Dataset: Uca pugilator: behavior change with carapace marking

U. pugilator were released independently (n=224) into the aquarium underneath an opaque plastic cup for ten minutes to ensure acclimation. After the allotted time, the cup was raised remotely using a rigged pulley system to guarantee no disruption to the animal’s behavior by an observer. The assessment extended for ten minutes during which a video camera was used to collect movements between quadrats. Through video analysis, a searching space (i.e. the number of quadrats entered by the crab’s full body with allowance for re-entry) was acquired as the quantitative measure of an individual’s general exploratory behavior. For each individual, we also noted the gender and measured its size in carapace width.

This method was repeated a second time after two hours of the first assessment with a treatment implemented. The treatments included a control, nail polish, and food dye. Nail polish or food dye was applied to the crab’s carapace after the completion of the first observation.

A paired t-test (p=0.071) was used to determine if there was no significant change in the behavior of the crabs after being treated with nail polish. There was a non-significant increase in activity levels on the second observation that may have resulted from familiarity with the chamber.