Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: BARBARA BARROS AZEVEDO DE ALBUQUERQUE

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : BARBARA BARROS AZEVEDO DE ALBUQUERQUE
DATE: 03/04/2025
TIME: 15:00
LOCAL: Sala 1 do PPg Psicobiologia
TITLE:

THE ROLE OF COLORATION IN MATE CHOICE IN LEPTUCA LEPTODACTYLA: DIFFERENCES BETWEEN POPULATIONS

KEY WORDS:

Reproductive behavior; courtship strategies; Ocypodidae; Color polymorphism; Visual signaling.

PAGES: 13
BIG AREA: Ciências Humanas
AREA: Psicologia
SUMMARY:

Crabs are crustaceans that inhabit estuary and mangrove regions and are part of the diet of several organisms. Tide-calling crabs, on the other hand, are known for their sexual dimorphism, in which the male has a hypertrophied cheliped and tends to have more striking colors than females. As they play an important role in food chains and have an impact on life in general, it is important to understand their behaviors in order to maintain diversity. Visual communication influences attraction, intraspecific competition and recognition of individuals of the same species, playing an important role in the sexual selection of several species. Sexual selection influences the forms of communication of organisms, causing signals, receptors and signaling behaviors that are more effective in transmitting information to prevail in the environment. Tideflamer crabs use visual communication to choose and attract their breeding partners. Size plays an important role in the choice of males in Austruca bengali, Austruca perplexa and Leptuca leptodactyla, while coloration plays a key role in the choice of females of Leptuca leptodactyla, females prefer males that reflect ultraviolet light and have greater brightness in their hypertrophied cheliped. In addition, the coloration of the carapaces is used for species recognition and as nuptial coloration. Different environments may favor the persistence of different signals in different populations of the same species, which may explain the presence of different morphotypes of the same species according to the environment in which it inhabits. On the banks of the Ceará-Mirim river it is possible to find, in two different regions, two populations of Leptuca leptodactyla that have two different morphotypes: one dark and the other light. Thus, we sought to understand whether this difference in the coloration of the two populations has an influence on the choice of males to females for reproduction. We expect males to direct most of their reproductive behaviors to females in the same population or to always prefer whiter females. In order to test this, we will carry out behavioral experiments in the field through an arena composed of acrylic plates and polypropylene fabric, covered with the original substrate. In the center, there will be a breeding male of Leptuca leptodactyla and two females from both localities arranged at the exit of the burrow for him to choose between the two. We will record, through a cell phone attached to a tripod filming the experimental arena, the behaviors of the male. After that, the videos will be analyzed and we will extract the following variables: a) initial attraction of the male; b) physical contact; c) the attempt of forced copulation; d) number of nods to each female; e) time beckoning; f) time of physical contact. We will compare the directionality of these variables to each of the females in order to understand whether or not there is a difference between these choices.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 1476621 - DANIEL MARQUES DE ALMEIDA PESSOA
Interna - 2696495 - RENATA GONCALVES FERREIRA