Marine Biology Commons^™

Ventilation Behavior Of The Mantis Shrimp, Hemisquilla Ensigera Californiensis In Hypoxic Burrows, Tamara L. Richter

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The burrow-dwelling mantis shrimp, Hemisquilla ensigera californiensis, is an environmentally challenged marine species due to the fact it inhabits burrows located beneath the surface of the sediment where oxygen pressure is low and easily depleted. This experiment revealed that burrow oxygen pressure (pO₂) is frequently hypoxic and can become anoxic. Average pO₂ within the burrow is between 40-50 mm Hg and may drop below 10 mm Hg even if the burrow isn't capped. When capped, p0₂ rapidly drops to 0 mm Hg within two hours. Low pO₂ does not result in decreased animal activity, …