Comparison shopping: detectability and mate preferences in a fiddler crab

Peso, Marianne; Telford, Lisa; Backwell, Patricia R. Y.

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.11.021

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…No‐choice and simultaneous two‐choice designs sometimes generate different estimates of preference (e.g. Peso, Telford & Backwell, ). This is not surprising, given that one‐choice assays simply record an individual's immediate response to each of a set of stimuli, whereas simultaneous‐choice assays require the subjects to assess two or more stimuli, compare them with one another, and then make the decision which results in choosing one of them.…”

Section: Classifying Behavioural Plasticitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Individual differences in behavioural plasticities

2015

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Interest in individual differences in animal behavioural plasticities has surged in recent years, but research in this area has been hampered by semantic confusion as different investigators use the same terms (e.g. plasticity, flexibility, responsiveness) to refer to different phenomena. The first goal of this review is to suggest a framework for categorizing the many different types of behavioural plasticities, describe examples of each, and indicate why using reversibility as a criterion for categorizing behavioural plasticities is problematic. This framework is then used to address a number of timely questions about individual differences in behavioural plasticities. One set of questions concerns the experimental designs that can be used to study individual differences in various types of behavioural plasticities. Although within-individual designs are the default option for empirical studies of many types of behavioural plasticities, in some situations (e.g. when experience at an early age affects the behaviour expressed at subsequent ages), 'replicate individual' designs can provide useful insights into individual differences in behavioural plasticities. To date, researchers using within-individual and replicate individual designs have documented individual differences in all of the major categories of behavioural plasticities described herein. Another important question is whether and how different types of behavioural plasticities are related to one another. Currently there is empirical evidence that many behavioural plasticities [e.g. contextual plasticity, learning rates, IIV (intra-individual variability), endogenous plasticities, ontogenetic plasticities) can themselves vary as a function of experiences earlier in life, that is, many types of behavioural plasticity are themselves developmentally plastic. These findings support the assumption that differences among individuals in prior experiences may contribute to individual differences in behavioural plasticities observed at a given age. Several authors have predicted correlations across individuals between different types of behavioural plasticities, i.e. that some individuals will be generally more plastic than others. However, empirical support for most of these predictions, including indirect evidence from studies of relationships between personality traits and plasticities, is currently sparse and equivocal. The final section of this review suggests how an appreciation of the similarities and differences between different types of behavioural plasticities may help theoreticians formulate testable models to explain the evolution of individual differences in behavioural plasticities and the evolutionary and ecological consequences of individual differences in behavioural plasticities.

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Section: Classifying Behavioural Plasticitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Individual differences in behavioural plasticities

2015

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“…on the same side of the test arena) than when the stimuli were presented on opposite sides of the female (Peso et al 2014). Our first experiment therefore presented the stimuli in a distribution that facilitated maximum discrimination and localisation (Peso et al 2014). This distribution of the robotic crabs presents a potential 'edge effect' problem: females may avoid/prefer males on the edge of the group.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous work has shown that, when females of this species are presented with two different stimuli (a preferred vs. a non-preferred signal), they are more likely to exhibit their preference when the stimuli are presented and viewed in the same field of vision (i.e. on the same side of the test arena) than when the stimuli were presented on opposite sides of the female (Peso et al 2014). Our first experiment therefore presented the stimuli in a distribution that facilitated maximum discrimination and localisation (Peso et al 2014).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Male spacing and female choice in a fiddler crab

Perez

Backwell

2019

Behavioral Ecology

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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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“…Females also prefer males that produce leading signals (Reaney et al 2008), closer males (Booksmythe et al 2008), have UV cues on their claws (Detto and Backwell 2009) and have the conspecific yellow claw colouration (Detto et al 2006). Moreover, females avoid males that display from elevated positions (Holman et al 2014), and female preferences are strongest when competing males are close to each other (Peso et al 2014).…”

Section: Study Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testing female preferences under more natural conditions: a case study on a fiddler crab

Vega‐Trejo

Backwell

2017

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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Mate choice is often affected by multiple factors, and there are often trade-offs associated with choosing a mate. Additionally, experiments that test for mate preferences usually rely on simple two-choice tests. These tests are, however, often less complex than the scenarios that individuals face in natural populations. Here, we test female choice in the fiddler crab Uca mjoebergi. We looked at female preference for wave rates and proximity to males in simple two-choice tests. We then mimicked a more natural choice scenario, where females faced a cluster of six courting males that differed in their distance from the female as well as in their wave rate. In addition, we tested whether female preferences under these more complex conditions were affected by the risk of predation. We found a preference for faster wave rates and closer males in twochoice tests. The preference for closer males was, however, only evident when the difference in distance was large (15 cm), not when it was small (3 cm). When females chose between six males, they preferred the males that waved faster, even if they were further away. We did not, however, find any difference in female choice when a simulated predator was present or absent. By examining a more realistic set of options that females face, we can paint a better picture of how females' trade-off costs and benefits during mate choice. Significance statementMate choice experiments often rely on two-choice tests. Mate choice, however, is often more complex under totally natural conditions. Using a two-choice experiment, we show that female fiddler crabs U. mjoebergi show a preference for faster wave rates and closer males. Under a more natural choice scenario, when choosing between six males, females preferred to travel longer to reach faster waving males. We found that female responses did not differ when a predator was present or absent. Designing choice experiments to more accurately mimic natural conditions will allow assessing trade-offs that occur in mate choice.

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Comparison shopping: detectability and mate preferences in a fiddler crab

Cited by 7 publications

References 16 publications

Individual differences in behavioural plasticities

Individual differences in behavioural plasticities

Male spacing and female choice in a fiddler crab

Testing female preferences under more natural conditions: a case study on a fiddler crab

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