Meeting Abstract

P2.38  Thursday, Jan. 5  Activity Patterns of the Mangrove Killifish, Kryptolebias marmoratus, in an Artificial Crab Burrow BECHLER, D.L*; LUKE, K.; FLAHERTY, F.; Valdosta State University; South Georgia College; Valdosta State University dbechler@valdosta.edu

The mangrove killifish uses burrows of the land crab, Cardisoma guanhumi as shelters. Using a detection system consisting of three sets of infrared sensors fed to a PIC 168F4 microprocessor linked to a PC, we studied the movement patterns of three strains of Kryptolebias marmoratus in an artificial PVC pipe crab burrow. The burrow was U-shaped with an open pool at each end and small chambers in each burrow arm. Sensors were located at the openings of the burrow and its nadir. Distance moved and time spent resting at each sensor was computed using Excel Logic statements. Strains moved significantly greater distances through the burrow during the day than at night, but no interstrain differences were found. All strains spent more time at sensors at the mouths of the burrow, but less time at any one sensor during the night. Intraclonal analyses revealed that strains Hon 7 and Hon 11 were more active at night moving from one end of the burrow to the other than was strain 50.91, which spent more time at the burrow mouths. Interstrain analyses of time spent at sensors showed no differences. From these analyses we conclude that K. marmoratus spent more time at night in the open pools and that in general complex behaviors involving movement and resting in the artificial burrow masks potential differences due to the high variability exhibited by the strains. A more flexible, upgraded version of the detection system capable of use in the field is also presented.