Institute of Marine Sciences - Okeanos, University of the Azores, Rua Professor Doutor Frederico Machado 4, 9901-862, Horta, Portugal.
Institute of Marine Sciences - Okeanos, University of the Azores, Rua Professor Doutor Frederico Machado 4, 9901-862, Horta, Portugal; Sorbonne University, 4 place Jussieu, 75005, Paris, France.
Mar Environ Res. 2023 Mar;185:105899. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.105899. Epub 2023 Jan 27.
The deep Peru Basin is characterised by a unique abyssal scavenging community featuring large numbers of hermit crabs (Probeebei mirabilis, Decapoda, Crustacea). These are atypical hermit crabs, not carrying a shell, but on some occasions carrying an anemone (Actiniaria). The reason why some hermit crabs carry or not carry anemones is thought to be indicative of a changed environment, outweighing the cost/benefit of their relationship. Here we present the temporal variation of abundances of P. mirabilis with and without anemones, spanning more than two decades, following a benthic impact experiment. An overall decrease in hermit crab densities was observed, most noticeable and significant after 26 years and characterised by a loss of Actiniaria on the Probeebei mirabilis' pleon. Whether this is a delayed response to the benthic impact experiment carried out 26 years' prior or a natural variation in the population remains to be corroborated by an extension of the time-series. Attention is drawn to the limitations of our knowledge over time and space of the abyssal community dynamics and the urgent necessity to fill in these gaps prior to any type of deep-sea exploitation.
秘鲁深海盆地的特征是存在一个独特的深海清除群落，其中有大量的寄居蟹（Probeebei mirabilis，十足目，甲壳纲）。这些寄居蟹是不寻常的，它们不携带壳，但有时会携带一个海葵（海葵目）。有些寄居蟹携带或不携带海葵的原因被认为是环境变化的指示，超过了它们之间关系的成本/收益。在这里，我们展示了超过二十年的时间跨度内，在进行了底栖冲击实验后，携带和不携带海葵的 Probeebei mirabilis 的丰度的时间变化。观察到寄居蟹密度总体下降，在 26 年后最为明显和显著，其特征是 Probeebei mirabilis 的腹部失去了 Actiniaria。这是对 26 年前进行的底栖冲击实验的延迟反应，还是种群的自然变化，仍有待通过时间序列的扩展来证实。我们注意到，随着时间的推移，对深海群落动态的了解在时间和空间上存在局限性，在进行任何类型的深海开发之前，迫切需要填补这些空白。
