Effects of Tributyltin on Activity and Burrowing Behavior of the Fiddler Crab, Uca pugilator

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Abstract
Fiddler crabs,Uca pugilator, collected from the field showed no avoidance to burrowing in 1 μg g−1 tributyltin (TBT)-contaminated sand held in laboratory trays. Treatment ofU. pugilator with levels of tributyltin as low as 0.5 μg l−1 for 1–3 wk resulted in an acceleration of the righting reflex in females, indicative of hyperactivity. Crabs of both sexes exhibited a reduction in burrowing activity, as measured by the number of burrows dug at 15 and 60 min after release into laboratory trays containing sand, and by the number of crabs within burrows at those times. The reduction in burrowing activity was not dose-dependent at concentrations of 0.5 to 50 μg l−1, and was unchanged between one and three weeks of exposure. Since fiddler crabs are dependent on burrows for many aspects of their lives, the reduction in burrowing behavior, should it occur in nature, would have serious consequences for the species.