What are the consequences of being left-clawed in a predominantly right-clawed fiddler crab?

dc.contributor.authorBackwell, Patricia
dc.contributor.authorMatsumasa, M.
dc.contributor.authorDouble, Michael
dc.contributor.authorRoberts, Alexander
dc.contributor.authorMurai, Minoru
dc.contributor.authorKeogh, J Scott
dc.contributor.authorJennions, Michael
dc.date.accessioned2015-12-10T21:57:47Z
dc.date.issued2007
dc.date.updated2015-12-09T07:48:26Z
dc.description.abstractMale fiddler crabs (genus Uca) have an enlarged major claw that is used during fights. In most species, 50% of males have a major claw on the left and 50% on the right. In Uca vocans vomeris, however, less than 1.4% of males are left-clawed. Fights between opponents with claws on the same or opposite side result in different physical alignment of claws, which affects fighting tactics. Left-clawed males mainly fight opposite-clawed opponents, so we predicted that they would be better fighters due to their relatively greater experience in fighting opposite-clawed opponents. We found, however, that (i) a left-clawed male retains a burrow for a significantly shorter period than a size-matched right-clawed male, (ii) when experimentally displaced from their burrow, there is no difference in the tactics used by left- and right-clawed males to obtain a new burrow; however, right-clawed males are significantly more likely to initiate fights with resident males, and (iii) right-clawed residents engage in significantly more fights than left-clawed residents. It appears that left-clawed males are actually less likely to fight, and when they do fight they are less likely to win, than right-clawed males. The low-level persistence of left-clawed males is therefore unlikely to involve a frequency-dependent advantage associated with fighting experience.
dc.identifier.issn0962-8452
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1885/39929
dc.publisherRoyal Society of London
dc.sourceProceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B: Biological Sciences
dc.subjectKeywords: crab; fighting; functional morphology; intrasexual interaction; intraspecific competition; male; persistence; polymorphism; sexual selection; article; burrowing species; crab; experimental study; fighting; nonhuman; prediction; priority journal; Aggressio Frequency-dependent; Laterality; Male-male competition; Mate choice; Polymorphism; Sexual selection
dc.titleWhat are the consequences of being left-clawed in a predominantly right-clawed fiddler crab?
dc.typeJournal article
local.bibliographicCitation.lastpage2729
local.bibliographicCitation.startpage2723
local.contributor.affiliationBackwell, Patricia, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, ANU
local.contributor.affiliationMatsumasa, M., Iwate Medical University
local.contributor.affiliationDouble, Michael, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, ANU
local.contributor.affiliationRoberts, Alexander, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, ANU
local.contributor.affiliationMurai, Minoru, University of the Ryukyus
local.contributor.affiliationKeogh, J Scott, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, ANU
local.contributor.affiliationJennions, Michael, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, ANU
local.contributor.authoremailu4040667@anu.edu.au
local.contributor.authoruidBackwell, Patricia, u4040667
local.contributor.authoruidDouble, Michael, u9516271
local.contributor.authoruidRoberts, Alexander, u3167210
local.contributor.authoruidKeogh, J Scott, u9807405
local.contributor.authoruidJennions, Michael, u4037305
local.description.embargo2037-12-31
local.description.notesImported from ARIES
local.identifier.absfor060201 - Behavioural Ecology
local.identifier.ariespublicationu9511635xPUB185
local.identifier.citationvolume274
local.identifier.doi10.1098/rspb.2007.0666
local.identifier.scopusID2-s2.0-35048859190
local.identifier.uidSubmittedByu9511635
local.type.statusPublished Version

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