Burrow Morphology and Burrowing Behaviour of Trypaea australiensis.

This study examined the burrow morphology and burrowing behavior of the mud shrimp Trypaea australiensis to understand the role of burrows for these organisms. We quantified burrow size and shape using resin casts and 3D imagery at two field sites, Shoalhaven Heads and Port Hacking. We found burrow casts at Shoalhaven Heads were larger and more variable in length compared to those at Port Hacking. For shrimp burrow behaviour, laboratory experiments showed that the shrimp tend to spend considerable time maintaining their burrows, regardless of time of day or shrimp sex. Though it was found that shrimp size impacted their behaviour, with smaller shrimp spending more time sitting and less time ventilating their burrows than larger shrimp.本研究以澳洲泥虾（Trypaea australiensis）为研究对象，考察其洞穴形态与掘穴行为，旨在阐明洞穴对于该类生物的生态功能。我们在肖尔黑文角（Shoalhaven Heads）与哈克宁港（Port Hacking）两个野外样地中，采用树脂铸型（resin casts）与三维成像（3D imagery）技术对洞穴的尺寸与形态进行了定量分析。研究发现，肖尔黑文角的洞穴铸型在长度上显著大于哈克宁港的样本，且长度变异程度更高。针对虾类掘穴行为的室内实验结果表明，无论昼夜时段或虾类性别如何，该泥虾均会花费大量时间维护洞穴。尽管研究发现虾体大小会对其行为产生影响：相较于体型较大的个体，体型较小的虾会花费更多时间静栖，而用于通风洞穴的时间则相对更少。