Comportamento social de Alpheus estuariensis (Decapoda: Caridea: Alpheidae) e de sua relação com espécies associadas a seus refúgios

• Ano de defesa: 2018
• Autor(a) principal: Souza, Danillo Barroso
• Orientador(a): Hirose, Gustavo Luis
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: por
• Programa de Pós-Graduação: Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação
• Palavras-chave em Português: Decápodes; Crustáceos; Comportamento social dos animais; Acasalamento dos animais; Associação; Atração química; Sistema de acasalamento; Comportamento de guarda
• Palavras-chave em Inglês: Association; Chemical atraction; Mating system; Guarding behaviour
• Área do conhecimento CNPq: CIENCIAS BIOLOGICAS::ECOLOGIA
• Link de acesso: http://ri.ufs.br/jspui/handle/riufs/10118

Some animal groups construct and maintain refuges (burrows, nests, etc.) that serve as protection against predators, against adverse environmental conditions as well as suitable breeding sites. Life in refuges can not only provide information about the social behavior of the species that uses it, but also aspects related to ecological interactions, since the construction of these refuges provides a variety of niches that can be exploited by a number of other organisms. Studies suggest the association between Salmoneus carvachoi and Alpheus estuariensis as well as between the former and goby fish from genus Gobionellus due to the fact that they have already been found sharing the refuges of A. estuariensis. In this sense, the objective of this work was to test the hypothesis of resource economic monopolization and the hypothesis of monogamy using A. estuariensis as a model. Also, the objective was to test the hypothesis that S. carvachoi is attracted chemically and visually by A. estuariesis. Finally, we tested the hypothesis that A. estuariensis is attracted chemically by Gobionellus stomatus and if the latter is visually attracted by A. estuariensis, as already verified in associations between gobies and allies. Samplings were carried out in two areas located in the Vaza-Barris River estuary, Northeast Brazil, from August to November 2016. The average abundance of refuges was computed by means of 30 random replicates using a 1.44 m² square structure. As for the experiments, the chemical attraction tests were performed in an experimental apparatus formed by a central chamber and two lateral chambers that could be chosen by the organisms tested in function of the treatment performed. The visual attraction tests were performed in aquaria formed by a central compartment and two lateral ones, one of which housed A. estuariensis. The shrimp presented a random distribution in both areas. Males and females found together showed a low relation between their sizes, being the males greater than the females. In addition, the cheliped of males grow proportionally higher than that of females. The great abundance of refuges available in the environment added to the aforementioned results goes against the hypotheses of guarding behavior and monogamy. There was no significant attraction in any of the A. estuariensis experiments with G. stomatus and vice versa. However, S. carvachoi was attracted to A. estuariensis in both experiments. These results, which are not in agreement with those already verified for some species of shrimp of the same family, genus and even of the same species, reinforce the idea that Alpheidae can be used as model in the study on how environmental conditions are able to modulate the Social behavior of a species. In addition, the use of the refuge constructed and maintained by A. estuariensis and consequently the benefits acquired in this activity is the main cause of the co-occurrence of S. carvachoi and G. stomatus in the burrows of this shrimp.