Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2006

Journal / Book Title

Entomological News

Abstract

Terrestrial isopods are known to increase the alternating mechanisms in response to adverse environmental conditions, a behavioral pattern presumably associated with efficient escape. The present study investigates whether turning behavior in response to vibration disturbance differs between natural populations inhabiting disturbed and undisturbed areas. Some specimens were col- lected from urban habitat characterized by construction and heavy automobile traffic, and others from relatively undisturbed rural habitat less than 10 kilometers distant. We examined maze turn alterna- tion in three groups: rural and urban terrestrial isopods exposed to vibration during testing, and rural isopods not exposed to vibration. As predicted, rural isopods exposed to vibration made significant- ly more turn alternations than rural isopods not exposed to vibration. However, rural vibration- exposed isopods also exhibited significantly greater turn alternation than vibration-exposed urban isopods. There was no significant difference between rural non-exposed and urban vibration-exposed isopods. These results indicate that isopods increase turn alternation when disturbed, but that previ- ous exposure to disturbance is associated with a reduction in the effect. Whether this is due to accli- mated or evolved behavioral mechanisms is presently unknown.

DOI

10.3157/0013-872X(2006)117[149:TAIRTS]2.0.CO;2

Journal ISSN / Book ISBN

2162-3236

Published Citation

Kristi Houghtaling and Scott L. Kight "TURN ALTERNATION IN RESPONSE TO SUBSTRATE VIBRATION BY TERRESTRIAL ISOPODS, PORCELLIO LAEVIS (ISOPODA: ONISCIDEA) FROM RURAL AND URBAN HABITATS IN NEW JERSEY, U.S.A," Entomological News 117(2), 149-154, (1 March 2006).

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