Mitochondrial DNA variation was used to examine population structure in a widespread, marine‐dispersed species, Birgus latro. Crabs were collected from eight locations throughout the species' Indo‐Pacific distribution. Purified mtDNA from 160 individuals was cut with five restriction enzymes, revealing high haplotype diversity (0.96) and moderate nucleotide diversity (0.75%). Island populations from the Indian Ocean (Christmas I.) and Pacific Ocean were significantly different (GST= 0.37) and had distinct mtDNA lineages with a net sequence divergence of 1.4%. Pacific island populations had diverged in a manner consistent with isolation by distance, with only the most peripheral populations being significantly different. The results for mtDNA are largely concordant with those from allozymes, although estimates of gene flow between the Indian and Pacific Oceans were much lower when based on mtDNA. The mtDNA phylogeny also permitted a deeper examination of the evolutionary and demographic history of Birgus latro. Long‐term separation of populations is evident in the complete phylogenetic subdivision of mtDNA lineages between the Indian and Pacific Ocean populations sampled. The starlike phylogeny of alleles from the Pacific suggests a rapid population expansion in the Pacific during the Pleistocene. Including information about allele phylogeny, as well as distribution and frequency, obscured contemporary population structure, but provided unique insights into the evolutionary history of the species.

No abstract

The agonistic behaviour of juvenile pairs of intermoult freshwater crayfish Cherax cuspidatus, interacting over space in experimental containers, was examined. The study investigated the effects of differences in Resource Holding Potential (RHP) on social rank, patterns of interaction initiation, and the importance of fighting during encounters between pairs of crayfish. Crayfish were paired with unfamiliar opponents at size classes of 1 : 1, 1 : 0.9, 1 : 0.8, I : 0.7 and 1 : 0.6 using standard carapace length as the RHP index. Larger animals were dominant during significantly more than 50% of replicates at all size classes. Larger animals were dominant at all size ratios lower than 1 : 0.89. Seven smaller animals were dominant at size ratios between 1 : 0.89 and 1 : 0.99. The dominance of smaller animals could not be explained on the basis of morphological measures or age. The influence of prior experience as dominants or subordinates on the behaviour of contestants during these encounters appeared the most likely explanation. Carapace length, body length, and weight were equally reliable RHP indices. Age, number of injuries, and sex were not reliable RHP indices. The probability of initiating the first agonistic bout was independent of relative size for three of the five size classes. Larger initiators of the first bout invariably were successful, while smaller initiators rarely won. The winner of the first bout was the overall dominant during significantly more than 50% of replicates at each size class. The dominant individuals initiated the majority of bouts at all size classes, including the seven replicates where the smaller crayfish was dominant. Fighting (fight time, fight frequency, average bout length), a high intensity behaviour, was an important component of contests at the 1 : 1, 1 : 0.9, and 1 : 0.8 size classes. The significance of fighting was greatly reduced at the 1 :0.7 and 1 : 0.6 classes, indicating that fighting was correlated with the relative size of opponents.

No abstract

Mitochondrial DNA variation was used to examine population structure in a widespread, marine‐dispersed species, Birgus latro. Crabs were collected from eight locations throughout the species' Indo‐Pacific distribution. Purified mtDNA from 160 individuals was cut with five restriction enzymes, revealing high haplotype diversity (0.96) and moderate nucleotide diversity (0.75%). Island populations from the Indian Ocean (Christmas I.) and Pacific Ocean were significantly different (GST= 0.37) and had distinct mtDNA lineages with a net sequence divergence of 1.4%. Pacific island populations had diverged in a manner consistent with isolation by distance, with only the most peripheral populations being significantly different. The results for mtDNA are largely concordant with those from allozymes, although estimates of gene flow between the Indian and Pacific Oceans were much lower when based on mtDNA. The mtDNA phylogeny also permitted a deeper examination of the evolutionary and demographic history of Birgus latro. Long‐term separation of populations is evident in the complete phylogenetic subdivision of mtDNA lineages between the Indian and Pacific Ocean populations sampled. The starlike phylogeny of alleles from the Pacific suggests a rapid population expansion in the Pacific during the Pleistocene. Including information about allele phylogeny, as well as distribution and frequency, obscured contemporary population structure, but provided unique insights into the evolutionary history of the species.