Summary
Cu and Zn concentrations were determined for the following talitroidean amphipods, Hyale nilssoni (Rathke), Talitrus saltator (Montagu), Talorchestia deshayesii (Audouin), Orchestia mediterranea Costa, O. gammarellus (Pallas), O cavimana Heller and Arcitalitrus dorrieni (Hunt) in September 1986 from sites in W. Britain (mostly Scottish). To minimize size effects, only animals >2mg body dry weight were included in analyses. Only Talorchestia (Cu & Zn) and O. cavimana (Zn) showed any residual relationship between metal concentration and dry weight. Log transformed data for concentrations of each metal against log dry wt. in all species were compared by ANCOVA. Copper and zinc concentrations of males and females were not significantly different in O. gammarellus, O. mediterranea and T. deshayesii, though Cu (but not Zn) concentrations differed with sex in O. cavimana. The order of species when ranked according to an ascending series of Cu concentrations (at standard body weight) reflected their ecological zonation from sea to land closely, with species living proximal to the sea having lowest Cu concentrations. The 6 talitrid species all had similar Zn concentrations but the Zn concentration of H. nilssoni was considerably lower. There was a relationship between Cu and Zn concentrations in individuals of only one species (O. gammarellus). Data on Cu and Zn concentrations for O. gammarellus derived from the same site in September 1983 were almost exctly the same as in September 1986. The possible impact of seasonal variation on haemocyanin levels is discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ackroyd DR, Bale AJ, Howland RJM, Knox S, Millward GE, Morris AW (1986) Distributions and behaviour of dissolved Cu, Zn and Mn in the Tamar estuary. Est coast Shelf Sci 23:621–640
Black WAP, Mitchell RL (1952) Trace elements in the common brown algae and in seawater. J mar biol Ass UK 30:575–584
Bousfield EL (1984) Recent advances in the systematics and biogeography of landhoppers (Amphipoda: Talitridae) of the Indo-Pacific Region. In: Biogeography of the tropical Pacific Radovsky FJ, Raven PH, Sohmer SH (eds) Bernice P Bishop Mus Spec Publ, No 72, 171–210
Bregazzi PK, Naylor E (1972) The locomotor activity rhythm of Talitrus saltator (Montagu) (Crustacea: Amphipoda). J exp Biol 57:375–391
Bruland KW (1983) Trace elements in sea-water. In: Chemical Oceanography, Riley JP, Chester R (eds), Academic Press, London, 8:157–220
Bryan GW (1984) Pollution due to heavy metals and their compounds. In: Marine Ecology, Kinne O (ed) John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 5(3):1289–1431
Burggren WW, McMahon BR (1981) Oxygen uptake during environmental temperature change in hermit crabs: adaptation to subtidal, intertidal and supratidal habitats. Physiol Zool 54:325–333
Fenchel T (1970) Studies on the decomposition of organic detritus derived from turtle grass Thalassia testudinum. Limnol Oceanogr 15:14–20
Foster P (1976) Concentrations and concentration factors of heavy metals in brown algae. Environ Pollut 10:45–33
Gray IE (1957) A comparative study of gill area of crabs. Biol Bull mar biol Lab Woods Hole 112:34–42
Hargrave BT (1970) The effect of a deposit-feeding amphipod on the metabolism of benthic microflora. Limnol Oceanogr 15:21–30
Hopkin SP, Martin MH (1982) The distribution of zinc, cadmium, lead and copper within the woodlouse Oniscus asellus (Crustacea, Isopoda). Oecologia (Berlin) 54:227–232
Hopkin SP, Hardisty GN, Martin MH (1986) The woodlouse Porcellio scaber as a ‘biological indicator’ of zinc, cadmium, lead and copper pollution. Environ Pollut (Ser B), 11:271–290
Lepp NW (1979) Cycling of copper in woodland ecosystems. In: Copper in the environment, Part 1: ecological cycling. Nriagu JO (ed), John Wiley & Sons, New York, pp 289–323
McMahon BR, Burggren WW (1979) Respiration and adaptation to the terrestrial habit in the land hermit crab Coenobita clypeatus. J exp Biol 79:265–281
