Seawater carbonate chemistry and shrimp armor and escape kinematics

Pandalid shrimp use morphological and behavioral defenses against their numerous fish and invertebrate predators. Their rapid tail-flip escape and rigid exoskeleton armor may be sensitive to changes in ocean temperature and carbon chemistry in ways that alter their efficacy and impact mortality. Here we tested the hypothesis that ocean warming and acidification conditions affect the anti-predator defenses of Pandalus gurneyi. To test this hypothesis, we exposed shrimp to a combination of pH (8.0, 7.7, 7.5) and temperature (13°C, 17°C) treatments and assessed their tail-flip escape and exoskeleton armor after short-term (2 weeks) and medium-term (3 months) exposure.