Summary
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1.
The oxygen consumption of the sand crab, Emerita asiatica, when estimated employing solitary specimens showed an unmistakable persistent tidal rhythm.
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2.
Numbers of 4 and 5 crabs even when huddled together in the respiration chambers showed the rhythmicity in their metabolic rates indicating mutual synchronisation of individual oscillations.
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3.
In newly moult crabs, in spite of the intensified level of metabolism accompanying the process of moulting, the tidal rhythms were displayed in the metabolic rates.
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4.
Simultaneous estimations of the swimming activity employing a vertically moving cage device and the oxygen consumption of individual crabs further confirmed the persistence of rhythms.
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5.
The activity of Emerita coinciding with the high tide at night was considerably enhanced. It was clear that this exaggerated nightly activity was due to the superimposition of a diurnal rhythm an a tidal rhythm.
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6.
The rhythms in the locomotory activity waned after the crabs had been in the laboratory for 3–4 days.
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7.
The behaviour of Emerita, as seen in the activity records and oxygen consumption estimations made in the present study, is reminiscent of its behaviour in nature relative to the tide.
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8.
The adaptive significance of such rhythmic behaviour to the continued existence of littoral animals is evident.
Zusammenfassung
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1.
Emerita asiatica hat einen deutlichen Gezeitenrhythmus des Sauerstoffverbrauchs, der auch unter Laboratoriumsbedingungen weiterläuft.
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2.
Werden mehrere Individuen in Gemeinschaft gehalten, so zeigt sich eine gegenseitige Synchronisation hinsichtlich dieser Stoffwechselschwankungen.
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3.
Frisch gehäutete Individuen zeigen, trotz des verstärkten Stoffwechsels während der Häutung, diese Gezeitenrhythmik ebenfalls.
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4.
Gleichzeitige Messung der Schwimmaktivität und des Stoffwechsels bestätigte das Fortdauern der Rhythmik unter Laboratoriums bedingungen.
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5.
Zu den Zeiten nächtlicher Flut ist die Bewegungsaktivität erheblich verstärkt. Das beruht deutlich auf einer Überlagerung der diurnalen Rhythmik mit der Gezeitenrhythmik.
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6.
Nach 3–4 Tagen des Laboratoriumsaufenthaltes zeigt sich bei der Bewegungsaktivität eine Dämpfung der Rhythmik.
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7.
Das Verhalten im Laboratorium ist sowohl hinsichtlich des Sauerstoffverbrauches als hinsichtlich der Schwimmaktivität eine Fortsetzung des dem natürlichen Gezeitenwechsel angemesssenen Verhaltens.
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8.
Die ökologische Bedeutung dieser rhythmischen Verhaltensweisen unter den Lebensbedingungen an der Küste ist evident.
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Chandrashekaran, M.K. Persistent tidal and diurnal rhythms of locomotory activity and oxygen consumption in Emerita asiatica (M.-EDW.). Z. Vergl. Physiol. 50, 137–150 (1965). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00302701
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00302701