The impacts of flow on chemical communication strategies and fight dynamics of crayfish
Signal transmission is influenced by the physics of an environment. Consequently, a physical effect on sensory signals can influence how animals send or sample sensory information. Habitat-specific physics may constrain or enhance signal transmission (e.g. sound transmission in a flowing river versus a still pond) and provide a mechanism for the evolution of sensory biases. […]
Gender differences, responsiveness and memory of a potentially painful event in hermit crabs
Nonreflexive responses to a noxious event and prolonged memory are key criteria of a pain experience. In a previous study, hermit crabs, Pagurus bernhardus, that received a small electric shock within their shell often temporarily evacuated the shell and some groomed their abdomen and/or moved away from their vital resource. Most, however, returned to the […]
Spatial learning in a T-maze by the crayfish Orconectes rusticus
The T-maze has commonly been used to investigate the mechanisms underlying spatial learning in vertebrates and has yielded much information about how animals use response and place cues to orient toward a goal. We designed a T-maze to study the spatial learning abilities of crayfish (Orconectes rusticus), using tactile stimuli as a place cue and […]
Assortative mating by size without a size-based preference: the female-sooner norm as a mate-guarding criterion
The study of size-assortative mating, or homogamy, is of great importance in speciation and sexual selection. However, the proximate mechanisms that lead to such patterns are poorly understood. Homogamy is often thought to come from a directional preference for larger mates. However, many constraints affect mating preferences and understanding the causes of size assortment requires […]
Electrical stunning of edible crabs (Cancer pagurus): from single experiments to commercial practice
To determine the optimal electrical stunning conditions for edible crabs (Cancer pagurus) their impedance was investigated along with currents with the potential to render the animal insensible within 1 s. This information was used to develop a commercial stunner and determine conditions that both stun and kill the animals instantaneously. Results show that the crab’s […]