Zhu Boshan, Su Xianpeng, Yu Weiping, Wang Fang
The Key Laboratory of Mariculture, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, 5 Yushan Road, Qingdao 266003, China.
School of Biological and Ecological Engineering, Dongying Vocational Institute, 129 Fuqian Street, Dongying 257091, China.
Animals (Basel). 2022 Jun 23;12(13):1618. doi: 10.3390/ani12131618.
Boldness of personality is an important theme in animal behavior and has significant ecological and evolutionary consequences. Studies on boldness in crustaceans typically focus on their behavior, while relatively few studies have focused on the formation and maintenance of and change in boldness, such as energy metabolism and neurotransmission. In this study, we measured the boldness of swimming crabs () and analyzed the relationship between boldness and oxygen consumption rate, energy concentration, and the relative expression of energy-metabolism-related and 5-HT genes in mRNA. The results showed that boldness remained stable across repeated tests but changed under dangerous conditions. Swimming crabs could be divided into bold and shy individuals. Bold individuals consumed oxygen at a significantly higher rate than shy individuals. Lactate and glucose concentrations in hemolymph were significantly lower in bold individuals than in shy individuals, and mRNA relative expression of Na/K-ATPase and 5-HT genes was significantly higher in bold than in shy individuals. Preliminary results indicate that energy metabolism and neurotransmitters may underlie the formation and maintenance of personality characteristics of swimming crabs. Swimming crabs also exhibit behavioral flexibility in order to cope with risks. This may be an adaptation to their complex environments.
个性大胆是动物行为学中的一个重要主题，具有显著的生态和进化意义。关于甲壳类动物大胆行为的研究通常聚焦于其行为表现，而相对较少有研究关注大胆行为的形成、维持及变化，如能量代谢和神经传递等方面。在本研究中，我们测定了梭子蟹的大胆程度，并分析了大胆程度与耗氧率、能量浓度以及能量代谢相关基因和5-羟色胺（5-HT）基因在mRNA水平上的相对表达之间的关系。结果表明，在重复测试中，大胆程度保持稳定，但在危险条件下会发生变化。梭子蟹可分为大胆个体和胆小个体。大胆个体的耗氧率显著高于胆小个体。大胆个体血淋巴中的乳酸和葡萄糖浓度显著低于胆小个体，且大胆个体中钠钾ATP酶（Na/K-ATPase）和5-HT基因的mRNA相对表达显著高于胆小个体。初步结果表明，能量代谢和神经递质可能是梭子蟹个性特征形成和维持的基础。梭子蟹还表现出行为灵活性以应对风险。这可能是对其复杂环境的一种适应。
