Feeding and non-feeding aggression can be induced in invasive shore crabs by altering food distribution |
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Authors: | Colby J Tanner Gül Deniz Salalι Andrew L Jackson |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland;(2) Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Istanbul Technical University, Maslak, Istanbul, Turkey |
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Abstract: | Human activity can have a large impact on surrounding ecosystems. For example, humans alter resource distributions for other
species, potentially modifying these species competitive dynamics. These changes in local competitive processes are frequently
associated with species invasions. Here, we investigate how differences in resource distribution affect competitive behaviour
using the highly invasive European shore crab (Carcinus maenas). Using a controlled laboratory experiment in combination with behaviour assays and social network analysis, we show that
individuals feeding in habitats with clumped food distributions are more aggressive than individuals feeding in habitats where
food is evenly dispersed, and this aggression is present even on days where crabs are not feeding. Additionally, this persistent
aggression can be induced, suggesting that individuals of this invasive species possess the flexibility to modify their competitive
behaviours in response to differences in food distributions. Furthermore, we show how these individual responses can lead
to changes in overall organisation of aggressive interactions within a population. We discuss these results in relation to
how human impacts can have long-term effects on competitive behavioural strategies, and how behavioural flexibility can allow
invasive species to colonise and persist in highly impacted sites such as urban ecosystems. |
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