Factors affecting the distribution of the genus Uca (Crustacea: Ocypodidae) on an East African shore

Icely, John; Jones, David A.

doi:10.1016/0302-3524(78)90019-1

Cited by 96 publications

(95 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…The first was the strong difference detected in soil characteristics, such as grain size, which clearly affect the distribution of fiddler crabs (Icely and Jones, 1978). The second was the wide geographical scale of our approach.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Effects of urban wastewater on crab and mollusc assemblages in equatorial and subtropical mangroves of East Africa

Cannicci

Bartolini

Dahdouh‐Guebas

et al. 2009

Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science

102

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a b s t r a c tMangrove forests are known to accomplish crucial ecosystem functions and services. They are nursery areas for fish, prawns and crabs, which provide coastal communities with a variety of food, timber and chemicals, and protect coasts from catastrophic events, such as tsunamis. Recently, a novel ecological service has been proposed for mangrove systems, namely natural wastewater treatment wetlands. This hypothesis was based on experimental data collected mainly in Chinese mangrove systems, which proved that mangrove soils were efficient in absorbing nutrients. Moreover, sewage loading seemed harmless to both plants and benthic communities in these systems. However, before promoting the use of natural mangroves as pollution buffers, or constructed mangrove wetlands as sewage treatment facilities, more data are needed on their overall tolerance to organic loading. Differences in macrobenthos patterns were thus investigated between peri-urban mangroves and sites not affected by sewage disposal in East Africa. We assessed differences in epifaunal assemblages, comprising crabs and molluscs, employing multivariate ACI unbalanced analyses to compare peri-urban mangrove swamps with those characteristic of non-urban mangroves with similar ecological traits. The sampling design was spatially nested, replicates being assessed at equatorial (southern Kenya) and subtropical (southern Mozambique) sites. The results manifested a consistent increase in crab biomass at the peri-urban sites in both Kenya and Mozambique. Moreover, the peri-urban systems were richer than the non-urban mangroves, both in terms of fiddler crabs (Uca spp.) which feed on benthic microalgae and bacteria, and sesarmids, such as Perisesarma guttatum and Neosarmatium meinerti, which feed on both substratum and leaf litter. The abundance of gastropods, in contrast, decreased significantly, especially in Kenya, mainly due to the disappearance of the mud whelk Terebralia palustris. The results thus indicate that, in East African mangrove systems, domestic wastewater has detectable effects on crabs and molluscs, suggesting their usefulness as bioindicators of its effects in mangroves. Transformed benthic patterns at the peri-urban sites indicated the need for further study of the actual potential of natural mangrove forests to absorb pollution in sewage treatment.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Effects of urban wastewater on crab and mollusc assemblages in equatorial and subtropical mangroves of East Africa

Cannicci

Bartolini

Dahdouh‐Guebas

et al. 2009

Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science

102

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“…Modifications of the second maxilliped setae have been recorded in fiddler crabs as an adaptation to inhabiting different kinds of substratum (Miller, 1961;Icely and Jones, 1978;Thurman II, 1987;Maitland, 1990;Mounton and Felder, 1996). These modifications are important in the ecology of Uca species and can be used to explain their distribution in the mangrove forests (Jones, 1984).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Components of the environment believed to play a major role in the distribution of fiddler crabs are vegetation, substratum, food, salinity, tidal exposure and presence of other animals (Aspey, 1978;Icely and Jones, 1978;Rabalais and Cameron, 1985;EwaOboho, 1993;Thurman, 1998;Nobbs, 2003;Ribeiro et al, 2005;César et al, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial distribution of fiddler crabs (Genus <i>Uca</i>) in a tropical mangrove of northeast Brazil

Bezerra¹,

Dias²,

Santana³

et al. 2006

Sci. Mar.

