Boxer crabs induce asexual reproduction of their associated sea anemones by splitting and intraspecific theft
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Yisrael Schnytzer, Yaniv Giman, Ilan Karplus, Yair Achituv
Abstract
Crabs of the genus<jats:italic>Lybia</jats:italic>have the remarkable habit of holding a sea anemone in each of their claws. This partnership appears to be obligate, at least on the part of the crab. The present study focuses on<jats:italic>Lybia leptochelis</jats:italic>from the Red Sea holding anemones of the genus<jats:italic>Alicia</jats:italic>(family Aliciidae). These anemones have not been found free living, only in association with<jats:italic>L. leptochelis</jats:italic>. In an attempt to understand how the crabs acquire them, we conducted a series of behavioral experiments and molecular analyses. Laboratory observations showed that the removal of one anemone from a crab induces a "splitting" behavior, whereby the crab tears the remaining anemone into two similar parts, resulting in a complete anemone in each claw after regeneration. Furthermore, when two crabs, one holding anemones and one lacking them, are confronted, the crabs fight, almost always leading to the "theft" of a complete anemone or anemone fragment by the crab without them. Following this, crabs "split" their lone anemone into two. Individuals of<jats:italic>Alicia</jats:italic>sp. removed from freshly collected<jats:italic>L. leptochelis</jats:italic>were used for DNA analysis. By employing AFLP (Fluorescence Amplified Fragments Length Polymorphism) it was shown that each pair of anemones from a given crab is genetically identical. Furthermore, there is genetic identity between most pairs of anemone held by different crabs, with the others showing slight genetic differences. This is a unique case in which one animal induces asexual reproduction of another, consequently also affecting its genetic diversity.
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