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Crab scars reveal survival advantage of left-handed snails.

ABSTRACT: Biological asymmetries are important elements of the structure and function of many living organisms. Using the Plio-Pleistocene fossil record of crab predation on morphologically similar pairs of right- and left-handed snail species, we show here for the first time, contrary to traditional wisdom, that rare left-handed coiling promotes survival from attacks by right-handed crabs. This frequency-dependent result influences the balance of selection processes that maintain left-handedness at the species level and parallels some social interactions in human cultures, such as sports that involve dual contests between opponents of opposite handedness.

SUBMITTER: Dietl GP

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1686199 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Crab scars reveal survival advantage of left-handed snails.

Dietl Gregory P GP Hendricks Jonathan R JR

Biology letters 20060901 3

Biological asymmetries are important elements of the structure and function of many living organisms. Using the Plio-Pleistocene fossil record of crab predation on morphologically similar pairs of right- and left-handed snail species, we show here for the first time, contrary to traditional wisdom, that rare left-handed coiling promotes survival from attacks by right-handed crabs. This frequency-dependent result influences the balance of selection processes that maintain left-handedness at the s ...[more]

PMID: 17148425

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Project description:The purpose of this study was to examine performance advantages associated with batting stance, in the form of left- vs. right-handed dominant stance, and orthodox vs. reverse stance, of talented junior cricket batters within age-restricted competitions. Data were sourced from the national male younger age competition (YAC; Under-17; n = 237) and older age competition (OAC; Under-19; n = 302), as well as female YAC (Under-15; n = 234) and OAC (Under-18; n = 260) over a 4-year period. Left-hand dominant (LHD) batters were consistently overrepresented in the male YAC (Right: 69.2%; Left: 30.8%) and OAC (Right: 68.2%; Left: 31.8%) compared with the expected general population distribution. Male LHD batters exhibited a significantly (p < 0.05) higher batting aggregate (YAC: 116.82 ± 84.75 vs. 137.84 ± 89.74; OAC: 117.07 ± 89.00 vs. 146.28 ± 95.99), scored more runs (YAC: 19.65 ± 12.32 vs. 23.96 ± 14.71; OAC: 19.27 ± 12.61 vs. 23.98 ± 14.15), spent more time batting (YAC: 45.33 ± 25.89 min vs. 54.59 ± 28.62 min; OAC: 39.80 ± 21.79 min vs. 49.33 ± 27.41 min), and scored more boundary-4s per game (YAC: 1.83 ± 1.40 vs. 2.44 ± 1.87; OAC: 1.76 ± 1.32 vs. 2.19 ± 1.83), across both YAC and OAC groups with small effect sizes. No overrepresentation was present for either female group (YAC, Right: 88.5%/Left: 11.5%; OAC, Right: 90.0%/Left: 10.0%). Female LHD batters exhibited significantly higher batting aggregate (68.97 ± 53.17 vs. 102.96 ± 73.48), batting average (13.24 ± 10.88 vs. 17.75 ± 12.28), and spent more time batting per game (25.52 ± 15.08 vs. 37.75 ± 26.76 min), but only at the OAC level with small-moderate effects sizes. Finally, there were few performance advantages identified to batting with a reverse stance, with further work needed to clarify any potential biomechanical benefits. Team selection practices may exploit the left-handed advantage by over-selecting talented left-handed junior cricketers. Practical implications for coaches include creating practice environments that negate the negative frequency-dependent selection, such as providing more practice opportunities for their players against left-handed opponents.

Dataset Information

Crab scars reveal survival advantage of left-handed snails.

Publications

Crab scars reveal survival advantage of left-handed snails.

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