Acetoin is a key odor for resource location in the giant robber crab Birgus 
latro

Knaden, Markus; Bisch-Knaden, Sonja; Linz, Jeanine; Reinecke, Andreas; Krieger, Jakob; Erland, Susanne; Harzsch, Steffen; Hansson, Bill S.

doi:10.1242/jeb.202929

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Acetoin is a key odor for resource location in the giant robber crab Birgus latro

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Knaden, Markus
Research Group Dr. M. Knaden, Insect Behavior, Department of Neuroethology, Prof. B. S. Hansson, MPI for Chemical Ecology, Max Planck Society;

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Bisch-Knaden, Sonja
Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Prof. B. S. Hansson, MPI for Chemical Ecology, Max Planck Society;

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Linz, Jeanine
Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Prof. B. S. Hansson, MPI for Chemical Ecology, Max Planck Society;
IMPRS on Ecological Interactions, MPI for Chemical Ecology, Max Planck Society;

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Reinecke, Andreas
Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Prof. B. S. Hansson, MPI for Chemical Ecology, Max Planck Society;

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Erland, Susanne
Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Prof. B. S. Hansson, MPI for Chemical Ecology, Max Planck Society;

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Hansson, Bill S.
Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology, Prof. B. S. Hansson, MPI for Chemical Ecology, Max Planck Society;

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.202929
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Citation

Knaden, M., Bisch-Knaden, S., Linz, J., Reinecke, A., Krieger, J., Erland, S., et al. (2019). Acetoin is a key odor for resource location in the giant robber crab Birgus latro. The Journal of Experimental Biology, 222(12): jeb202929. doi:10.1242/jeb.202929.

Cite as: https://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0003-B98C-F

Abstract

The terrestrial and omnivorous robber crab Birgus latro inhabits islands of the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. The animals live solitarily but occasionally gather at freshly opened coconuts or fructiferous arenga palms. By analyzing volatiles of coconuts and arenga fruit we identified five compounds, including Acetoin, which are present in both food sources. In a behavioral screen performed in the crabs’ habitat, a beach on Christmas Island, we found that of 15 tested fruit compounds Acetoin was the only volatile eliciting significant attraction. Hence, Acetoin might play a key role in governing the crabs’ aggregation behavior at both food sources.