Territorial battles between fiddler crab species.

ABSTRACT: Many species worldwide are impacted by habitat loss. This may result in increased competition both within species and between species. Many studies have demonstrated that when two previously non-overlapping species are forced to compete over a resource, one species is likely to become dominant over the other. This study explores the impact a larger species of fiddler crab (Tabuca elegans-previously known as Uca elegans) has when invading an area previously used solely by a smaller species (Austruca mjoebergi-previously known as Uca mjoebergi). Here we show that, while there are some detrimental effects of living next to a heterospecific, they are relatively minor. New heterospecific neighbours fight more regularly with resident crabs, but each fight is no longer or more escalated than those between the resident and a new conspecific male. The residents are not specifically targeted by intruding heterospecifics, thus, given the large advantage of having a heterospecific neighbour in terms of lowered competition for females, the overall impact of species mixing is probably not as negative as might have been predicted.

SUBMITTER: Clark HL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5319326 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature