Is social aggregation in aquatic crustaceans a strategy to conserve energy?
Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, is preeminently a gregarious animal. It lives for almost the whole of its existence from the late furcilia stage in aggregations. Despite this, laboratory study of schooling and swarming behaviour has been seriously neglected and critical emergent properties of gr...
Published in: | Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences |
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University of Guelph
2000
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-57-S3-59 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/19644 |
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ftunivtasecite:oai:ecite.utas.edu.au:19644 2023-05-15T13:59:07+02:00 Is social aggregation in aquatic crustaceans a strategy to conserve energy? Ritz, DA 2000 https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-57-S3-59 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/19644 en eng University of Guelph http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-57-S3-59 Ritz, DA, Is social aggregation in aquatic crustaceans a strategy to conserve energy?, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 57 pp. 1-9. ISSN 0706-652X (2000) [Refereed Article] http://ecite.utas.edu.au/19644 Biological Sciences Ecology Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl. Marine Ichthyology) Refereed Article PeerReviewed 2000 ftunivtasecite https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-57-S3-59 2019-12-13T21:02:12Z Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, is preeminently a gregarious animal. It lives for almost the whole of its existence from the late furcilia stage in aggregations. Despite this, laboratory study of schooling and swarming behaviour has been seriously neglected and critical emergent properties of group dynamics may have been overlooked. Using different-sized groups of gregarious mysids, I show that weight-specific oxygen uptake is reduced by about seven times when they form cohesive aggregations compared with when they are in uncohesive small groups. If this is true for E. superba, it casts doubt on all previous measurements of metabolic rate and suggests that estimates of the metabolic cost of swimming and perhaps feeding are much too high. The reason that groups conserve energy compared with isolates or small groups is hypothesised to be at least partly due to hydrodynamic processes, which serve to minimise sinking rates. Dye plumes revealed updrafts generated by mysid swarms, which could be exploited by individuals to reduce their sinking rate. These circulation patterns might also increase the efficiency of particle capture by aggregations. I propose that aggregation in aquatic crustaceans is a strategy to optimise energy expenditure and maximise food capture. Measuring behavioural and physiological rate processes in isolated animals will produce only artifacts. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Krill Euphausia superba eCite UTAS (University of Tasmania) Antarctic Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 57 S3 59 67 |
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eCite UTAS (University of Tasmania) |
op_collection_id |
ftunivtasecite |
language |
English |
topic |
Biological Sciences Ecology Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl. Marine Ichthyology) |
spellingShingle |
Biological Sciences Ecology Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl. Marine Ichthyology) Ritz, DA Is social aggregation in aquatic crustaceans a strategy to conserve energy? |
topic_facet |
Biological Sciences Ecology Marine and Estuarine Ecology (incl. Marine Ichthyology) |
description |
Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, is preeminently a gregarious animal. It lives for almost the whole of its existence from the late furcilia stage in aggregations. Despite this, laboratory study of schooling and swarming behaviour has been seriously neglected and critical emergent properties of group dynamics may have been overlooked. Using different-sized groups of gregarious mysids, I show that weight-specific oxygen uptake is reduced by about seven times when they form cohesive aggregations compared with when they are in uncohesive small groups. If this is true for E. superba, it casts doubt on all previous measurements of metabolic rate and suggests that estimates of the metabolic cost of swimming and perhaps feeding are much too high. The reason that groups conserve energy compared with isolates or small groups is hypothesised to be at least partly due to hydrodynamic processes, which serve to minimise sinking rates. Dye plumes revealed updrafts generated by mysid swarms, which could be exploited by individuals to reduce their sinking rate. These circulation patterns might also increase the efficiency of particle capture by aggregations. I propose that aggregation in aquatic crustaceans is a strategy to optimise energy expenditure and maximise food capture. Measuring behavioural and physiological rate processes in isolated animals will produce only artifacts. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Ritz, DA |
author_facet |
Ritz, DA |
author_sort |
Ritz, DA |
title |
Is social aggregation in aquatic crustaceans a strategy to conserve energy? |
title_short |
Is social aggregation in aquatic crustaceans a strategy to conserve energy? |
title_full |
Is social aggregation in aquatic crustaceans a strategy to conserve energy? |
title_fullStr |
Is social aggregation in aquatic crustaceans a strategy to conserve energy? |
title_full_unstemmed |
Is social aggregation in aquatic crustaceans a strategy to conserve energy? |
title_sort |
is social aggregation in aquatic crustaceans a strategy to conserve energy? |
publisher |
University of Guelph |
publishDate |
2000 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-57-S3-59 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/19644 |
geographic |
Antarctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Krill Euphausia superba |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Krill Euphausia superba |
op_relation |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-57-S3-59 Ritz, DA, Is social aggregation in aquatic crustaceans a strategy to conserve energy?, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 57 pp. 1-9. ISSN 0706-652X (2000) [Refereed Article] http://ecite.utas.edu.au/19644 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-57-S3-59 |
container_title |
Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences |
container_volume |
57 |
container_issue |
S3 |
container_start_page |
59 |
op_container_end_page |
67 |
_version_ |
1766267506562957312 |