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The effect of audience on intrasexual interaction in the male fiddler crab, Uca maracoani (Latreille 1802–1803, Decapoda, Ocypodidae)

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Abstract

Animal communication occurring in wide networks can involve signals sent to several receivers. The animals composing the audience may affect how individuals display during an interaction and may change the message that is sent. In this study, we investigated whether the presence of a conspecific affected the intensity of agonistic interaction between male fiddler crabs, Uca maracoani. Pairs of males of the same size were observed when in the presence of a male, a female or no crab as audience. We found that if there is a female audience, males became more aggressive and interacted the most. Also, the female audience leads to an increase in incidence of male foaming, possibly indicating predisposition for mating. If the audience was a male or if there was no audience, there was no significant difference in interaction. These results indicate that the presence of an audience affects the way male fiddler crabs interact and the type of displays they show. Therefore, the context seems to guide the fiddler crab behavior in terms of how they perform in order to send information about themselves to conspecifics.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Ms. Vanessa B. Guerra, Jéssica J. Oliveira and Mr. Sávio A.S.N. Moraes very much for assistance with collection. We thank the anonymous reviewer for helpful comments and constructive criticism.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Fisiologia, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, PO Box 1510, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, 59078-970, Brazil

    Luana Carla dos Santos & Ana Carolina Luchiari

  2. Departamento de Botânica e Zoologia, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, PO Box 1510, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, 59078-970, Brazil

    Fúlvio Aurélio de Morais Freire

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  1. Luana Carla dos Santos
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Correspondence to Ana Carolina Luchiari.

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dos Santos, L.C., de Morais Freire, F.A. & Luchiari, A.C. The effect of audience on intrasexual interaction in the male fiddler crab, Uca maracoani (Latreille 1802–1803, Decapoda, Ocypodidae). J Ethol 35, 93–100 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10164-016-0495-3

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