Ecologist searches for new shrimp species in Guernsey

An ecologist hopes to find previously undiscovered fresh water creatures in the Bailiwick of Guernsey.

Lee Knight, from Devon, has spent 14 years travelling the UK looking for new species of cave dwelling blind shrimp.

He said little was know about the cave fauna so new species were often being discovered worldwide.

Mr Knight said as recently as 2010, a species never before seen in Britain had been discovered in a cave on the Mendip Hills of Somerset.

He said: "Work has found they are more widespread then first thought.

"In the entire Channel Islands there's only four records, one of which is from Guernsey and due to a lack of any sort of systematic survey work I highly suspected we will find other species, and certainly new records for current species."

The Guernsey report was of a species known as niphargus aquilex, which was found in St Martin in 1907.

Mr Knight is due to visit Guernsey, Alderney and Sark later this year and has asked islanders with wells or boreholes to give him permission to explore their underwater systems by contacting the Guernsey Biological Records Centre.

He said the sample process involved lowering a net, with an attached weight, to the sediment at the bottom of wells and boreholes, where the creatures are generally thought to live.

The net is then pulled up and down a few times to disturb the sediment before the net is hauled to the surface, hopefully catching shrimps on the way.

Mr Knight said the process is repeated three times at each site and his equipment could take samples down to 100m in depth and boreholes as small as 5cm in diameter.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-guernsey-16831751

'Jealous' Hermaphrodite Shrimp Murder Their Rivals

Like creepy stalkers, cleaner shrimp won't share their partner with anyone else. When placed in groups of more than two, the creatures attack in the dark of night, killing off the competition.

"We enlarged the group size to triplets and quartets, and we observed the molting cycle and the interactions between individuals,'' study researcher Janine Wong, of the University of Basel in Switzerland, told LiveScience."In this species, the shrimp usually live in pairs. We were wondering, because monogamy is quite susceptible to cheating, if these individuals would stay in monogamous pairs."

They didn't.

Sperm or egg?
Cleaner shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis) pairs make their living picking parasites from fish. They stake out their cleaning stations and wait for fish to stop by their storefront. Each shrimp is a hermaphrodite, meaning it can reproduce as both a male and a female, though it can't fertilize its own eggs.

In times of high competition for a mate, each shrimp makes fewer eggs and more sperm, since the eggs are more cost-intensive to produce and one individual's sperm can fertilize many eggs. The goal is to pass on one's genes, and in this case, sperm will do the trick. When two shrimp pair up in a monogamous relationship, however, they shift to making more eggs and less sperm, since there isn't competition for who is going to fertilize whom.

This type of social monogamy is only found in shrimp with cleaning behavior, Wong said, possibly because these cleaner shrimp stick to their territory instead of going around and searching for food.

Shrimp squabbles
Wong and her colleagues placed two, three or four cleaner shrimp together in a group (repeated 10 times for each condition). By the time 42 days had passed, every tank was down to two shrimp.
The shrimp are only vulnerable to attack right after they have molted, when their outer skins made of keratin are thin. To avoid predators, they molt during the night. Though the shrimp weren't aggressive during the day, at night they ganged up on any freshly molted tank-mates.

"During daytime, there were no aggressive interactions observable, they were just sitting next to each other or ignoring each other. You couldn't predict from their behavior during the daytime who would be the next victim," Wong said. "The individual that died had just molted a few hours before. Because the keratin didn't harden yet, they were very vulnerable and easy targets."

Territorial terrors
These shrimp, regardless of whether they are paired up, usually molt every two weeks. In high-competition environments, with three or four shrimp per tank, they molt less frequently. Wong's team noticed that after murdering their extra tank mates, the killer shrimp would return to their regular molting schedule.

In the threesomes, the victim was usually the smallest in the tank, but in the quartet, the same trend wasn't obvious. It wasn't always the first shrimp to molt that was done in, either. The researchers aren't sure yet why certain shrimp lived while others were killed.

This tank is an artificial environment compared with the wild, where the shrimp could just swim away when threatened. Researchers aren't sure how these L. amboinensis act in the wild, but they are very territorial. It's more likely that a "third wheel" type would be chased away from the mating pair's cleaning station, and the murderous rage would be much lower.

The study was published Thursday (Nov. 10) in the journal Frontiers of Zoology.
You can follow LiveScience staff writer Jennifer Welsh on Twitter @microbelover. Follow LiveScience for the latest in science news and discoveries on Twitter @livescience and on Facebook.

http://www.livescience.com/16985-cleaner-shrimp-murder-rivals.html

Invasive 'killer' shrimp found at two sites in Wales

The shrimp has spread across western Europe over the past 10 years


A "killer" shrimp that feeds on native counterparts, young fish and insect larvae has been found at two sites in Wales, says the Environment Agency.

