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Perez DM, Klunk CL, Araujo SBL. Imperfect synchrony in animal displays: why does it occur and what is the true role of leadership? Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200339. [PMID: 34420387 PMCID: PMC8384059 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Synchrony can be defined as the precise coordination between independent individuals, and this behaviour is more enigmatic when it is imperfect. The traditional theoretical explanation for imperfect synchronous courtship is that it arises as a by-product of the competition between males to broadcast leading signals to attract female attention. This competition is considered an evolutionary stable strategy maintained through sexual selection. However, previous studies have revealed that leading signals are not honest indicators of male quality. We studied imperfect courtship synchrony in fiddler crabs to mainly test whether (i) signal leadership and rate are defined by male quality and (ii) signal leadership generates synchrony. Fiddler crab males wave their enlarged claws during courtship, and females prefer leading males-displaying ahead of their neighbour(s). We filmed groups of waving males in the field to detect how often individuals were leaders and if they engaged in synchrony. Overall, we found that courtship effort is not directly related to male size, a general proxy for quality. Contrary to the long-standing assumption, we also revealed that leadership is not directly related to group synchrony, but faster wave rate correlates with both leadership and synchrony. This article is part of the theme issue 'Synchrony and rhythm interaction: from the brain to behavioural ecology'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela M. Perez
- Graduate Program in Ecology and Conservation, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Parana 81531-990, Brazil
| | - Cristian L. Klunk
- Graduate Program in Ecology and Conservation, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Parana 81531-990, Brazil
| | - Sabrina B. L. Araujo
- Department of Physics, Laboratory of Biological Interactions, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Parana 81531-990, Brazil
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Xiang H, Li K, Cao L, Zhang Z, Yang H. Impacts of pollution, sex, and tide on the time allocations to behaviours of Uca arcuata in mangroves. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 742:140609. [PMID: 32721739 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Revised: 03/13/2020] [Accepted: 06/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Fiddler crabs (Uca) are ecosystem engineers in coastal ecosystems. Many anthropogenic and natural factors can affect the time allocated to various behaviours in Uca. However, the behaviour of U. arcuata, a widely distributed fiddler crab in Asia, has not been studied in mainland China. Here, we used binoculars to record the time budget of ten behaviours of U. arcuata to investigate the potential effects of sex, tides, and pollution on these behaviours. We found that the crabs spent 42.3%, 27.0%, and 10.6% of their time on feeding, feeding while walking, and stationary respectively. The crabs spent <1.5% of their time on copulation and grooming. The total foraging time (feeding + feeding while walking) did not differ among the three polluted sites. However, crabs spent more time on feeding but less time on feeding while walking. The feeding rate and probability of burrowing and grooming decreased while the possibility of locomotion and stay in burrow increased with increasing nutrient concentration. Females spent 13.9% more time on feeding and fed 54.9% faster than males. Males had a higher tendency to grooming and combat while they were less likely to walk than females. Regarding to the influence of tide, fiddler crabs fed 11.2% faster at ebb tides than at flood tides, and they were more likely to walk and stay in burrows at flood tides than at ebb tides. Our results indicated that nutrient pollution had stronger impacts on the behaviours of crabs than sex and tide. In polluted mangroves, increasing nutrient concentration reduced the quantity of sediment processed by fiddler crabs due to their smaller feeding area, slower feeding rate, and reduced frequency of burrowing activities. These results imply that mitigating nutrient pollution in mangroves may benefit the restoration and management of coastal ecosystems through the enhanced engineering functions of fiddler crabs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyong Xiang
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin 130024, China; Institute for Ecological Research and Pollution Control of Plateau Lakes, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650500, China
| | - Kun Li
- Heilongjiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Ecological Restoration and Resource Utilization for Cold Region, Heilongjiang University, Harbin 150080, China
| | - Lina Cao
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin 130024, China; Ecology and Environment Department of Jilin Province, Changchun, Jilin 130024, China
| | - Zhenxing Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Vegetation Ecology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Grassland Science, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin 130024, China; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin 130024, China.
| | - Haijun Yang
- Institute for Ecological Research and Pollution Control of Plateau Lakes, School of Ecology and Environmental Science, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan 650500, China.
