. (1960). Innate components in the solar orientation of littoral amphipods. Cold Spring Harbor Symp. quant. Biol. 25: 394–401
Pardi, L., Papi, F. (1953). Ricerche sull'orientamento diTalitrus saltator (Montagu) (Crustacea-Amphipoda). I. L'orientamento durante il giorno in una popolazione del litorale tirrenico. Z. vergl. Physiol. 35: 459–489
Pardi, L., Scapini, F. (1983). Inheritance of solar direction finding in sandhoppers: mass-crossing experiments. J. comp. Physiol. (Sect. A) 151: 435–440
Scapini, F. (1986). Inheritance of solar direction finding in sandhoppers. 4. Variation in the accuracy of orientation with age. Monitore zool. ital. (N.S.) 20: 53–61
Scapini, F., Buiatti, M. (1985). Inheritance of solar direction finding in sandhoppers. III. Progeny tests. J. comp. Physiol. (Sect. A) 157: 433–440
Scapini, F., Buiatti, M., Fallaci, M. (1989). Family and individual orientation behaviour in sandhoppers. Ethol. Ecol. Evoln 1 to 3: 241–246
Scapini, F., Buiatti, M., Ottaviano, O. (1988b). Phenotypic plasticity in sun orientation of sandhoppers. J. comp. Physiol. (Sect. A) 163: 739–747
Scapini, F., Pardi, L. (1979). Nuovi dati sulla tendenza direzionale innata nell'orientamento solare degli anfipodi litorali. Atti Accad. naz. Lincei Rc (Ser. VIII) 66: 592–597
Scapini, F., Ugolini, A., Pardi, L. (1985). Inheritance of solar direction finding in sandhoppers. II. Differences in arcuated coastlines. J. comp. Physiol. (Sect. A) 156: 729–735
Scapini, F., Ugolini, A., Pardi, L. (1988a). Aspects of direction finding inheritance in natural populations of littoral sandhoppers (Talitrus saltator). In: Chelazzi, G., Vannini, M. (eds.) Behavioral adaptation to intertidal life. Plenum Publishing Corporation, New York, p. 93–103
Ugolini, A., Macchi, T. (1988). Learned components in the solar orientation ofTalitrus saltator Montagu (Amphipoda: Talitridae). J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol. 121: 79–87
Ugolini, A., Scapini, F. (1988). Orientation of the sandhopperTalitrus saltator (Amphipoda, Talitridae) living on dynamic sandy shores. J. comp. Physiol. (Sect. A.) 163: 453–462
Ugolini, A., Scapini, F., Beugnon, G., Pardi, L. (1988). Learning in zonal orientation of sandhoppers. In: Chelazzi, G., Vannini, M. (eds.) Behavioral adaptation to intertidal life. Plenum Publishing Corporation, New York, p. 105–118
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Communicated by M. Sara, Genova
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Scapini, F., Fasinella, D. Genetic determination and plasticity in the sun orientation of natural populations ofTalitrus saltator . Mar. Biol. 107, 141–145 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01313251
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01313251