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A Novel Interaction: the Thin Stripe Hermit Crab, Clibanarius

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A Novel Interaction: the Thin Stripe Hermit Crab, Clibanarius A NOVEL INTERACTION: THE THIN STRIPE HERMIT CRAB, CLIBANARIUS VITTATUS, KILLS THE FLORIDA CROWN CONCH, MELONGENA CORONA, FOR ITS SHELL by Jennifer Cutter A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Charles E. Schmidt College of Science In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL August 2017 Copyright by Jennifer Cutter 2017 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Florida Atlantic University, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, and Dr. Donna Devlin for giving me the opportunity to conduct this fascinating study. I would also like to thank the other committee members (Dr. Vincent Encomio, Dr. Edward Proffitt, and Dr. William Brooks) for their help, advice, and guidance. This work was made possible through funding from the Indian River Lagoon Research Fellowship awarded by the Harbor Branch Foundation and a scholarship awarded by The Broward Shell Club. Additionally, I would like to thank Dr. Richard Turner for being willing to meet with me on several occasions to answer questions and share his vast knowledge. iv ABSTRACT Author: Jennifer Cutter Title: A Novel Interaction: The thin stripe hermit Crab, Clibanarius vittatus, kills the Florida crown conch, Melongena corona, for its shell Institution: Florida Atlantic University Thesis Advisor: Dr. Donna Devlin Degree: Master of Science Year: 2017 The hermit crab Clibanarius vittatus kills Melongena corona solely to acquire a better fitting shell. This finding is contrary to previous studies, which found that hermit crabs of other species cannot kill gastropods or, in most instances, remove freshly dead gastropods from their shells. This interaction cannot be classified as predation because Melongena tissue was never consumed. Clibanarius killed Melongena only when by doing so they could trade up to a better fitting shell. It cannot be classified as competition because there is no opportunity for Melongena to gain from the interaction. Therefore the term “lethal eviction” is hereby proposed for this interaction. The ability to kill a gastropod to obtain a superior shell gives Clibanarius vittatus an evolutionary advantage over other hermit crab species. It is not known if the outcome of this interaction is widespread where both species occur or if it is confined to the study area. v DEDICATION This manuscript is dedicated to my parents for always encouraging and believing in me. When a girl who lived 400 miles away from the ocean said she wanted to become a marine biologist, you did everything you could to help me realize that goal. You’ve made it possible for me to come this far, and I know you’ll whole heartedly support whatever I choose to do next. I can’t wait to share my future achievements with you. A NOVEL INTERACTION: THE THIN STRIPE HERMIT CRAB, CLIBANARIUS VITTATUS, KILLS THE FLORIDA CROWN CONCH, MELONGENA CORONA, FOR ITS SHELL LIST OF FIGURES ...............................................................................................ix LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................xi 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1 1.1. Evolutionary and Ecological Significance ................................................. 2 1.2. Clibanarius vittatus and Melongena corona ................................................. 6 1.3. Objectives and Hypotheses ...................................................................... 8 1.3.1. Manipulative Lab Experiment ........................................................... 8 1.3.2. Manipulative Field Experiment ......................................................... 9 1.3.3. Field Surveys ................................................................................... 9 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS ........................................................................ 10 2.1. Study Species and Locations ................................................................. 10 2.2. General Experimental Protocol .............................................................. 12 2.3. Manipulative Lab Experiment: Drivers of Shell Acquisition ..................... 13 2.4. Manipulative Field Experiment: Interactions between Melongena andClibanarius vary based on Population Density ................................ 18 2.5. Field Surveys: Effect of habitat on population densities and sizes of Clibanarius and Melongena................................................................... 23 vii 3. RESULTS ....................................................................................................... 27 3.1. Manipulative Lab Experiment: Drivers of Shell Acquisition ..................... 27 3.2. Manipulative Field Experiment: Interactions between Melongena and Clibanarius vary based on population density ....................................... 31 3.3. Field Surveys: Effect of habitat on population densities and sizes of Clibanarius and Melongena................................................................... 33 4. DISCUSSION ................................................................................................. 40 4.1. Drivers of Shell Acquisition ..................................................................... 41 4.2. Interactions between Melongena and Clibanarius vary based on population density. ................................................................................ 45 4.3. Effect of habitat on population densities and sizes of Clibanarius and Melongena ............................................................................................ 47 4.4. Ecological Classification of the Interaction ............................................. 49 4.5. Future Work ........................................................................................... 49 REFERENCES ................................................................................................... 51 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Map of study locations.................................................................... ..... 12 Figure 2: Containers for manipulative lab experiment ....................................... 14 Figure 3: Arrangement of treatment groups for manipulative lab experiment .... 14 Figure 4: Comparison of male and female Clibanarius vittatus.......................... 17 Figure 5: Placement and arrangement of enclosures for the manipulative field experiment ........................................................................................... 19 Figure 6: Enclosure utilized for the manipulative field experiment ...................... 20 Figure 7: Arrangement of enclosures for the manipulative field experiment ....... 21 Figure 8: Clibanarius vittatus gathered around an enclosure. ............................ 22 Figure 9: Shoreline habitats chosen for surveys ................................................. 24 Figure 10: Sex of Clibanarius that killed Melongena ........................................... 28 Figure 11: Shell fit of Clibanarius that killed Melongena ..................................... 28 Figure 12: Melongena mortality by treament ...................................................... 29 Figure 13: Clibanarius and Melongena with shell aperatures alligned ................ 30 Figure 14: Clibanarius and Melongena simultaneously inside the shell .............. 30 Figure 15: Intact Melongena carcass .................................................................. 30 Figure 16: Clibanarius attraction ......................................................................... 32 Figure 17: Melongena survival............................................................................ 33 Figure 18: Shell occupants by survey site ......................................................... 35 Figure 19: Shell species by survey site ............................................................. 35 ix Figure 20: Clibanarius shell fit and type .............................................................. 37 Figure 21: Shell length and site .......................................................................... 38 Figure 22: Shell length and shell species ........................................................... 39 x LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Assignation of Clibanarius shell fit ........................................................ 14 Table 2: Primariy survival analyses for the manipulative lab experiment ............ 18 Table 3: Secondary survival analyses for the manipulative lab experiment ........ 18 Table 4: Treatments for the manipulative lab experiment ................................... 21 Table 5: Results from survival analyses for the manipulative lab experiment ..... 28 Table 6: Results from MANOVAs for the manipulative field experiment ............. 32 Table 7: Results from Pearson Chi-square test for field surveys ........................ 34 Table 8: Abbreviations utilized for snail and shell species .................................. 36 Table 9: Results from ANOVA for field surveys .................................................. 38 xi 1. INTRODUCTION Hermit crabs are soft bodied crustaceans that utilize shells for protection. They do not have the ability to produce a shell and thus must obtain it from an external source (Hazlett 1996a, 1996b, Rittschof et al. 1995, Tricarico et al. 2009). While hermit crabs have a suite of behaviors that allow for the acquisition of an optimal shell, previous literature indicates that hermit crabs cannot kill gastropods to directly obtain this resource
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