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Vianna BDS, Miyai CA, Augusto A, Costa TM. Effects of temperature increase on the physiology and behavior of fiddler crabs. Physiol Behav 2020; 215:112765. [PMID: 31812521 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2019.112765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2018] [Revised: 12/03/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Intertidal organisms rely on physiological and behavioral adjustments to maintain homeostasis under warm exposure. We examined the effects of the temperature increase related to climate warming on the physiology and behavior of two fiddler crab species: Leptuca uruguayensis, which inhabits mostly vegetated areas, and Leptuca leptodactyla, that inhabits unvegetated areas. We hypothesized that L. uruguayensis would be more sensitive to warming than L. leptodactyla. Crabs were exposed to different temperatures: 27 °C (control), 31 and 33 °C (+4 and +6 °C, respectively) for 15 days to evaluate their physiological responses (oxygen consumption, Q10, ammonia excretion and hepatosomatic index) and for 2 days to observe their behavioral responses (feeding rate and duration of burrow retreat). We also tested in situ the effect of air, surface, and body temperatures on the claw-waving display of both species. We found that species were affected differently by increasing temperature. Leptuca uruguayensis showed adaptation limit (Q10 <1), increasing oxygen consumption. Also, in comparison with control, L. uruguayensis decreased the ammonia excretion at 31 °C, but not at 33 °C, indicating a compensatory mechanism to cope with thermal stress. In contrast, L. leptodactyla was able to adjust its metabolic rate to temperature rise (Q10 ~3) and reduce ammonia excretion, suggesting changes in the energetic substrate and amino acid catabolism. Higher temperatures reduce the hepatosomatic index of both species, indicating increased use of energy reserve (although only the L. uruguayensis feeding rate was reduced). Furthermore, warmer temperatures increase the duration of burrow retreat in both species, potentially impacting social interactions, such as mating. Temperature increase did not affect the claw-waving display frequency, suggesting that other factors may affect this behavior, e.g., the presence of females and competitors. Specific behavioral (e.g., microhabitat selection) and morphological attributes (e.g., larger major claw) might benefit the thermoregulation of each crab species since no differences in body temperature were found between them in situ. Therefore, fiddler crabs that inhabit vegetated areas are more vulnerable to higher temperatures and may change its geographic range as a result of climate warming, while fiddler crabs that inhabit unvegetated areas are more tolerant to temperature rise and may have a competitive advantage under a temperature increase scenario.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brunna da Silva Vianna
- Biosciences Institute, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Coastal Campus, Praça Infante Dom Henrique, s/n, 11330-900, São Vicente, SP, Brazil.
| | - Caio Akira Miyai
- Biosciences Institute, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Coastal Campus, Praça Infante Dom Henrique, s/n, 11330-900, São Vicente, SP, Brazil; Aquaculture Center (CAUNESP), São Paulo State University (UNESP), Via de Acesso Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane, s/n, 14884-900, Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Alessandra Augusto
- Biosciences Institute, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Coastal Campus, Praça Infante Dom Henrique, s/n, 11330-900, São Vicente, SP, Brazil; Aquaculture Center (CAUNESP), São Paulo State University (UNESP), Via de Acesso Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane, s/n, 14884-900, Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
| | - Tânia Marcia Costa
- Biosciences Institute, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Coastal Campus, Praça Infante Dom Henrique, s/n, 11330-900, São Vicente, SP, Brazil; Aquaculture Center (CAUNESP), São Paulo State University (UNESP), Via de Acesso Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane, s/n, 14884-900, Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
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4
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela M. Perez
- Research School of Biology The Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
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Perez DM, Crisigiovanni EL, Pie MR, Rorato AC, Lopes SR, Araujo SBL. Ecology and signal structure drive the evolution of synchronous displays. Evolution 2019; 74:434-446. [PMID: 31503329 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2019] [Revised: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 08/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Animal synchrony is found in phylogenetically distant animal groups, indicating behavioral adaptations to different selective pressures and in different signaling modalities. A notable example of synchronous display is found in fiddler crabs in that males wave their single enlarged claw during courtship. They present species-specific signals, which are composed of distinctive movement signatures. Given that synchronous waving has been reported for several fiddler crab