Eavesdropping in crabs: an agency for lady detection
-
Altmetric Citations
Milner, Richard; Jennions, Michael; Backwell, Patricia
Description
Although conspicuous courtship displays are an effective way of attracting the attention of receptive females, they could provide valuable information to rival males on the location of these females. In fiddler crabs, males that see a receptive female wave their single, greatly enlarged claw in a highly conspicuous courtship display. We test whether other males use this courtship display to alert them to the presence of receptive females that they cannot directly see. We show that male fiddler...[Show more]
dc.contributor.author | Milner, Richard | |
---|---|---|
dc.contributor.author | Jennions, Michael | |
dc.contributor.author | Backwell, Patricia | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2015-12-10T23:04:05Z | |
dc.identifier.issn | 1744-9561 | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1885/62220 | |
dc.description.abstract | Although conspicuous courtship displays are an effective way of attracting the attention of receptive females, they could provide valuable information to rival males on the location of these females. In fiddler crabs, males that see a receptive female wave their single, greatly enlarged claw in a highly conspicuous courtship display. We test whether other males use this courtship display to alert them to the presence of receptive females that they cannot directly see. We show that male fiddler crabs (Uca mjoebergi ) eavesdrop on the courtship displays of nearby males to detect mate-searching females. This allows males to begin waving before a female becomes visible. Furthermore, males appear to adjust their waving according to the information available: eavesdropping males wave 12 times faster than non-courting males but only 1.7 times slower than males in full visual contact with the female. | |
dc.publisher | Royal Society of London | |
dc.source | Biology Letters | |
dc.subject | Keywords: crab; display behavior; mate attraction; reproductive strategy; visualization; animal; animal behavior; animal communication; article; Brachyura; female; male; physiology; sexual behavior; Animal Communication; Animals; Behavior, Animal; Brachyura; Female Animal communication; Eavesdropping; Fiddler crabs; Mate attraction; Uca mjoebergi | |
dc.title | Eavesdropping in crabs: an agency for lady detection | |
dc.type | Journal article | |
local.description.notes | Imported from ARIES | |
local.identifier.citationvolume | 6 | |
dc.date.issued | 2010 | |
local.identifier.absfor | 060201 - Behavioural Ecology | |
local.identifier.ariespublication | u9511635xPUB677 | |
local.type.status | Published Version | |
local.contributor.affiliation | Milner, Richard, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, ANU | |
local.contributor.affiliation | Jennions, Michael, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, ANU | |
local.contributor.affiliation | Backwell, Patricia, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, ANU | |
local.description.embargo | 2037-12-31 | |
local.bibliographicCitation.startpage | 755 | |
local.bibliographicCitation.lastpage | 757 | |
local.identifier.doi | 10.1098/rsbl.2010.0384 | |
local.identifier.absseo | 970106 - Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences | |
dc.date.updated | 2016-02-24T12:07:42Z | |
local.identifier.scopusID | 2-s2.0-78649805694 | |
local.identifier.thomsonID | 000284104000010 | |
Collections | ANU Research Publications |
Download
File | Description | Size | Format | Image |
---|---|---|---|---|
01_Milner_Eavesdropping_in_crabs:_an_2010.pdf | 165.05 kB | Adobe PDF | Request a copy |
Items in Open Research are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.
Updated: 17 November 2022/ Responsible Officer: University Librarian/ Page Contact: Library Systems & Web Coordinator