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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
At each low tide, male and female Uca tangeri
remove mudballs from inside their burrows and place them
on the surface. Previous studies have shown clear intersexual
differences in mudball arrangements. However, we
noticed that some females placed their mudballs in an arrangement
similar to that of males. In this study, we investigated
several factors that may have been responsible for
this change in female mudballing behavior. We found no
significant effect of the lunar cycle, female size and reproductive
state, or burrow features. We briefly discuss the
avoidance of sexual coercion or parasite modification of
host behavior as possible factors. Our study shows that
intersexual differences in mudballing behavior are more
complex than previously thought.
Description
Keywords
Fiddler crab Uca tangeri Mudballing Malestyle behavior Sexual harassment Parasites
Citation
Journal of Ethology, 19, 97-103