Hermit Crabs Research is currently being pursue

Hermit crabs are considered ideal for research into decision making of this sort. When an animal stops performing one activity, it must decide what activity to perform next, and this is called a "decision point." At any time, causal factors for several different potential activities are likely present, and the question arises as to how the animal selects which activity to perform. Certain common sense answers suggest themselves. The causal factors may be "weighted" in terms of their consequences for the fitness of the animal and for the animal to select that activity for which the highest level of causal factors exists. Disinhibition may occur in times of conflict between tendencies toward two opposing behaviors, leading to displacement activities. Another approach is found in the state space model, which assumes that all activities are mutually exclusive and that each combination of causal factors will determine a particular activity (Elwood and Neil 15-17).

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d that the crabs select shells on the basis of several shell traits bearing on protection provided by the shell or by the ease with which the shell can be carried (Conover 131-142). Mesce examines the shell selection behavior of two closely related hermit crabs, Pagarus samuelis and Pagarus hirsutiusculus. Each species showed a preference for either Tegula funebralis shells (in the case of P. samuelis) or Nucella canaliculata shells (for P. hirsutiusculus). These shells differ greatly in their external appearance and their internal configuration. Visual and chemical stimuli have been found to have a different effect on each of the two closely related species of crab, and this may explain their different choices. Pagarus samuelis relied on visual cues for shells election, and this species also displays visually-mediated tracking of objects resembling the shell of choice in terms of color, shape, and size. Pagarus hirsutiusculus, on the other hand, did not show this tracking behavior. Both types of crab responded to the chemical composition of the shells, especially to the calcium content, and the application of various coatings was tried to remove the calcium from the cover of the shell and thus remove it as a cue. Once
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Harvey Colasurdo, Petersburg Florida, INTRODUCTION Research, Elwood Neil, RESEARCH Shells, hermit crabs, Shells Pagarus, Biological Ecology, pagarus hirsutiusculus, hermit crab, pagarus granosimanus, Marine Science, shell selection, Animal Behavior, elwood neil, causal factors, effects shell food, shell food, food availability, empty shells, shell food availability, Chapman Hall, experimental marine biological, closely related hermit, journal experimental marine,
Approximate Word count = 1593
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)