Salinity does not affect late-stage in-egg embryonic or immediate post-hatch development in an ecologically important land crab species

ORCID

Abstract

Environmental drivers such as salinity can impact the timing and duration of developmental events in aquatic early life stages of crustaceans, including terrestrial crabs of the family Gecarcinidae. Low salinity delays larval development in land crabs, but nothing is known about its influence on the crucial late-stage encapsulated embryonic or immediate post-hatch development. Therefore, we exposed fertilised late-stage embryos of the Christmas Island red crab (Gecarcoidea natalis) to differing salinities (100%, 75%, 50% or 25% sea water) for 24 h during their spawning period and measured some key developmental and physiological traits. We found no effect of salinity on time of first heartbeat, time of hatching, first in-egg embryonic and post-hatch heart rate, or post-hatch activity duration. These results highlight the importance of considering all early life stages when fully characterising the effects of environmental drivers on crustacean development, including under climate change.

Publication Date

2025-01-23

Publication Title

Journal of Experimental Biology

Volume

228

Issue

2

ISSN

0022-0949

Acceptance Date

2024-12-13

Deposit Date

2025-03-05

Embargo Period

2026-01-23

Funding

We thank the Park Manager and staff of Parks Australia, Christmas Island, for their logistical assistance, hospitality and enthusiasm for this work. This work was conducted under permits granted by the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2000 (permit numbers AU-COM2023-594 and PA2023_00128). This research was supported by School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth internal funding. L.M.T. was supported by a University of Plymouth Research Culture Support Fellowship. O.T. was supported by a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Leaders Fellowship (MR/T01962X/1). O.T. and J.I.S. were supported by a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Follow on Fund (grant BB/W017938/1).

Keywords

Christmas Island, Embryo, Embryo phenomics, Gecarcinidae, Hatchling, Heart rate, Heartbeat

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This item is under embargo until 23 January 2026

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