Animal weapons are morphologies used in contests over limited resources like food, shelter, and mates. Individuals with larger weapons tend to win contests, so evolution can favor large weaponry. Yet, the specific functional benefits that weaponry provides are often unclear. Further, the mechanisms that prevent individuals from growing arbitrarily large weapons remain hotly debated. In this thesis, I quantified the functional and competitive benefits of large weapons in snapping shrimp, Alpheus spp. Then, I resolved two apparent paradoxes that arise from this finding. First, if large weapons are beneficial, then what prevents individuals from growing arbitrarily large weapons? Second, if weapons are costly, then how can they scale with positive allometry? Taken in sum, my findings demonstrate that the costs and benefits of weaponry interact to explain how weapon size varies with body size, sex, and season.
A zoom option will be available for those unable to attend in person: https://duke.zoom.us/j/96018290935?pwd=TlV2eVZ3SWZtZUpFU1FUZ2xrVnU5UT09
Please contact Jason Dinh or Donnyell Batts for the password.
Department of Biology