The morphological background of the habitat adaptation of Armadillidium (Isopoda: Oniscidea) species
Abstract
Terrestrial woodlice have adapted to land life by diverse morphological, physiological and behavioural changes. Woodlice species exhibit a large variety in this respect, their preferences ranging from moist to dry habitats and from rural to anthropogenic, which also determine their geographical distributions in turn. As they are small, ground-dwelling macroinvertebrates with low dispersal ability, their geographical distribution is highly dependent on appropriate ecological conditions. So their occurrence and survival depends on the capabilities of the habitats and the tolerance of the species. We can classify them by their ecological parameters (tolerance spectrum), which can help us to deem the naturalness of the habitats. We have studied four species belonging to the Armadillidium genus-(A. zenckeri, A. nasatum, A. versicolor, A. vulgare), which occur in different habitats in Hungary. Wet litter/soil conditions and high relative humidity are the key factors for their survival. We have investigated the structure of pleopodal lungs and thickness of cuticle, which are very important in determining protection from desiccation. Our light microscopy and stereology studies supported our hypothesis: the four species can be differentiated by their lungs’ structure and cuticle thickness. The generalist A. vulgare has the most complex pleopodal lungs and thickest cuticle, and the A. zenckeri, which only occurs in wetlands in Hungary, has the simplest lungs and thinnest cuticle.
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