Respirometer experiments recording oxygen consumption and a behavioural choice bioassay of the hermit crab Pagurus bernhardus to the plastic additive oleamide@en

The physiological and behavioural responses of the hermit crab Pagurus bernhardus to the plastic additive oleamide was assessed. This was evaluated via respirometer experiments that recorded oxygen consumption, and a behavioural choice bioassay.
In February 2019, 40 hermit crabs were collected from the rocky intertidal shore near Scarborough (54°25'19.6”N 0°31'43.6”W), North Yorkshire, UK, and then transported to the aquarium facilities at the University of Hull. Hermit crabs were housed in individual containers in three 200 L tanks as part of a recirculation system (1600 L) filled with artificial seawater and acclimatised to a twice weekly feeding rhythm with cooked blue mussels. A 12 h/ 12 h light/dark cycle period was in place to simulate day/night rhythms. Hermit crabs were kept at pH 8.1±0.1, an average temperature of 15.8±0.2°C and 35.9± 0.2 PSU. All collections and experiments were conducted following national and/or institutional guidelines. Approval was granted by the Ethics Committee of the University of Hull (No. UO20, FEC_2019_155). Experimental trials were conducted in March 2019 – April 2019. […]