Physiological responses of postprandial red rock crabs (Cancer productus) during emersion

I. J. McGaw, D. L. Curtis, J. D. Ede, K. J. Ong, F. van Breukelen, and G. G. Goss

Abstract: The physiological responses of unfed and postprandial red rock crabs (Cancer productus J.W. Randal, 1840) were investigated during periods of emersion. During aerial exposure, oxygen uptake quickly fell to very low levels and was no longer detectable in the haemolymph after 12 h. The resulting anaerobic respiration led to a build up in lactic acid and the resulting acidosis was more pronounced in the postprandial crabs. There was also a concomitant rise in PCO₂ and CCO₂, and in both cases these were higher in postprandial animals. Higher ammonia levels in postprandial crabs showed that cellular activities were still proceeding anaerobically, suggesting that although crabs can delay mechanical digestion during emersion, once intracellular digestion occurs they may be committed to these processes. Increased mortality rates of postprandial animals were probably due to a combination of the high lactate and CO₂ levels coupled with an increased ammonia concentration. For C. productus stranded in the intertidal zone there may be little effect of feeding, as they are only exposed for short periods and recovery occurs during re-immersion. The crabs are more likely to become moribund and death ensue during longer term exposure such as commercial live shipment.

Résumé : Nous avons étudié les réactions physiologiques de tourteaux rouges du Pacifique (Cancer productus J.W. Randall, 1840) à jeun et après un repas durant des périodes d’émersion. Durant l’exposition à l’air, l’absorption d’oxygène tombe rapidement à des niveaux très bas et n’est plus décelable dans l’hémolymphe après 12 h. La respiration anaérobie qui s’ensuit mène à une accumulation d’acide lactique et l’acidose qui en résulte est plus prononcée chez les crabes qui ont mangé. Il y a aussi une augmentation concomitante de Pco₂ et de Cco₂, dans les deux cas plus élevée chez les animaux après un repas. Des concentrations plus fortes d’ammoniaque chez les crabes après un repas montrent que les activités cellulaires continuent de se faire en anaérobie, ce qui indique que, bien que les crabes puissent retarder la digestion mécanique durant l’émersion, une fois la digestion cellulaire enclenchée, les crabes sont sans doute engagés dans le processus. Les taux accrus de mortalité chez les animaux après un repas sont probablement dus à une combinaison de hautes concentrations de lactate et de CO₂ associées à une concentration accrue d’ammoniaque. Chez les C. productus relégués dans la zone intertidale exondée, il peut y avoir peu d’effet de l’alimentation puisqu’ils sont exposés seulement pour de courtes périodes et que la récupération se produit durant l’immersion subséquente. Les crabes sont plus susceptibles de devenir moribonds et de mourir durant des expositions prolongées telles que lors des livraisons commerciales de crabes vivants.

[Traduit par la Rédaction]

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