They can use their sense of smell to find food and identify mates and other pillbugs. They have hairs called setae on their antennae and mouthparts that are used for touch, and can detect objects that they brush against.
They can also detect chemicals with their antennae. They produce a chemical called an aggregate pheromone, which other pillbugs can detect. They often mark their trails with this pheromone, which lets pillbugs find each other by following these markings. It may also be involved in mating.
The presence of this pheromone also shows other pillbugs that this habitat is desirable, as other pillbugs are clearly able to survive there. Common pillbugs are primarily detritovores, eating decomposing leaves and other decaying matter. They will also feed on small pieces of garden roots such as carrots, as well as fruit, and other plants. They also feed on their own feces, which allows them to get nutrients that they could not process during the first digestion.
When these food sources are not present, they will eat seeds. Larger pillbugs will even cannibalize smaller pillbugs of the same or different species, especially if the other pillbug is injured. Common pillbugs have strong defenses against predators. Their body plates are strong, and by rolling into a ball they make it difficult for predators to get to their soft body parts.
They have glands that produce unpleasant secretions, which repel predators. Their gray color also acts as camouflage against rocks or wood. Most smaller predators cannot get past these defenses, though there are some tropical ants of the genus Leptogenys that have long pinchers which can pry apart balled-up pillbugs.
Spider species of the genus Dysdera are known predators of pillbugs, as well as birds, such as the Common Starling. Common pillbugs feed on decomposing plant matter. They also feed on seeds and feces. They recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem by eating and digesting these things. They can also cause problems for plants by feeding on seeds, preventing them from growing.
They are prey for birds, spiders, and ants. Pillbugs can be infected with two kinds of bacteria, Photorhabdus luminescens and Wolbachia. Wolbachia can actually turn all offspring into females. Pillbugs can also be infected by Iridovirus IIV invertebrate iridescent virus 31 , which can turn pillbugs blue or purple, and can shorten their lifespan.
They can also be hosts to a parasitic worm, Plagiorhynchus cylindraceus. The worm lives inside the pillbug's digestive system, can cause females to be sterile, and causes changes in their behavior. Infected pillbugs will move out into open areas where birds can more easily prey on them, and then the worm can infect the bird once it has been eaten with the pillbug.
Large numbers of pillbugs in gardens or greenhouses may eat and damage young plants, but this is rare and not a big threat. In central Europe, common pillbugs feed on the seeds of agricultural weeds. This prevents the weeds from growing and competing with crops, allowing for more crops to successfully grow. They are also used in research, as they can easily be kept in very large numbers with little maintenance. They also help to breakdown decomposing plant matter in forests and in gardens, as this is their main source of food.
This also releases nutrients back into the soil and ecosystem. Their activity improves the quality of soil, which can be helpful for farmers and gardeners. Common pillbugs are not an endangered species. Giraud, et al. Common names of Armadillidium vulgare include common pill woodlouse, roly poly, and German 'Kugelassel'. The genus was once Armadillo , named after the mammal armadillo, which also rolls into a ball like these pillbugs do.
Acanthocephala Thorny Headed Worms. Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia , Vol. Isopoda Pillbugs, Slaters, and Woodlice. Bousfield, E. Encyclopaedia Britannica , 15th Edition. Conlan, I. Gordon, J.
Green, W. Chevalier, F. Bertaux, M. Raimond, F. Morel, D. Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide.
Sign In or Create an Account. Sign In. Advanced Search. Search Menu. Article Navigation. Close mobile search navigation Article Navigation. Volume Article Contents Abstract. Evolutionary Strategies of the Antennae in Terrestrial Isopods.
Helmut Schmalfuss Helmut Schmalfuss. By using their antennae to read the stimuli from their world, isopods can tell what the temperature, moisture, and telemetry of their world are like. Isopods do have compound eyes that help them tell the light spectrum from the surrounding area.
It is these eyes that will cause an isopod to roll up into a protective ball, scatter when your shadow falls on them, or if you turn on the light. This is why the isopod I found in my kitchen unrolled when I placed it in a dark place. For the most part, their antennae have two functions: to tell the isopod where it is moister as isopods breathe through land-gills that require a moist environment and to detect areas that are darkest and food-rich.
If an isopod is no longer able to tell moisture and darkness levels of the world around them, they will die. Isopods are land-based crustaceans that require moist, dark, and decay-filled environments to survive. I have since been placing any isopods I find in the darker corners of my garden near my leafy plants that have nice mulching to cover their roots. A final interesting adaptation that isopods have is their ability to smell with their antennae.
I found this most interesting! Or if they smell that they are moving toward a dry area with too much light, they can redirect their movement using kinesis to move in a different direction at random to reacquire the scent of a more favorable place. Isopods can detect many small environmentally based stimuli. These include heat, moisture, nitrogen from fertilizers, insecticides, and flooding.
Detecting these stimuli is how the isopod can read and interpret its environment. It helps them know where to move for food, shelter, and moisture.
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