Some Factors Affecting Aggressive Behavior in Crayfish

Bovbjerg, Richard V.

doi:10.1086/physzool.29.2.30152201

Cited by 212 publications

(109 citation statements)

References 13 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Males are dominant and, consequently, more frequently injured than females (Gherardi, 2002); hence, inequality between sexes was expected with respect to body appendage injury. However, this was not observed in juveniles in our conditions, which concurs with the suggestions of Bovbjerg (1956) that intraspecific aggressive behaviour between sexes is not present in juvenile crayfish.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Evaluation of body appendage injuries to juvenile signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus): relationships and consequences

Kouba

Buřič

Policar

et al. 2011

Knowl. Managt. Aquatic Ecosyst.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Key-words:antennae, autotomy, intraspecific interaction, regeneration, walking leg Aggressive behaviour occurs frequently in crayfish and commonly results in injuries to body appendages. This study aimed to evaluate injuries to antennae, chelae, and walking legs of juvenile signal crayfish after seven months of rearing at high stocking density. We suggest that the high incidence of antennae injuries (66.8%) is related to their delicate structure and exposed position, which makes them vulnerable to damage. Chelae were more frequently injured (45.5%) than walking legs (7.8-23.6%). Considering the robustness of these structures and the scarcity of animals with both chelae missing and/or regenerating (4.9%), it seemed that injured animals were often killed by less injured ones. Antennae of crayfish with a single injured chela were more frequently injured on the side of the body with the damaged chela, and a similar pattern was observed for walking legs. Expanding on previous research reporting a negative relationship only between incidence of chela injury and crayfish size, we found this relationship to be significant for all evaluated appendages. We hypothesize that any injury and accompanying regeneration may have significant impact on subsequent injuries, overall growth, and reproductive success, and may result in death through cannibalism. RÉSUMÉ Évaluation des blessures aux appendices de juvéniles d'écrevisse signal (Pacifastacus leniusculus) : relations et conséquences Mots-clés :antenne, autotomie, interaction intraspécifique, régénération, pattes Le comportement agressif est fréquent chez l'écrevisse. Il aboutit souvent à des blessures aux appendices. Cette étude évalue les blessures aux antennes, pinces et pattes de juvéniles d'écrevisse signal après sept mois d'élevage à forte densité. Nous suggérons que la fréquence élevée des blessures aux antennes (66,8 %) est en relation avec leur structure fragile et leur position exposée, qui les rendent plus vulnérables aux blessures. Les pinces sont plus souvent endommagées (45,5 %) que les pattes (7,8-23,6 %). Considérant la robustesse de ces structures et la rareté des animaux auxquels les deux pinces manquent et/ou sont en régénération (4,9 %), il semble que les animaux blessés sont souvent tués par moins blessés qu'eux. Les antennes des écrevisses avec une seule pince blessée sont plus souvent blessées du même côté que celui de la pince endommagée et un schéma similaire est observé pour les pattes. En s'appuyant sur de précédentes recherches relatant une relation négative uniquement entre la fréquence des blessures aux pinces et la taille de l'écrevisse, nous trouvons cette relation également pour tous les appendices étudiés. Nous supposons que chaque blessure ou régénération liée peut avoir un impact significatif sur les dommages ultérieurs, croissance et succès reproductif et peut résulter en la mort par cannibalisme.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…This supports the suggestion of underdeveloped male dominancy over females during the juvenile period (Bovbjerg, 1956). However, a comprehensive view of intraspecific interactions between the sexes in juvenile crayfish is lacking (cf .…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Evaluation of body appendage injuries to juvenile signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus): relationships and consequences

Kouba

Buřič

Policar

et al. 2011

Knowl. Managt. Aquatic Ecosyst.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Little is known about how the hierarchical relationship forms over time and is subsequently maintained, despite some evidences shown by where dominance seems to be size-based. High levels of aggressiveness, experience of winning and attacking or approaching first also may contribute to the formation and maintenance of a dominant hierarchy (Bovbjerg, 1956;Lowe, 1956;Copp, 1986;Issa et al, 1999).…”

