Meeting Abstract
Stomatopods, better known as mantis shrimp, are predatory crustaceans which commonly inhabit holes and crevices in benthic marine environments for use as burrows. However, many stomatopod species forage at extended distances from these burrows before returning back to their homes, risking predation. Since many mantis shrimp are central place foragers living in structurally complex environments, we hypothesized that these animals use piloting (landmark navigation), path integration (dead reckoning), or a combination of the two methods to navigate their benthic environments. To experimentally determine which mechanisms are employed, Neogonodactylus oerstedii were placed in featureless circular arenas in a glass roofed greenhouse, with their burrows submerged from view. Foraging paths in the presence and absence of a landmark adjacent to the burrow were recorded. We found that return trips in the presence of the landmark were more direct than trips in the landmark’s absence. However, the initial direction of the return trips were generally oriented towards the burrow regardless of the presence or absence of the landmark. Further, in the absence of a landmark, paths home were statistically indistinguishable to the beeline distance to the burrow before a search behavior was initiated. To determine if N. oerstedii employ path integration when returning to their burrows, animals were translocated along a platform to a new location before homeward paths were initiated. These translocated animals exhibited homeward paths oriented towards the direction of the burrow had they not been moved, rather than towards the actual direction of their burrow. These results indicate that N. oerstedii use piloting in parallel with a path integration system to return to their burrows.