The predatory Dikerogammarus villosus alters the ecology of habitats it invades, and can cause extinctions.

It was found in the UK at a reservoir in Cambridgeshire in September.

Environment Agency Wales said it has now been confirmed at Cardiff Bay and Eglwys Nunydd Reservoir in Port Talbot. It is not known how it arrived there.

Originally from the steppe region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, D. villosus has spread across most of Western Europe during the last 10 years.

The alien invader can be as small as 3mm but may grow up to 30mm long, making it much larger than native freshwater shrimp.

Dubbed the killer shrimp by biologists for its appetite, it often kills its prey and leaves it uneaten.

Spreading
The Welsh Assembly Government has set up an all-Wales group to contain the species as much as possible.

It includes Environment Agency Wales, the Countryside Council for Wales, Cardiff Harbour Authority and the owners of Eglwys Nunydd.

People using the waters are urged to clean and dry equipment when leaving the water to prevent the species from spreading.

Environment Agency Wales director Chris Mills said: "Despite the fearsome name, these are not a threat to people, but the damage they can cause to our environment here in Wales is a very real danger.

"Because of what they eat and the rate that they eat it, it can alter the food chain and our ecosystem by increasing the competition for food and the native species that rely on the insects could go elsewhere.

"We will continue with our monitoring work across Wales to identify any other water recreation spots where they could be to see how widespread the problem has become."

Invasive 'killer' shrimp found at two sites in Wales

The shrimp has spread across western Europe over the past 10 years


A "killer" shrimp that feeds on native counterparts, young fish and insect larvae has been found at two sites in Wales, says the Environment Agency.

The predatory Dikerogammarus villosus alters the ecology of habitats it invades, and can cause extinctions.

It was found in the UK at a reservoir in Cambridgeshire in September.

Environment Agency Wales said it has now been confirmed at Cardiff Bay and Eglwys Nunydd Reservoir in Port Talbot. It is not known how it arrived there.

Originally from the steppe region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, D. villosus has spread across most of Western Europe during the last 10 years.

The alien invader can be as small as 3mm but may grow up to 30mm long, making it much larger than native freshwater shrimp.

Dubbed the killer shrimp by biologists for its appetite, it often kills its prey and leaves it uneaten.

Spreading
The Welsh Assembly Government has set up an all-Wales group to contain the species as much as possible.

It includes Environment Agency Wales, the Countryside Council for Wales, Cardiff Harbour Authority and the owners of Eglwys Nunydd.

People using the waters are urged to clean and dry equipment when leaving the water to prevent the species from spreading.

Environment Agency Wales director Chris Mills said: "Despite the fearsome name, these are not a threat to people, but the damage they can cause to our environment here in Wales is a very real danger.

"Because of what they eat and the rate that they eat it, it can alter the food chain and our ecosystem by increasing the competition for food and the native species that rely on the insects could go elsewhere.

"We will continue with our monitoring work across Wales to identify any other water recreation spots where they could be to see how widespread the problem has become."

Alien 'killer' shrimp found in UK (Via Carl Portman)

An invasive species of predatory shrimp has been found in the UK for the first time.

The animal was spotted by anglers at the Grafham Water reservoir in Cambridgeshire and sent to the Environment Agency for identification.

The shrimp preys on a range of native species, such as freshwater invertebrates - particularly native shrimp - and even young fish.

This alters the ecology of habitats it invades, and could cause extinctions.

According to the Environment Agency, the animal, known as Dikerogammarus villosus, often kills its prey and leaves it uneaten.

Insects such as damselflies and water boatmen could be at risk, with knock-on effects on the species which feed on them.

D. villosus has spread across most of Western Europe over the last 10 years. It can be as small as 3mm but may grow up to 30mm long, making it much larger than native freshwater shrimp.

After the discovery by the anglers, an expert in Holland conclusively identified the species.

Dr Paul Leinster, chief executive of the Environment Agency, said: "We are devastated that this shrimp has been found in Britain... We are currently establishing the degree of the problem, and whether the shrimp is only in Grafham Water or if it is in nearby lakes and the Great Ouse as well."

The shrimp is native to the steppe region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. It is believed to have invaded Western Europe via the Danube.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11246642

Alien 'killer' shrimp found in UK (Via Carl Portman)

An invasive species of predatory shrimp has been found in the UK for the first time.

