Time constraints and multiple choice criteria in the sampling behaviour and mate choice of the fiddler crab,Uca annulipes |
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Authors: | P R Y Backwell Neville I Passmore |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Biology, University of Natal, King George V Avenue, Durban 4000, South Africa, ZA;(2) Department of Zoology, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, WITS 2050, Johannesburg, South Africa, ZA |
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Abstract: | Active female sampling occurs in the fiddler crab Uca annulipes. Females sample the burrows of several males before remaining to mate in the burrow of the chosen partner. Females time larval
release to coincide with the following nocturnal spring tide and must therefore leave sufficient time for embryonic development
after mating. Here we show how this temporal constraint on search time affects female choosiness. We found that, at the start
of the sampling period (when time constraints are minimal), females selectively sample the larger males in the population.
Towards the end of the sampling period (when the temporal constraints increase the costs of sampling), females are less selective.
Furthermore, we suggest that the number of males sampled (and other indices of ‘‘sampling effort’’) may not be reliable indicators
of female choosiness and may not reflect the strength of female mating preferences under certain conditions. Burrow quality
also emerged as an important criterion in final mate choice. Burrow structure potentially influences reproductive success,
and mate acceptance based on burrow structure appears to involve a relatively invariant threshold criterion. Since there is
no relationship between male size and burrow quality, females are using at least two independent criteria when choosing potential
mates. We envisage mate choice as a two-stage process. First, females select which males to sample based on male size. They
then decide whether or not to mate with a male based on burrow features. This sampling process explains how two unrelated
variables can both predict male mating success.
Received: 23 March 1995/Accepted after revision: 14 January 1996 |
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Keywords: | Fiddler crab Multiple mate choice criteria Mate sampling behavior Search time constraints |
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