Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: THIAGO DE FREITAS CORDEIRO

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : THIAGO DE FREITAS CORDEIRO
DATE: 01/04/2024
TIME: 15:00
LOCAL: Sala 1 da Psicobiologia
TITLE:

SOCIAL-SEXUAL ROLE OF COLOR POLYMORPHISM IN FEMALES OF Cardisoma guanhumi Latreille 1828, (DECAPODA: BRACHYURA: GECARCINIDAE)

KEY WORDS:

Decapod, Color pattern, Non-harassment, Camouflage, Sexual selection.

PAGES: 20
BIG AREA: Ciências Humanas
AREA: Psicologia
SUMMARY:

Color polymorphism in animals can play a significant role in survival and adaptation in different environments, allowing them to adjust to specific habitat conditions, as well as being relevant in reproductive aspects. Studies conducted with dragonflies, for example, have shown that changes in coloration in reproductive females serve the function of avoiding male harassment. The same type of color change in females has been described for the Blue Land Crab (Cardisoma guanhumi), which exhibits color polymorphism with four different morphotypes named "A," "B," "C," and "D," with the "D" morphotype occurring almost exclusively in females during the reproductive period. Most studies on color polymorphism extensively discuss the function of ontogenetic color polymorphism in camouflage, with few focusing on the role of this type of polymorphism in socio-sexual signaling. In the present study, we intend to investigate the influence of the body coloration of C. guanhumi females on the preference of males of the same species. We will test the following hypotheses: (i) the color patterns of C. guanhumi females reflect their stages of maturation and copulation; (ii) the "D" color pattern found in C. guanhumi females is a signal of non-receptivity and serves to avoid/decrease harassment by males. We will conduct experiments measuring the coloration of the tested animals, where we will model the chromatic contrast of these animals and their colorations in the crab's vision. Next, we will use the animals in partner preference tests in a forced-choice test, where a male chooses between two females with different color polymorphism characteristics, one always with a "D" color pattern and the other alternating between the other three color patterns. After the color measurements and behavioral tests, the animals will have their gonads (males and females) and seminal receptacles (females) dissected and analyzed for macroscopic and microscopic gonad maturation and seminal receptacle turgidity to determine the sexual maturation stage of each animal and the mating status of the females. As predictions, for hypothesis (i), we expect that C. guanhumi females of morphotypes "A" will have immature gonads, while those of morphotypes "B" and "C" will have maturing or mature gonads, and that females with the "D" color pattern will have turgid seminal receptacles or gonads at rest, indicating recent copulation. For hypothesis (ii), we expect that C. guanhumi males will spend less time near females with the "D" color pattern, indicating a non-preference for this pattern and spending more time near females with the "C" and "B" color patterns.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Presidente - 1476621 - DANIEL MARQUES DE ALMEIDA PESSOA
Interna - 1863735 - RENATA SANTORO DE SOUSA LIMA