Allometric constraints and the modulation of weapon evolution by mating system in fiddler crabs

Sexual selection potentially drives the evolution of exaggerated traits used in intrasexual contests. However, the extent of mating systems’ influence on weapon morphology remains unclear. In fiddler crab males, an exaggerated claw functions both as a weapon and a signaling tool, varying according to the species’ mating system. We examined claw evolution in male fiddler crabs, differentiating between two main mating strategies: 1. males defend their mating burrows (= ‘burrow’); 2. males do not mate in their own burrows (= ‘surface’). We measured claw morphological traits and tested whether the mating system affects their evolutionary rates, expecting ‘burrow’ species to exhibit higher evolutionary rates. In general, claw size scales isometrically with body size across species. Both systems showed no correlation between claw elements and mechanical advantage, indicating the necessity of maintaining a conspicuous signaling tool alongside an efficient lever system for grip strength as body..., , # Allometric constraint and the modulation of weapon evolution by mating system in fiddler crabs

This readme has been divided in three parts. First, we will talk about the file structure, then the code, and the dataset.

##### File structure:

We have two zip files: \"code.zip\" and \"data.zip\". The \"code\" zipped folder contains the code used to generate the data. The \"data\" zipped folder contains all the data required to run our analyses. Inside, you will find the datasets in \".csv\", \".rds\" files required for bootstrap analyses (see below), and \".nex\" files that contain the phylogenetic trees. We have not included a folder for \"figures\" because these will be generated along with the code. If you want to visualize the figures without running the code, check the knitted HTML (*Fiddler-claw-evol.html*) file we are also uploading.

##### Code:

There are two codes: \"RateMatrixFunctions.R\" and \"fiddler_crab_analyses.R\".

* *RateMatrixFunctions.R* - This code was taken from a Slater & Friscia ...,