Effects of pH on Olfactory Behaviours in Male Shore Crabs, Carcinus maenas

Climate change potentially threatens biodiversity, and in a changing environment, it is vitally important that we learn to understand how animals react to the predicted changes. In marine organisms, the sense of smell governs almost all essential behaviours animals exhibit, from finding food and detecting a predator to finding a mating partner. Interpreting animal behaviour when exposed to odour is a complex task, as many factors from seasonality to individuality, fitness, social status, and even weather and water chemistry influence an individual’s response. Here, we examine the impacts of reducing seawater pH levels predicted for the end of the century upon decision-making in male shore crabs when exposed to the female reproductive odour, the female sex pheromone. There is a significant alteration in the responsiveness of male crabs, with large, more sexually active males taking significantly less time to detect and react to females but then showing less sexual mating activity once reaching the female odour. This disruption of olfactory communication can potentially impact the mating and reproductive success of this globally distributed species, showing that even coastal crustaceans that are known to be hardy and able to survive substantial stressors are potentially at risk from altered seawater chemistry associated with climate change.