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A comparative analysis of sperm storage and mating strategies in five species of brachyuran crabs

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Abstract

Variation in female sperm storage is explained, in part, by the amount of sperm transferred at mating. Laboratory mating experiments were conducted on Eurypanopeus depressus and Rhithropanopeus harrisii from the Chesapeake Bay and Pachygrapsus transversus from Florida, while mated pairs of Uca beebei and U. terpsichores were collected from mudflats in Panama. All experiments and collections were conducted during the summer of 2006 and 2007. More sperm was transferred to larger than smaller females, and by species with long copulation durations (R. harrisii and E. depressus). These two species live in cryptic habitats, have high sperm/egg ratios, and likely store sperm across multiple broods. In contrast, P. transversus and U. beebei mate conspicuously, have short copulations, transfer fewer sperm, and have low sperm/egg ratios. Comparisons of sperm transfer across different mating strategies and habitats provide a better understanding of female sperm storage in the Brachyura.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Smithsonian Marine Station and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute for access to their collection sites and for providing supplies for this study. Dr. J. Christy provided valuable information and training for collecting field mating fiddler crabs in Panama. This research was supported with funds from the Smithsonian Pre-doctoral fellowship, and travel funding was provided by the COSMOS club (Young Scholars grant) and the Explorer’s Club (Explorer’s grant). We also thank our field assistant in Panama, Carolina Sanz-Hawkins and the undergraduate research assistants at the University of Maryland, Travis Anthony, Sharhyr Kahliq, Jay Lee and Kristen Riffert who helped measure eggs and two anonymous reviewers who provided valuable feedback for this paper.

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  1. Paula J. Rodgers

    Present address: Biology Division, Montgomery College, Rockville, MD, 20850, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biology Department, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA

    Paula J. Rodgers & Marjorie L. Reaka

  2. Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD, 21037, USA

    Paula J. Rodgers & Anson H. Hines

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  1. Paula J. Rodgers
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Correspondence to Paula J. Rodgers.

Additional information

Communicated by J. P. Grassle.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

227_2011_1687_MOESM1_ESM.doc

Online Resource 1: Habitat, collection location and average carapace width of mated, unmated and brooding females from laboratory experiments and field observations [minimum, average (±SE), maximum] for five brachyuran species. (DOC 44 kb)

227_2011_1687_MOESM2_ESM.doc

Online Resource 2: Explanatory and response variables used in mixed models for mating experiments and brooding females. Variable transformations displayed in parentheses (best transformation chosen for each variable). Interactions between fixed factors (c) and covariates, and between fixed factors were tested (not shown). Explanatory variables with largest correlation with response variables indicated by *. (DOC 25 kb)

227_2011_1687_MOESM3_ESM.doc

Online Resource 3: Percent R. harrisii females of given ovary stage (0 = immature, 1 = 50% developed, 2 = mature) for mated (gray) and unmated crabs (white) during course of experimental observations. Bold numbers represent sample size. (DOC 24 kb)

227_2011_1687_MOESM4_ESM.doc

Online Resource 4: Percent P. transversus females of given ovary stage (0 = immature, 1 = 50% developed, 2 = mature) for mated (gray) and unmated (white) crabs during course of experimental observations. Bold numbers represent sample size. (DOC 23 kb)

227_2011_1687_MOESM5_ESM.doc

Online Resource 5: Average weight of female spermatheca (mg) ± 1 SE before mating (open bar), after mating (solid bar) and brooding females (diagonal lines) for five brachyuran species. Different letters (a, b) represent significant differences in female spermathecae weight after mating (p<0.00833) from an ANCOVA with significant species and female carapace width effects. Horizontal bars represent paired t-tests conducted on before and after values for each species (***=significant). (DOC 26 kb)

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Rodgers, P.J., Reaka, M.L. & Hines, A.H. A comparative analysis of sperm storage and mating strategies in five species of brachyuran crabs. Mar Biol 158, 1733–1742 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-011-1687-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-011-1687-6

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