Martin J-LM, Wormhoudt A van, Ceccaldi HJ (1977) Zinc-hemocyanin binding in the hemolymph of Carcinus maenas (Crustacea, Decapoda). Comp Biochem Physiol 58A: 193–195
Moore PG, Spicer JI (1986) On the status of Arcitalitrus dorrieni (Crustacea: Amphipoda) on the island of Colonsay, inner Hebrides. J nat Hist 20:667–680
Moore PG, Taylor AC (1984) Gill area relationships in an ecological series of gammaridean amphipods (Crustacea). J exp mar Biol Ecol 74:179–186
Mulder EG (1950) Importance of copper and molybdenum in the nutrition of higher plants and micro-organisms. In: Trace elements in plant physiology, Wallace T (ed), Chronica Botanica Co., Waltham, Mass., pp 41–52
Palluault M (1954) Notes écologiques sur le Talitrus saltator L. Archs Zool exp gén 91:105–129
Pequeux A, Vallota AC, Gilles R (1979) Blood proteins as related to osmoregulation in Crustacea. Comp Biochem Physiol 64A:433–435
Rainbow PS, Moore PG (1986) Comparative metal analyses in amphipod crustaceans. Hydrobiologia 141:273–289
Sevilla C, Lagarrigue J-G (1979) Oxygen binding characteristics of Oniscoidea hemocyanins (Crustacea; terrestrial isopods). Comp Biochem Physiol 64A:531–536
Sokal RR, Rohlf FJ (1969) Biometry. W.H. Freeman, San Francisco, p 776
Spicer JI (1986) Physiological ecology of selected talitrid amphipods. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, Glasgow University, p 189
Spicer JI, Taylor AC (1986) A comparative study of the gill area relationships in some talitrid amphipods. J nat Hist 20:935–947
Spicer JI, Moore PG, Taylor AC (1937) The physiological ecology of land invasion by the Talitridae (Crustacea: Amphipoda). Proc R Soc Lond (in press)
Steemann Nielsen E, Wium-Andersen S (1970) Copper ions as poison in the sea and in freshwater. Mar Biol 6:93–97
Taylor AC, Davies PS (1981) Respiration in the land crab, Gecarcinus lateralis. J exp Biol 93:197–208
Taylor AC, Spicer JI (1986) Oxygen-transporting properties of the blood of two semi-terrestrial amphipods, Orchestia gammarellus (Pallas) and O. mediterranea (Costa). J exp mar Biol Ecol 97:135–150
Wheatly MG, McMahon BR (1981) The conflict between respiratory and osmoregulatory function of haemocyanin in a euryhaline crayfish during hypersaline exposure. Am Zool 21:951
White SL, Rainbow PS (1985) On the metabolic requirements for copper and zinc in molluscs and crustaceans. Mar Envir Res 16:215–229
Wieser W (1961) Copper in isopods. Nature (Lond) 191:1020
Wieser W (1965) Electrophoretic studies on blood proteins in an ecological series of isopod and amphipod species. J mar biol Ass 45:507–523
Wieser W (1966) Copper and the role of isopods in degradation of organic matter. Science 153:67–69
Wieser W (1967) Conquering terra firma: the copper problem from the isopod's point of view. Helgoländer wiss. Meeresunters 15:282–293
Wieser W (1968) Aspects of nutrition and metabolism of copper in isopods. Am Zool 8:495–506
Wieser W (1979) The flow of copper through a terrestrial food web. In: Copper in the environment, Part 1: ecological cycling. Nriagu JO (ed) John Wiley & sons, New York, pp 325–355
Wieser W (1984) Ecophysiological adaptations of terrestrial isopods: a brief review. Symp zool Soc Lond, No. 53:247–265
Williams JA (1980a) The effect of dusk and dawn on the locomotor activity rhythm of Talitrus saltator. J exp mar Biol Ecol 42:285–297
Williams JA (1980b) Environmental influence on the locomotor activity rhythm of Talitrus saltator (Crustacea: Amphipoda). Mar Biol 57:7–16
Williams JA (1982) A circadian rhythm of oxygen consumption in the sand beach amphipod Talitrus saltator (Montagu). J exp mar Biol Ecol 57:125–134
Williams JA (1983) Environmental regulation of the burrow depth of the sand-beach amphipod Talitrus saltator. Est coast Shelf Sci 16:291–299
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Moore, P.G., Rainbow, P.S. Copper and zinc in an ecological series of talitroidean Amphipoda (Crustacea). Oecologia 73, 120–126 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00376987
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00376987