Response of shallow subterranean freshwater amphipods to habitat drying

Abstract

The ability of three amphipods that occupy shallow subterranean habitats in the lower Potomac Basin of the US (hypotelminorheic), which often dry out seasonally, to withstand desiccation by burrowing in clay was investigated. Both Crangonyx shoemakeri, a wetland species, and Stygobromus tenuis, a subterranean species, burrowed in clay in the laboratory after surface water was removed. Gammarus minus, a spring species, did not. All three species exhibited behavioral changes as the habitat dried out.