Sensitivity of Crustaceans to Substrate-Borne Vibration

There is increasing interest in the responsiveness of crustaceans to vibrations, especially in the context of marine developments where techniques such as pile driving create strong vibrations that are readily transmitted through the seabed. Experiments were undertaken under controlled conditions to investigate the sensitivity of unconditioned crustaceans to substrate-borne vibration. The subjects were exposed to a range of frequencies and amplitudes using the staircase method of presentation to determine the thresholds of response. Behavior varied according to the strength of the stimuli and included bursts of movement and rapid bouts of movement.