Effect of gender on physiological and behavioural responses of Gammarus roeseli (Crustacea Amphipoda) to salinity and temperature.

Pascal Sornom (1) , Vincent Felten (1) , Vincent Médoc (2) , Sophie Sroda (1) , Philippe Rousselle (1) , Jean-Nicolas Beisel (1)

1 ESE - Ecotoxicité et santé environnementale
2 BGS - Biogéosciences [UMR 6282]

The importance of potentially interacting factors in organisms responses to a stress are often ignored or underestimated in ecotoxicology. In laboratory experiments we investigated how gender, temperature and age influence the behaviour and the physiology of the freshwater amphipod Gammarus roeseli under salinity stress. Our results revealed a significant higher sensitivity of females in survival, ventilation and ionoregulation whereas no inter-age differences were reported. Water temperature also exerted a significant effect in survival and ventilation of G. roeseli. Some of those factors appeared to interact significantly. This study provides evidence that gender can affect organisms responses to a stressor and consequently has to be considered while assessing a stress impact. We discussed the potential relationships between biological and behavioural responses.

Mots clés: Behaviour; Gender effect; Gammarus roeseli; Physiology; Salinity stress

Domaines: Ecologie, Environnement; Biodiversité et Ecologie

Pascal Sornom, Vincent Felten, Vincent Médoc, Sophie Sroda, Philippe Rousselle, et al.. Effect of gender on physiological and behavioural responses of Gammarus roeseli (Crustacea Amphipoda) to salinity and temperature.. Environmental Pollution, 2010, 158 (5), pp.1288-1295. ⟨10.1016/j.envpol.2010.01.022⟩. ⟨hal-00474338⟩