species, the display pattern could influence the ability of a given species to sufficiently adjust wave timing to allow for synchrony. In this study, we quantified the wave displays of fiddler crabs to predict their synchronous behavior. We combined this information with the group's phylogenetic relationships to trace the evolution of display synchrony in an animal taxon. We found no phylogenetic signal in interspecific variation in predicted wave synchrony, which mirrors the general nonphylogenetic pattern of synchrony across animal taxa. Interestingly, our analyses show that the phenomenon of synchronization stems from the peculiarities of display pattern, mating systems, and the complexity of microhabitats. This is the first study to combine mathematical simulations and phylogenetic comparative methods to reveal how ecological factors and the mechanics of animal signals affect the evolution of the synchronous phenomena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela M Perez
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia
| | - Enzo L Crisigiovanni
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, 81531-990, Brazil.,Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, 81531, Brazil
| | - Marcio R Pie
- Departamento de Zoologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, 81531, Brazil
| | - Ana C Rorato
- Earth System Science Center, National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, SP, 12227, Brazil
| | - Sergio R Lopes
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, 81531, Brazil
| | - Sabrina B L Araujo
- Departamento de Física, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, 81531, Brazil.,Laboratório de Ecologia e Evolução de Interações, Biological Interactions, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, 81531, Brazil
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Abstract
Abstract
The aggregation of courting males is widespread among animal taxa, yet we do not understand why males congregate and therefore intensify local competition for female attention. The most commonly invoked theoretical explanation is that females preferentially approach clustered males due to the many benefits they would gain, and clustered males would therefore have higher mating success. However, although theoretical explanations of aggregation formation are well advanced, empirical studies are scarce, especially in invertebrates. In fact, there is little evidence that females do prefer to approach clustered displayers over spaced displayers. Here we address this question by using robotic crabs to test female preferences in fiddler crabs (a visually displaying species) and show that females do not preferentially approach clustered males. We suggest that if this pattern is more widespread, the most commonly invoked explanation of courting aggregations is of limited use. We offer explanations for the strong clustering behavior we observe in this species and discuss the implications of this finding for the theoretical underpinnings of this research field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela M Perez
- Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
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Backwell PRY. Synchronous waving in fiddler crabs: a review. Curr Zool 2018; 65:83-88. [PMID: 30697243 PMCID: PMC6347057 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoy053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2018] [Accepted: 06/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Many animals that use acoustic communication synchronize their mate attraction signals: individuals precisely time their calls to overlap those of their neighbors. In contrast, synchrony in the mate attraction displays of species with visual/motion-based signals is rare. It has only been documented in five species of fiddler crabs. In all of them, small groups of males wave their single large claw in close synchrony. Here, I review what we know about synchrony in fiddler crabs, comparing the five species with each other to determine whether similar mechanisms and functions are common to all. I also propose future research questions that, if answered, would shed light on synchronous behavior in both visual and acoustic signallers.
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Ravignani A, Honing H, Kotz SA. Editorial: The Evolution of Rhythm Cognition: Timing in Music and Speech. Front Hum Neurosci 2017; 11:303. [PMID: 28659775 PMCID: PMC5468413 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2017] [Accepted: 05/26/2017] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Ravignani
- Veterinary and Research Department, Sealcentre PieterburenPieterburen, Netherlands.,Language and Cognition Department, Max Planck Institute for PsycholinguisticsNijmegen, Netherlands.,Artificial Intelligence Lab, Vrije Universiteit BrusselBrussels, Belgium
| | - Henkjan Honing
- Music Cognition Group, Amsterdam Brain and Cognition, Institute for Logic, Language, and Computation, University of AmsterdamAmsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Sonja A Kotz
- Basic and Applied NeuroDynamics Lab, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Maastricht UniversityMaastricht, Netherlands.,Department of Neuropsychology, Max-Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain SciencesLeipzig, Germany
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