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SUMMARY: The influence of abiotic factors on the spatial distribution of the fiddler crabs Uca leptodactyla, U. maracoani, U. rapax and U. thayeri was studied in a tropical mangrove of northeast Brazil. Eight transects were delimited in a mangrove area of the Pacoti River. On each transect, three 0.25 m 2 squares were sampled during spring low tide periods from September 2003 to August 2004. The sediment of the squares at each transect was analysed for grain size, organic matter and humidity. Morphology of the second maxilliped was studied considering the number of spoon-tipped setae to help explain the ecological distribution of the species. U. leptodactyla and U. rapax were found living in medium sand, U. thayeri was collected in fine and very fine sand, while U. maracoani was found living in very fine sand. U. leptodactyla showed a negative correlation with organic matter and humidity while U. thayeri showed a positive correlations for both factors. U. maracoani and U. rapax were not correlated with organic matter or humidity. The analysis of the second maxilliped revealed that U. leptodactyla and U. rapax show a high quantity of spoon-tipped setae while U. maracoani and U. thayeri show a greater quantity of plumose setae. Las propiedades físicas del sedimento, i.e., textura, contenido orgánico y humedad también fueron evaluadas en cada cuadrante. La morfología del segundo maxilipedio se estudió considerado el número de setas con punta de cuchara para explicar la distribución ecológica de las especies. U. leptodactyla y U. rapax fueron encontrados en los sedimentos gruesos, mientras U. thayeri y U. maracoani fueron encontrados en los sedimentos lodosos. La abundancia de U. leptodactyla mostró una correlación negativa con el contenido orgánico y la humedad mientras U. thayeri mostró una correlación positiva con ambos factores. La abundancia de U. rapax y U. maracoani no estuvo correlacionada con la materia orgánica y humedad. El análisis del segundo maxilipedio reveló que U. leptodactyla y U. rapax presentan una cantidad alta de setas con punta de cuchara mientras U. maracoani y U. thayeri presentaron una cantidad mayor de setas plumosas. KeywordsPalabras clave: género Uca, distribución espacial, factores abióticos, análisis del segundo maxilipedio, manglar tropical, Nordeste de Brasil.

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“…Fiddler crabs sort food items (detritus resulting from litter fall decomposition, algae and infauna) from sediment grains (Miller, 1961;Icely and Jones, 1978). Robertson (1986) suggested that mangrove crabs would not rely solely on mangrove leaves for feeding, since their chemical composition would not supply the metabolic requirements of these consumers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of the population structure of the fiddler crab <i>Uca vocator</i> (Herbst, 1804) from three subtropical mangrove forests

Colpo¹,

Negreiros-Fransozo²

2004

Sci. Mar.

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SUMMARY: The population structure of U. vocator was investigated during a one-year period in three mangrove forests in southeast Brazil. The study specifically addressed comparisons on individual size , juvenile recruitment and sex-ratio. The structure of the mangrove forests, i.e. density, basal area, and diameter, and the physical properties of sediments, i.e. texture and organic matter contents, were also examined. A catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) technique was used to sample the crab populations using 15-min sampling periods by two people. Males always outnumbered females, probably due to ecological and behavioural attributes of these crabs. The median size of fiddler crabs differed among the sampled populations. The mangroves at Indaiá and Itamambuca showed higher productivity than those at Itapanhaú, where oil spills impacting the shore were reported. Marked differences were found regarding individual size , either their size at the onset of sexual maturity or their asymptotic size, suggesting that food availability may be favouring growth in the studied populations.Key words: population structure, mangrove crab, Ocypodidae, Uca vocator. RESUMEN: COMPARACIÓN DE LA ESTRUTURA POBLACIONAL DE UCA VOCATOR (HERBST, 1804) EN TRES MANGLARES SUBTRO-PICALES. -La estructura poblacional de U. vocator fue investigada por 1 año in tres manglares del sudeste brasileño. El estudio estuvo dirigido a la comparación de la talla de los individuos, reclutamiento de los juveniles y la razón sexual. La estructura del bosque de los manglares, i.e., densidad, área basal y diámetro, y las propiedades físicas del sedimento, i.e., textura y contenido orgánico, también fueran evaluadas. Dos personas durante 15 minutos (técnica de captura por una unidad de tiempo) hicieran un muestreo de las poblaciones de cangrejos. Los machos siempre estuvieran en más numero que las hembras, probablemente por sus distintos comportamientos. La talla mediana de estos cangrejos difirió entre las poblaciones estudiadas. Los manglares de Indaiá y Itamambuca presentaran una productividad más grande que Itapanhaú, donde ocurrió un impacto ambiental debido a un derramamiento de petróleo. Las diferencias significativas encontradas tanto en la talla de la maturidad como en la talla asintótica de los cangrejos, sugieren que la disponibilidad de alimento puede estar favoreciendo el crecimiento en las poblaciones estudiadas.Palabras clave: estructura de población, cangrejo de mangle, Ocypodidae, Uca vocator.

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Factors affecting the distribution of the genus Uca (Crustacea: Ocypodidae) on an East African shore

Cited by 96 publications

References 14 publications

Effects of urban wastewater on crab and mollusc assemblages in equatorial and subtropical mangroves of East Africa

Effects of urban wastewater on crab and mollusc assemblages in equatorial and subtropical mangroves of East Africa

Spatial distribution of fiddler crabs (Genus <i>Uca</i>) in a tropical mangrove of northeast Brazil

Comparison of the population structure of the fiddler crab <i>Uca vocator</i> (Herbst, 1804) from three subtropical mangrove forests

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