Crab scars reveal survival advantage of left-handed snails.
Biological asymmetries are important elements of the structure and function of many living organisms. Using the Plio-Pleistocene fossil record of crab predation on morphologically similar pairs of right- and left-handed snail species, we show here for the first time, contrary to traditional wisdom, that rare left-handed coiling promotes survival from attacks by right-handed crabs. This frequency-dependent result influences the balance of selection processes that maintain left-handedness at the species level and parallels some social interactions in human cultures, such as sports that involve dual contests between opponents of opposite handedness.
Dietl
Gregory P
GP
Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA. gregory.dietl@yale.edu
Hendricks
Jonathan R
JR
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002921:Cicatrix; D033364:Decapoda; D003710:Demography; D014644:Genetic Variation; D008954:Models, Biological; D011235:Predatory Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D012908:Snails / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*