Abstract
In this study, we focused on the relationship existing between the phenomenon of alternating turns and substrate-borne vibrations in woodlice, utilizing Armadillo officinalis as an experimental behavioral model. A T-maze with multiple exits was used to collect information on the pattern of turn alternation in (i) adult individuals of A. officinalis exposed and (ii) non-exposed to micro-vibrations, and (iii) juveniles of A. officinalis exposed to micro-vibrations. Turn alternation was assessed as the number of times that an animal turned on the opposite side in the T-maze. Our best model pointed out a statistically significant increased expected number of alternating turns for both groups of adult individuals, non-exposed and exposed to micro-vibrations, compared to exposed juveniles. Adults of A. officinalis seem to be very reactive to substrate-borne vibrations, unlike juveniles. This reactivity might be related to a defense mechanism developed as an evolutionary adaptation to the xeric environment, increasing progressively from the juvenile condition until the adult state. This feature might also fit into a complex network of inter- and intraspecific communication mediated by substrate-borne vibrations, like in insects.
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Special thanks to Dr. Clara P. Amorim (Associate Editor) and the anonymous reviewers who checked over our manuscript for their valuable suggestions.
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Appendix
Appendix
Settings of the parameters used in G*Power 3.1 for the sample size calculation and power analysis
Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney nonparametric test (two groups)
Analysis: A priori (Compute required sample size)
Options: A.R.E. method
Input:
Tail(s) = Two
Parent distribution = Normal
Effect size d = 0.5
α err prob = 0.05
Power (1-β err prob) = 0.80
Allocation ratio N2/N1 = 1
T test: Difference between two independent means (two groups)
Analysis: Compromise (Compute implied α and power)
Input:
Tail(s) = Two
Effect size d = 0.5
β/α ratio = 4
Sample size group 1 = 67
Sample size group 2 = 67
Settings to generate the micro-vibrations used in the experiment with the software Audacity (ver. 1.2.4)
The option Noise was selected starting from the menu Generate.
In the window named Noise Generator, the following parameters were set:
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Noise type: Brownian
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Amplitude: 1
-
Duration: 3 min
The sound was normalized at − 4.0 dB with the command Normalize, in the Effect menu.
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Cividini, S., Montesanto, G. Differences in the pattern of turn alternation between juveniles and adults of Armadillo officinalis Dumèril, 1816 (Isopoda, Oniscidea) in response to substrate-borne vibrations. acta ethol 21, 59–68 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10211-018-0282-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10211-018-0282-y