What are the consequences of being left-clawed in a predominantly right-clawed fiddler crab?
dc.contributor.author | Backwell, Patricia | |
dc.contributor.author | Matsumasa, M. | |
dc.contributor.author | Double, Michael | |
dc.contributor.author | Roberts, Alexander | |
dc.contributor.author | Murai, Minoru | |
dc.contributor.author | Keogh, J Scott | |
dc.contributor.author | Jennions, Michael | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2015-12-10T21:57:47Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2007 | |
dc.date.updated | 2015-12-09T07:48:26Z | |
dc.description.abstract | Male 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.issn | 0962-8452 | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1885/39929 | |
dc.publisher | Royal Society of London | |
dc.source | Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B: Biological Sciences | |
dc.subject | Keywords: 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.title | What are the consequences of being left-clawed in a predominantly right-clawed fiddler crab? | |
dc.type | Journal article | |
local.bibliographicCitation.lastpage | 2729 | |
local.bibliographicCitation.startpage | 2723 | |
local.contributor.affiliation | Backwell, Patricia, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, ANU | |
local.contributor.affiliation | Matsumasa, M., Iwate Medical University | |
local.contributor.affiliation | Double, Michael, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, ANU | |
local.contributor.affiliation | Roberts, Alexander, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, ANU | |
local.contributor.affiliation | Murai, Minoru, University of the Ryukyus | |
local.contributor.affiliation | Keogh, J Scott, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, ANU | |
local.contributor.affiliation | Jennions, Michael, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, ANU | |
local.contributor.authoremail | u4040667@anu.edu.au | |
local.contributor.authoruid | Backwell, Patricia, u4040667 | |
local.contributor.authoruid | Double, Michael, u9516271 | |
local.contributor.authoruid | Roberts, Alexander, u3167210 | |
local.contributor.authoruid | Keogh, J Scott, u9807405 | |
local.contributor.authoruid | Jennions, Michael, u4037305 | |
local.description.embargo | 2037-12-31 | |
local.description.notes | Imported from ARIES | |
local.identifier.absfor | 060201 - Behavioural Ecology | |
local.identifier.ariespublication | u9511635xPUB185 | |
local.identifier.citationvolume | 274 | |
local.identifier.doi | 10.1098/rspb.2007.0666 | |
local.identifier.scopusID | 2-s2.0-35048859190 | |
local.identifier.uidSubmittedBy | u9511635 | |
local.type.status | Published Version |
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