Premium
Locomotor Activity in the Freshwater Crab Potamon fluviatile : The Analysis of Temporal Patterns by Radio‐telemetry
Author(s) -
Gherardi Francesca,
Tarducci Federica,
Vannini Marco
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
ethology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.739
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1439-0310
pISSN - 0179-1613
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-0310.1988.tb00212.x
Subject(s) - nocturnal , freshwater crab , foraging , biology , transect , telemetry , ecology , population , geography , zoology , decapoda , crustacean , demography , sociology , engineering , aerospace engineering
Locomotor activity in a field population of the freshwater crab, Potamon fluviatile , was studied during the breeding season by means of radio‐telemetry and by direct counts of active animals along a transect of the stream. The basic pattern of crabs' locomotor activity can be described as a sequence of short distance movements around the shelters (foraging movements), followed by rarer long distance displacements (wandering movements). Whilst direct counting showed that the crabs exhibit a broadly nocturnal rhythm in foraging movements, no daily periodicity in wandering activity was revealed by telemetry. There is sexual difference in these latter excursions: females move farther along the stream and into the surrounding terrestrial habitat than do males. This behaviour is in contrast to observations made during the non‐breeding season and is probably related to the stage of female reproduction.