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Short-Term Microplastic Exposure Impairs Cognition in Hermit Crabs
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Researchers tested whether short-term microplastic exposure impairs cognition in hermit crabs by exposing them to polyethylene microspheres for five days and then assessing their shell-selection behavior. The study found that microplastic-exposed crabs showed impaired information gathering and decision-making compared to controls, providing evidence that even brief microplastic exposure can affect cognitive function in invertebrates.
We tested whether acute microplastic exposure impacts information gathering and processing (cognition) in hermit crabs (Pagurus bernhardus). For five days, we kept 51 hermit crabs in tanks containing either polyethylene microspheres (n = 27) or no plastic (n = 24). We then transferred individuals into an intermediate-quality shell and presented them with two vials containing either a better or worse shell. Because touching both shell vials required an equivalent behavioural response, this design controlled for general activity. Plastic-exposed hermit crabs were less likely and slower than controls to touch the better shell vial, instead preferring the worse shell vial. Microplastics, therefore, impaired assessments and decision-making, providing direct evidence of acute microplastic exposure disrupting hermit crab cognition.
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Microplastics disrupt hermit crab shell selection
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Researchers tested whether microplastic exposure impairs shell selection in common European hermit crabs and found that crabs pre-exposed to microplastics were less likely to investigate and enter appropriate shells, suggesting microplastics can disrupt essential survival behaviors.
Supplementary material from "Microplastics disrupt hermit crab shell selection"
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Lab experiments showed that hermit crabs exposed to polyethylene microplastic spheres for five days were less likely to investigate, contact, or enter an optimally-sized shell than unexposed crabs. Since shell selection is critical for hermit crab survival, microplastic-induced impairment of this behavior could have meaningful effects on their fitness in polluted environments.
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When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.