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Why do fiddler crabs build chimneys?

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dc.contributor.authorSlatyer, R
dc.contributor.authorFok, E
dc.contributor.authorHocking, Rachael
dc.contributor.authorBackwell, Patricia
dc.date.accessioned2015-12-10T22:35:35Z
dc.date.issued2008
dc.date.updated2016-02-24T12:04:44Z
dc.description.abstractChimneys are mud mounds built by fiddler crabs that encircle the entrance to their burrow. Their function in many species is unknown. In Uca capricornis, crabs of both sexes and all sizes build chimneys, but females do so disproportionately more often. There are no differences in the immediate physical or social environments between crabs with and without a chimney. Chimney owners spend less time feeding and more time underground than non-owners. We show experimentally that burrows with a chimney are less likely to be located by an intruder. It is possible that some crabs construct chimneys around their burrow to conceal the entrance and reduce the risk of losing it to an intruder.
dc.identifier.issn1744-9561
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1885/56318
dc.publisherRoyal Society of London
dc.sourceBiology Letters
dc.subjectKeywords: crab; defense behavior; feeding; mud; article; burrowing species; chimney; crab; environmental exposure; evolutionary adaptation; feeding behavior; female; male; nonhuman; priority journal; social environment; uca capricornis; Animals; Behavior, Animal; B Chimneys; Fiddler crab; Structure building
dc.titleWhy do fiddler crabs build chimneys?
dc.typeJournal article
local.bibliographicCitation.lastpage618
local.bibliographicCitation.startpage616
local.contributor.affiliationSlatyer, R, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, ANU
local.contributor.affiliationFok, E, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, ANU
local.contributor.affiliationHocking, Rachael, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, ANU
local.contributor.affiliationBackwell, Patricia, College of Medicine, Biology and Environment, ANU
local.contributor.authoruidSlatyer, R, u4309340
local.contributor.authoruidFok, E, u4367948
local.contributor.authoruidHocking, Rachael, u2544486
local.contributor.authoruidBackwell, Patricia, u4040667
local.description.embargo2037-12-31
local.description.notesImported from ARIES
local.identifier.absfor060304 - Ethology and Sociobiology
local.identifier.ariespublicationu9511635xPUB358
local.identifier.citationvolume4
local.identifier.doi10.1098/rsbl.2008.0387
local.identifier.scopusID2-s2.0-58149234987
local.identifier.thomsonID000260719800005
local.type.statusPublished Version

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