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Why signal if you are not attractive? Courtship synchrony in a fiddler crab

Author

Listed:
  • Lauren M Harrison
  • Gabriela C Melo
  • Daniela M Perez
  • Patricia R Y Backwell

Abstract

Males that stand out from the crowd attract female attention. Yet male fiddler crabs display in synchrony, even though females prefer “leader” males that wave slightly before the others (followers). So why wave when you are not a leader? Using robotic male crabs, we found that females do prefer leaders over followers, but groups with leaders attract more females from a distance than groups without one. Synchrony can therefore benefit all males within the group.

Suggested Citation

  • Lauren M Harrison & Gabriela C Melo & Daniela M Perez & Patricia R Y Backwell, 2021. "Why signal if you are not attractive? Courtship synchrony in a fiddler crab," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 32(6), pages 1224-1229.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:beheco:v:32:y:2021:i:6:p:1224-1229.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/beheco/arab088
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Andrew T. Kahn & Tegan Dolstra & Michael D. Jennions & Patricia R.Y. Backwell, 2013. "Strategic male courtship effort varies in concert with adaptive shifts in female mating preferences," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 24(4), pages 906-913.
    2. Vivek Nityananda & Rohini Balakrishnan, 2009. "Modeling the role of competition and cooperation in the evolution of katydid acoustic synchrony," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 20(3), pages 484-489.
    3. Patricia Backwell & Michael Jennions & Neville Passmore & John Christy, 1998. "Synchronized courtship in fiddler crabs," Nature, Nature, vol. 391(6662), pages 31-32, January.
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