Sex specific differences recorded in the behavior of an amphipod: implications for behavioral toxicology

Behaviour is a useful endpoint in ecotoxicological research; it links the biochemical effects of contamination with physiology of individuals, which can be applied to higher levels of organisation with relevance to ecology. Animals exhibit species-specific and sex specific behaviours. Previous experiments within ecotoxicology using amphipods as models have either not separated by sex or have on the assumption that they may create more variability in the results. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to investigate the effect of time (which controlled light conditions), sex, and the interaction of time and sex on the swimming velocity in males and females of the marine amphipod Echino…