Sabrina Borges Lino Araujo

A Spatially Explicit Model of Synchronization in Fiddler Crab Waving Displays

Fiddler crabs (Uca spp., Decapoda: Ocypodidae) are commonly found forming large aggregations in intertidal zones, where they perform rhythmic waving displays with their greatly enlarged claws. While performing these displays, fiddler crabs often synchronize their behavior with neighboring males, forming the only known synchronized visual courtship displays involving reflected light and moving body parts. Despite being one of the most conspicuous aspects of fiddler crab behavior, little is known about the mechanisms underlying synchronization of male displays. In this study we develop a spatially explicit model of fiddler crab waving displays using coupled logistic map equations. We explored two alternative models in which males either direct their attention at random angles or preferentially toward neighbors. Our results indicate that synchronization is possible over a fairly large region of parameter space. Moreover, our model was capable of generating local synchronization neighborhoods, as commonly observed in fiddler crabs under natural conditions.

Impacts of enemy-mediated effects and the additivity of interactions in an insect trophic system

In this study, we used data from both experiments and mathematical simulations to analyze the consequences of the interacting effects of intraguild predation (IGP), cannibalism and parasitism occurring in isolation and simultaneously in trophic interactions involving two blowfly species under shared parasitism. We conducted experiments to determine the short-term response of two blowfly species to these interactions with respect to their persistence. A mathematical model was employed to extend the results obtained from these experiments to the long-term consequences of these interactions for the persistence of the blowfly species. Our experimental results revealed that IGP attenuated the strength of the effects of cannibalism and parasitism between blowfly host species, increasing the probability of persistence of both populations. The simulations obtained from the mathematical model indicated that IGP is a key interaction for the long-term dynamics of this system. The presence of different species interacting in a tri-trophic system relaxed the severity of the effects of a particular interaction between two species, changing species abundances and promoting persistence through time. This pattern was related to indirect interactions with a third species, the parasitoid species included in this study.

Social cues affect synchronization of male waving displays in a fiddler crab (Crustacea: Ocypodidae)

The influence of social context in animal signals can lead to complex communicational patterns. In particular, the interaction between individuals can lead to intriguing collective dynamics, such as the temporal synchronization of signals. A fascinating example of such temporal synchronization involves the waving displays of fiddler crabs, in which males raise and lower their enlarged claws in species-specific rhythms. The adaptive significance of this phenomenon is still obscure, but possibly involves female preference for leading waving displays. However, waving displays are highly complex social signals that might be involved in a variety of forms of communication other than simply attracting females, but little is known about the influence of social context on wave synchronization. In this study we carried out field experiments to investigate the effect of two social factors, male density and female presence, on the level of waving synchronization in the fiddler crab Uca leptodactyla. Groups of males at varying densities were established in enclosures and recorded either in the presence or absence of a female. Our results indicate that the main factor driving synchronization is the presence of the female, with males not only changing the timing of their waving displays, but also altering their spatial distribution in the arenas. On the other hand, male density had a negligible effect on synchronization (despite significantly increasing waving rate), suggesting that male–male communication plays a minor role in the emergence of waving synchronization in this species.

Home range evolution and its implication in population outbreaks

We investigated the phenomenon of population outbreaks in a spatial predator–prey model, and we found that pattern formation and outbreaks occur if the predators have a limited neighbourhood of interaction with the preys. The outbreaks can display a scale-invariant power-law tail, indicating self-organized criticality. We have also studied the system from an evolutionary point of view, where the predator home range is a hereditary trait subjected to mutations. We found that mutation drives the predator home range area to an optimal value where pattern formation and outbreaks are still present, but the latter are much less frequent. We developed analytical approximations using mean field and pair correlation techniques that indicate that the predation strategy is crucial for existence of this optimal home range area.

Host use dynamics in a heterogeneous fitness landscape generates oscillations in host range and diversification: HOST USE DYNAMICS GENERATES DIVERSIFICATION

Colonization of novel hosts is thought to play an important role in parasite diversification, yet little consensus has been achieved about the macroevolutionary consequences of changes in host use. Here, we offer a mechanistic basis for the origins of parasite diversity by simulating lineages evolved in silico. We describe an individual‐based model in which (i) parasites undergo sexual reproduction limited by genetic proximity, (ii) hosts are uniformly distributed along a one‐dimensional resource gradient, and (iii) host use is determined by the interaction between the phenotype of the parasite and a heterogeneous fitness landscape. We found two main effects of host use on the evolution of a parasite lineage. First, the colonization of a novel host allowed parasites to explore new areas of the resource space, increasing phenotypic and genotypic variation. Second, hosts produced heterogeneity in the parasite fitness landscape, which led to reproductive isolation and therefore, speciation. As a validation of the model, we analyzed empirical data from Nymphalidae butterflies and their host plants. We then assessed the number of hosts used by parasite lineages and the diversity of resources they encompass. In both simulated and empirical systems, host diversity emerged as the main predictor of parasite species richness.

Embryo toxicity assay in the fish species Rhamdia quelen (Teleostei, Heptaridae) to assess water quality in the Upper Iguaçu basin (Parana, Brazil)

The Iguaçu River is one of the largest and most important rivers in the Southern of Brazil. The Upper Iguaçu Basin is responsible for water supply (80%) of the Metropolitan Region of Curitiba (MRC). After crossing a large urban region, the river is polluted by domestic and industrial sewage, but despite of that few ecotoxicological studies have been performed in order to evaluate the water quality from Iguaçu River. The aim of the present study was to investigate the risk of exposure of Iguaçu water to biota and also human population. In this terms, was utilized the survival effect and the morphological deformities in larval embryos of Rhamdia quelen, a native South America species. The results showed a high level of pollution in all studied sites along the Upper Iguaçu River including PAHs and toxic metals such as lead. The lethal and non-lethal effects described in earlier stages of development suggest an elevated risk to biota. This data was corroborated by the theoretical model, showing that the pollutants present in water from Iguaçu River may further reduce the fish population density including risk of local extinction. The present study reflect the needs to conduct in-depth research to evaluate the real impact of human activities on the endemic fish biota of Iguaçu River including the risk for human populations.