FORM AND FUNCTION OF THE ASYMMETRIC CHELAE IN BLUE CRABS WITH NORMAL AND REVERSED HANDEDNESS

Abstract

The form and function of the paired asymmetric chelae were examined in blue crabs with the normal (right crusher, left cutter) and reverse (left crusher, right cutter) chela laterality or handedness. The force generated by the crusher chela in intact blue crabs was significantly greater than that of its counterpart cutter chela. The relative strength of the crusher is due to its greater mechanical advantage and larger muscle volume. The closer muscles of both chelae were capable of exerting similar forces. For a comparable frequency of stimulation, the fast excitor axon was more effective in the cutter than in the crusher chela. The paired closer muscles were composed of fibers with long sarcomere lengths (>6 sm) characteristic of slow fibers with no significant difference in their mean value or in their distribution between crusher and cutter chelae. This was corroborated by finding that the myofibrillar ATPase activity and oxidative capacity was uniformly similar over most of the muscle in both chelae except for some differentiation in the most proximal and distal regions of the muscle. Such homogeneity in sarcomere lengths and enzymatic properties of the paired closer muscle occurred in blue crabs with the normal and reverse chela laterality. Thus functional differences brought about by motoneuron activation between the asymmetric chelae are probably due to muscle fiber properties other than their sarcomere lengths and enzymatic profiles, such as their cable and contractile properties as well as to neuronal and neuromuscular properties.