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A Graphical Model for Shell‐Species Selection By Hermit Crabs
Author(s) -
Lively Curtis M.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.2307/1941278
Subject(s) - hermit crab , shell (structure) , selection (genetic algorithm) , aperture (computer memory) , habitat , ecology , fishery , biology , physics , decapoda , computer science , crustacean , engineering , acoustics , artificial intelligence , civil engineering
Shell—species preferences by hermit crabs offer a unique opportunity to study a form of habitat selection by animals. A graphical model is presented in the present study, which considers the interacting effects of shell mass, shell aperture width, and shell depth on hermit crab shell—species selection. The model predicts that the most preferred shell species will be the one that maximizes the room for retreat into the shell (estimated as the ratio of shell depth to aperture width) such that a certain mass threshold (estimated as the ratio of shell mass to hermit crab size) is not exceeded. A good qualitative fit was observed between the predictions of the model and a test of the model using the hermit crab Clibanarius digueti from the Gulf of California.