Risk-taking behavior predicts aggression and mating success in a fiddler crab

Abstract

Evidence is growing that an individual's propensity to take risks in the presence of a predator is correlated to behaviors that can affect individual fitness. We examined whether risk-taking behavior predicts aggression, surface activity levels, and mating success in male fiddler crabs, Uca mjoebergi. Risk-taking behavior was highly consistent among individuals, remained stable over time, and was unrelated to male size. We found that males that took greater risks in the presence of a potential predator also behaved more aggressively when searching for a new territory. In addition, bold males exhibited higher surface activity levels and spent more time courting females compared with their shy counterparts. Although risk-taking behavior was independent of other sexually selected traits, it accurately predicted male mating success in U. mjoebergi. We suggest nonsexually selected traits, such as risk taking, may represent important behavioral predictors of success in other species.

Chapter 5 Insights for Behavioral Ecology from Behavioral Syndromes

“…Between-individual consistency occurs when individuals differ in their behavioral type, which would be reflected statistically as a behavioral correlation among individuals. An example of a behavioral syndrome is the positive correlation between boldness and aggressiveness that has been documented in several species (Bell, 2005;Bell and Sih, 2007;Dingemanse et al, 2007;Dochtermann and Jenkins, 2007;Duckworth and Badyaev, 2007;Huntingford, 1976a;Johnson and Sih, 2005;Kortet and Hedrick, 2007;Moretz et al, 2007;Reaney and Backwell, 2007). Individual animals that are more bold (than others) in the face of predation risk also tend to be more aggressive toward conspecifics.…”

Consistent crustaceans: the identification of stable behavioural syndromes in hermit crabs

“…For example, boldness in the face of predation risk or a startling stimulus might correlate with aggressive behaviour during agonistic encounters (e.g. Reaney and Backwell 2007) or with exploratory behaviour when a new object is encountered (e.g. David et al 2011).…”

“…In invertebrates for example, the presence of behavioural syndromes has been investigated in a handful of species (e.g. Riechert and Hedrick 1993;Kortet and Hedrick 2007;Pruitt and Riechert 2009;Wilson et al 2010), whilst the presence of stable between-individual differences has tended to be investigated separately, testing the repeatability of single behaviours across different timespans ranging from several minutes (Pratt et al 2005;Reaney and Backwell 2007) to several days (Briffa et al 2008a;Briffa and Bibost 2009;Briffa and Twyman 2011). Logue et al (2009) looked for the presence of behavioural syndromes and for stable between-individual differences in the behaviours that contributed to these syndromes, but did not determine whether individual differences in behavioural syndromes themselves were present or stable.…”

Eavesdropping in crabs: an agency for lady detection

“…; R. Slatyer, L. T. Reaney & P. R. Y. Backwell, unpublished data) and both sexes defend individual territories that are centred on a burrow (Reaney & Backwell 2007a). During the mating period, receptive females leave their territories and wander through the population in search of prospective mates.…”