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Allometry

Male fiddler crabs

Male fiddler crab

Male fiddler crabs (Uca pugnax) possess an enlarged major claw which can be used for fighting or threatening other male crabs. Males with larger claws attract more female mates so large claws have a selective advantage.

For a particular species of fiddler crab, the following allometric equation has been found,

        Mc =  0.036 · Mb 1.356,                   

where Mc represents the mass of the major claw and Mb represents the body mass of the crab.

Assume that body mass equals the total mass of the crab minus the mass of the major claw.

Now use this example to test your understanding of allometric equations

Problem 1-Rewrite an allometric equation into logarithmic form.

Problem 2-Determine the slope of the line when plotting log (s) versus log (f).

Problem 3-Given an allometric equation, describe the relationship between two attributes.

Problem 4- Calculate the mass of the major claw for a male fiddler crab.

Problem 5- Calculate the mass of a male fiddler crab.

Problem 6-Calculate the range of masses of the major claw given a range of uncertainty.

 

Next application: Newton's Law of Cooling

 

 

The Biology Project > Biomath > Applications > Allometry

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The Biology Project
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics

The University of Arizona

December 2005
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