Shrimp co-conflict resolution with sex

The male shrimps create a sexual act of pretending to mitigate violence and clearly divide power. Without these procedures, the male shrimp will fight until death.

This sexual drama aims to establish order and reduce aggression among males. This activity is also present in primates, but this is the first time scientists have found in invertebrate animals.

Donald Edwards, a scientist at the University of Georgia in Atlanta, USA, studied the Louisiana copper shrimp in the laboratory. They have seen the type of pretense between sex in the wild and in captivity, but no one knows its cause.

Usually, the male shrimp will initiate a sexual act by approaching the female from behind and provoking " her " with a antennae antennae. Next, he leaned on her body and turned her up. If she succumbs by straightening her legs, the male will grab hold of her and perform mating behavior for 30 to 90 minutes.

Of the 20 pairs of male copper shrimp tested, the sexual drama took place in 16 pairs. In 12 of them, when the weaker male succumbs, the act of pretending to be sex is almost like the normal mating that takes place from 7 seconds to 9 minutes. In the remaining 4 cases, the male was forced to subjugate against this rite.

(Photo: LiveScience)

In pairs where the mating show takes place, the initial acts of pressure between rivals, such as fighting or tailing - are greatly reduced in the first 1 hour of interaction. All of these animals survived the first 24 hours.

However, in couples who do not have pretense procedures, initial acts of violence do not decrease in the first hour. Half of the weaker males were killed, stripped of their weapons or partially re-eaten for the first 24 hours.

This shows that the play of love has helped to shape order among males and reduce fighting between rivals.

" In general, aggression or intimidation is to establish and maintain a dominant position in animal communities. However, that violence is dangerous for both rulers and submissors, because so many animals find ways to avoid that conflict, "Edwards said.

In the future, scientists will continue to find out whether female copper shrimp mimics mating with each other.

MT