The animal was spotted by anglers at the Grafham Water reservoir in Cambridgeshire and sent to the Environment Agency for identification.

The shrimp preys on a range of native species, such as freshwater invertebrates - particularly native shrimp - and even young fish.

This alters the ecology of habitats it invades, and could cause extinctions.

According to the Environment Agency, the animal, known as Dikerogammarus villosus, often kills its prey and leaves it uneaten.

Insects such as damselflies and water boatmen could be at risk, with knock-on effects on the species which feed on them.

D. villosus has spread across most of Western Europe over the last 10 years. It can be as small as 3mm but may grow up to 30mm long, making it much larger than native freshwater shrimp.

After the discovery by the anglers, an expert in Holland conclusively identified the species.

Dr Paul Leinster, chief executive of the Environment Agency, said: "We are devastated that this shrimp has been found in Britain... We are currently establishing the degree of the problem, and whether the shrimp is only in Grafham Water or if it is in nearby lakes and the Great Ouse as well."

The shrimp is native to the steppe region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. It is believed to have invaded Western Europe via the Danube.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11246642

NASA discovers life hidden 600 feet below Antarctic ice

A three-inch long Lyssianasid amphipod (seen in orange) was found on the underside of the McMurdo ice shelf in Antarctica.

March 16th, 2010

Six hundred feet below the Antarctic ice, where no light can be found, NASA scientists made a startling discovery – a swimming shrimp-like creature that could challenge the idea of where and how forms of life can survive.

While the creature is small itself -– only about three inches long -– its impact could be tremendous.

A NASA team had lowered a small video camera to get the first-ever photograph of the underside of an ice shelf – and that’s when they saw the swimming creature, according to a NASA document.

The discovery could shake the very foundation of what kind of creatures can survive in certain atmospheres.

"We were operating on the presumption that nothing's there," NASA ice scientist Robert Bindschadler told the Associated Press. "It was a shrimp you'd enjoy having on your plate."

"We were just gaga over it," he told the AP.

The creature, a Lyssianasid amphipod, could lead the way for larger expeditions into harsher environments that scientists previously believed could not support life – both on the Earth and even frozen moons in outer space.

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/03/16/nasa-discovers-life-hidden-600-feet-below-antarctic-ice/
(Submitted by T. Peter Park)

Tourist poo 'killed rare shrimp' on Uluru

By Eric Tlozek

A wildlife scientist says people relieving themselves on top of Uluru may have killed off a rare species of shrimp.

Retired university professor Brian Timms says he has studied museum specimens of small inland shrimp that live in pools on top of Uluru.

He says his research shows the localised extinction of one species of fairy shrimp and the dominance of another - changes which could be due to human waste.

"It's happened already that the people going up the rock somehow have affected the animals which live in the pools, possibly by peeing on the rock and pooing on the rock," he said.

He says the Branchinella Latzi shrimp species, which once inhabited rock pools on Uluru, has not been found in collections since about the 1970s.

"Latzi is a very limited species and it might be susceptible to enrichment of the pools whereas [the other species on Uluru] is a widespread, tough species," he said.

"Certainly if they [tourists] go up, they should be behaving themselves, not pooing on the rock."

Earlier this month an Uluru tour guide told the ABC that tourists climbing the rock are sometimes defecating at the top because there are no toilets available.

The Director of National Parks continues to assess submissions on a draft management plan for the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, which proposes banning climbers from the rock for cultural, safety and environmental reasons.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/29/2699826.htm

Tourist poo 'killed rare shrimp' on Uluru

By Eric Tlozek

A wildlife scientist says people relieving themselves on top of Uluru may have killed off a rare species of shrimp.

Retired university professor Brian Timms says he has studied museum specimens of small inland shrimp that live in pools on top of Uluru.

He says his research shows the localised extinction of one species of fairy shrimp and the dominance of another - changes which could be due to human waste.

"It's happened already that the people going up the rock somehow have affected the animals which live in the pools, possibly by peeing on the rock and pooing on the rock," he said.

He says the Branchinella Latzi shrimp species, which once inhabited rock pools on Uluru, has not been found in collections since about the 1970s.

"Latzi is a very limited species and it might be susceptible to enrichment of the pools whereas [the other species on Uluru] is a widespread, tough species," he said.

"Certainly if they [tourists] go up, they should be behaving themselves, not pooing on the rock."

Earlier this month an Uluru tour guide told the ABC that tourists climbing the rock are sometimes defecating at the top because there are no toilets available.

The Director of National Parks continues to assess submissions on a draft management plan for the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, which proposes banning climbers from the rock for cultural, safety and environmental reasons.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/09/29/2699826.htm