Section: Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

Red swamp crayfish: biology, ecology and invasion - an overview

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

-Alien species have been transported and traded by humans for many centuries. However, with the era of globalization, biological invasions have reached notable magnitudes. Currently, introduction of alien species is one of the major threats to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. The North American crayfish Procambarus clarkii is one of the most widely introduced freshwater species in the world, especially due to its high economic importance. It is responsible for great modifications in invaded environments causing irreparable ecological and economic damages. Its impressive ability to successfully colonize a wide range of environments is a consequence of its behavioural and biological characteristics that can adapt to features of the invaded location, conferring to this species a notable ecological plasticity. This review summarizes the available information regarding P. clarkii's biology and invasive dynamics around the world in order to contribute to the understanding of the threats posed by its establishment, as well as to support management and impact mitigation efforts.

show abstract

“…With the exception of mating behavior, most interactions are agonistic in nature, escalating until one of the combatants withdraws. Success is based largely on physical superiority (1)(2)(3). Thus, resident populations are bound by a system of dominant/subordinate relationships based on initial agonistic encounters (4,5).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Serotonin and aggressive motivation in crustaceans: Altering the decision to retreat

Huber

Smith

Delago

et al. 1997

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

245

139

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In crustaceans, as in most animal species, the amine serotonin has been suggested to serve important roles in aggression. Here we show that injection of serotonin into the hemolymph of subordinate, freely moving animals results in a renewed willingness of these animals to engage the dominants in further agonistic encounters. By multivariate statistical analysis, we demonstrate that this reversal results principally from a reduction in the likelihood of retreat and an increase in the duration of fighting. Serotonin infusion does not alter other aspects of fighting behavior, including which animal initiates an encounter, how quickly fighting escalates, or which animal eventually retreats. Preliminary studies suggest that serotonin uptake plays an important role in this behavioral reversal.Intraspecific encounters among clawed decapod crustaceans are characterized by a distinct shortage of diplomatic skills. With the exception of mating behavior, most interactions are agonistic in nature, escalating until one of the combatants withdraws. Success is based largely on physical superiority (1-3). Thus, resident populations are bound by a system of dominant/subordinate relationships based on initial agonistic encounters (4, 5). Fights escalate according to rules closely matching predictions of game theory (i.e., sequential assessment strategies), in which animals acquire information about an opponent's strength and fighting abilities in a stepwise manner (6-10). In this context, the timing of the decision to withdraw by either animal becomes the key element in determining the duration and progress of a fight (6,8,9). Decisions may be made after only a brief encounter (seen particularly in the wild) or after prolonged periods of fighting when the physical asymmetries between animals are small. The presence of a highly structured, quantifiable behavioral system in these animals, combined with the potential to bring the analysis to the level of individual neurons (11-16), offers unique vistas in crustaceans for a search for the proximate roots of aggression.The amine serotonin [5-hydroxytryptamine creatinine sulfate complex (5HT)] has been linked to aggression in a wide and diverse range of species, including humans (17-20). The nature of the linkage, however, is not simple, and it has proven difficult to unravel the role of the amine in the behavior. In vertebrates, lowered levels of 5HT (endogenous or experimentally induced) or changes in amine neuron function that lower the effectiveness of serotonergic neurons generally correlate with increased levels of aggression (19,20) whereas in invertebrates, the converse is believed to be true (11-13). Genetic alterations of amine neuron function also can change aggressive behavior in animals (21-24) and in people (25-27) although, again, in most cases, it is not clear how the genetic change is linked to the behavior. For example, in humans, a mutation leading to inactivation of one form of the enzyme monoamine oxidase leads to a particular form of explosive violent beha...

show abstract

Some Factors Affecting Aggressive Behavior in Crayfish

Cited by 212 publications

References 13 publications

Evaluation of body appendage injuries to juvenile signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus): relationships and consequences

Evaluation of body appendage injuries to juvenile signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus): relationships and consequences

Red swamp crayfish: biology, ecology and invasion - an overview

Serotonin and aggressive motivation in crustaceans: Altering the decision to retreat

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About