caa a22 4500 469096969 CHVBK 20180323133033.0 cr unu---uuuuu 170328e19920401xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/BF00317155 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/BF00317155 Smith L. Department of Zoology, University of Maryland, 20742, College Park, MD, USA aut The impact of limb autotomy on mate competition in blue crabs Callinectes sapidus Rathbun [Elektronische Daten] [L. Smith] Summary: This study is the first to demonstrate experimentally that autotomy (self-amputation of a body part) adversely affects competition for mates. Experiments were conducted using blue crabs Callinectes sapidus Rathbun to examine the consequences of limb loss and pairing precedence on mate acquisition by males. Two adult males of equivalent size were introduced sequentially into pools containing a sexually-receptive female and observed after 24 h and 48 h. One male in each pair was left intact, while the other experienced: (1) no autotomy, (2) autotomy of one cheliped, or (3) autotomy of both chelipeds, one walking leg, and one swimming leg. In the absence of a competitor (first 24 h), both intact and injured males established precopulatory embraces with females. Intact males were highly successful (84-95%) in defending females from intact or injured intruders in the second 24 h period. Both autotomy treatments, however, significantly reduced the ability of males to defend females from intact intruders. Females in experiments suffered greater frequency of limb loss than did males. In the field, paired blue crabs showed significantly higher incidence of limb loss than unpaired crabs. Limb loss frequency increases with body size, and field observations indicated that larger males may be more successful than smaller males in obtaining females. Both experimental manipulations and field studies provide strong evidence for mate competition in this ecologically and commercially important portunid species. Springer-Verlag, 1992 Autotomy nationallicence Blue crabs nationallicence Mate competition nationallicence Pairing precedence nationallicence Body size nationallicence Oecologia Springer-Verlag 89/4(1992-04-01), 494-501 0029-8549 89:4<494 1992 89 442 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00317155 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00317155 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 100 1- Smith L. Department of Zoology, University of Maryland, 20742, College Park, MD, USA aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Oecologia Springer-Verlag 89/4(1992-04-01), 494-501 0029-8549 89:4<494 1992 89 442 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer