Shelters are crucial for intertidal organisms as a way to protect from environmental stress. The present study examines whether the shelter selection of the amphipod Ampithoe valida is influenced by ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and whether this selection depends on the amount of photoprotective compounds (UV-absorbing compounds, UVAC) that the amphipods acquire through the diet. Amphipods were exposed to radiation (photosynthetically active radiation and UVR) and offered a choice of UVR-transparent versus UVR-shielded shelters. Experiments were carried out (1) in the short term (i.e., hours) and (2) in the middle term (i.e., days), with individuals feeding on diets with different amounts of UVAC either prior to or during the exposure, respectively. In the short term, both sexes preferentially selected UVR-shielded shelters. In the middle term, the preference for this shelter type was only observed after 5 days of exposure in females and in males just partially; however, no shelter preferences could be detected during the first two days of exposure in either sex. In the case of the experiment with females, this latter was possibly related to lower irradiances due to cloudy conditions, whereas males may have traded shelter for higher mobility. UVAC acquired through the diet did not alter A. valida’s shelter selection, indicating that seeking shelter remains an important strategy to protect from deleterious levels of UVR even when other mechanisms of photoprotection are available.

庇护所对于潮间带生物至关重要，是一种保护环境压力的方式。本研究检验了端足类 Ampithoe valida的庇护选择是否受紫外线辐射 (UVR) 的影响，这种选择是否取决于端足类动物通过饮食获得的光保护化合物（UV-吸收化合物，UVAC）的量。端足类动物暴露于辐射（光合有效辐射和 UVR）中，并提供了 UVR 透明与 UVR 屏蔽的庇护所的选择。(1) 短期（即数小时）和 (2) 中期（即数天）进行了实验，个体分别在暴露前或暴露期间以含有不同量 UVAC 的饮食为食。在短期内，男女都优先选择防紫外线的避难所。中期来看，女性仅在暴露 5 天后才观察到对这种避难所类型的偏好，而男性仅部分偏爱；然而，在暴露的前两天，无论男女，都没有发现对庇护所的偏好。在雌性实验的情况下，后者可能与由于多云条件导致的较低辐照度有关，而雄性可能为了更高的流动性而放弃了庇护所。通过饮食获得的 UVAC 没有改变A. valida 的避难所选择，表明即使有其他光保护机制可用，寻求避难所仍然是防止有害水平的 UVR 的重要策略。