Influence of seasonal food abundance and quality on the feeding habits of an opportunistic feeder, the intertidal crab Pachygrapsus marmoratus

Cannicci, Stefano; Gomei, Marina; Dahdouh‐Guebas, Farid; Rorandelli, Rocco; Terlizzi, Antonio

doi:10.1007/s00227-006-0570-3

Cited by 44 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…As there were clear differences in dietary regimes between the two crabs, ordination was calculated separately for each species. A matrix of similarity between each pair of crab samples was calculated using the Gower distance (on untransformed data, see Cannicci et al, 2007). Data from the similarity matrix (based on the Gower distance) of relative abundance of the different food categories (excluding unidentified materials) collected in July, August, and September 2002 (which represents Hong Kong's typical hot, wet season), and in December 2002, January, and February 2003 (which represents Hong Kong's typical cold, dry season, see Kaehler & Williams, 1996), were ordinated using nMDS.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Food availability, as well as an organisms' activity pattern, is likely to be influenced by the ambient physical environment (Wilson, 1989;Eshky et al, 1995;Kennish et al, 1996;Meziane et al, 2006;Cannicci et al, 2007). The feeding activity and hence the diets of mangrove crabs are likely, therefore, to exhibit seasonal and spatial variation; yet most studies involving dietary analysis of these crabs have been conducted on samples collected at only one particular time and site (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Spatial and temporal variation in diets of the crabs Metopograpsus frontalis (Grapsidae) and Perisesarma bidens (Sesarmidae): implications for mangrove food webs

2009

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The diets of the mangrove crabs, Metopograpsus frontalis Miers and Perisesarma bidens de Haan, were investigated monthly for 13 months at two Hong Kong mangroves, to examine possible spatial and temporal influences on their feeding ecology. In both species, a higher degree of gut fullness was observed in summer (May-September) than in winter, suggesting a reduction in winter foraging activity. M. frontalis was omnivorous, with animal and plant materials and inorganic sediments being the major food items. P. bidens was detritivorous, with plant materials and inorganic sediment dominating the gut contents. M. frontalis is, therefore, an opportunistic feeder, whilst P. bidens, like many other members of the Sesarmidae, is a detritivore. Some degree of seasonal variation was shown in the diet of M. frontalis (with more algal material in winter) and P. bidens (with more sediments in summer), but diets were similar between sexes in both species. The dietary pattern of M. frontalis also varied between sites. The diets of the crabs, therefore, appear to be a result of the interplay between the seasonal, physical climate and biological factors, especially food availability and the crabs' ecology. Results suggest that the predatory role of Metopograpsus, which has been poorly studied, is potentially important to estuarine food webs; whilst the trophic importance of sesarmid crabs, such as Perisesarma, especially in mangrove outwelling, should be critically re-evaluated.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Spatial and temporal variation in diets of the crabs Metopograpsus frontalis (Grapsidae) and Perisesarma bidens (Sesarmidae): implications for mangrove food webs

2009

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“…This has led to the hypothesis that amphipod polyphagy is favored evolutionarily because preferred hosts are unavailable during some seasons, thus forcing amphipods onto other hosts (Hay and Steinberg 1992;Steneck and Watling 1982). While it is clear that marine herbivores respond to seasonal shifts in host availability by altering their diets in a phenotypically-plastic manner (Cannicci et al 2007;Clements and Choat 1993;Kotta et al 2006), to our knowledge, there are no published studies that looked for a seasonal genetic response to the seasonality of algal availability (i.e., fluctuating selection) or the evolutionary potential for a genetic response.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Rapid experimental shift in host use traits of a polyphagous marine herbivore reveals fitness costs on alternative hosts

Sotka

Reynolds

2011

Evol Ecol

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The host breadth of any particular herbivore reflects a compromise between evolutionary forces that promote specialism and those that promote polyphagy. Because most terrestrial herbivorous insects specialize, explorations of this evolutionary balance have focused largely on specialist than on polyphagous herbivores. Here, we experimentally tested whether fitness-based tradeoffs in utilizing alternative hosts can be detected within a polyphagous marine herbivore. The marine amphipod Ampithoe longimana occurs on multiple seaweeds year-round (especially the genera Sargassum, Ulva and Hypnea), but is particularly abundant on the diterpene-rich genus Dictyota during warmer summer months. If fitness-based tradeoffs in using these alternative hosts are present, A. longimana may experience fluctuating selection across seasons. To test this possibility, we performed a controlled natural-selection experiment in which amphipods were isolated on Dictyota or a mixed seaweed assemblage that did not include Dictyota. Within 15 weeks (less than five overlapping generations), Dictyota-lines had greater feeding tolerance for Dictyota and its secondary metabolites than did mixed-seaweed-lines. Dictyota-line females reproduced more quickly than did mixed-seaweed-line females on Dictyota, but mixed-seaweed-line juveniles had greater growth on Sargassum and Ulva and higher fecundity on all hosts than did Dictyota-line juveniles. While experimental shifts in preference and performance are likely genetically-mediated, our experimental protocol does not preclude a role for phenotypic plasticity. The presence of a fitness cost to evolving greater preference for Dictyota suggests that fluctuating selection may operate on feeding preference across seasons, but our test of this hypothesis was equivocal. We suggest that one reason that polyphagy persists within A. longimana and potentially other marine grazers is because polyphagy broadens resource use across seasons, and this benefit outweighs the fitness-based costs that can favor specialism. Our results also reinforce the notion that timescales of ecological and evolutionary dynamics can overlap.

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“…On Atlantic and Pacific shores, limpets are predated by birds, sea-stars, fish, gastropods and crabs (Marsh, 1986;Cannicci et al, 2007;Silva et al, 2008;Flores et al, 2001, Silva et al, 2010b but in the rocky intertidal zone of the study area the most common limpet predators are crabs (Pachygrapsus marmoratus and Eriphia verrucosa), and whelks (Stramonita haemastoma) (Coppa et al, 2012). The intertidal surveys conducted during the study period revealed low numbers of natural predators in comparison with other areas such as central Portugal (Flores et al, 2001), southwest Britain (Silva et al, 2010a) and the Israeli coast (Rilov et al, 2004).…”

Section: The Role Of Natural Predatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The exploitation of limpets in a Mediterranean Marine Protected Area: assessing the effectiveness of protection in the intertidal zone

et al. 2017

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Limpets are intertidal keystone grazers and their overexploitation could have significant consequences for intertidal communities. Limpets are harvested around the Sinis Peninsula (Sardinia, Italy) but harvesting is prohibited within the "Penisola del Sinis -Isola di Mal di Ventre" Marine Protected Area (MPA). This work assesses the effects of human harvesting on the population dynamics of three common Mediterranean species of Patella, namely, P. rustica, P. caerulea and P. ulyssiponensis, testing the effectiveness of the MPA and the role of site accessibility in limiting the intensity of such harvesting pressure. In the period between June 2015 and August 2016, limpet abundance and size were recorded on a monthly basis by means of photographic frames within linear transects at ten sites spread out along the coastline of the Sinis Peninsula to assess growth and temporal patterns. Limpets older than two years are extremely rare in the study area. Limpets are more abundant within the MPA in comparison with non-protected areas and within less accessible sites in comparison with areas where the intertidal zone is easily accessible from land. Despite this, overall human-induced mortality in the area is high, indeed the pool of limpets observed with a mean density of 104.3 ± 9.7 limpets/m 2 during the first survey was reduced by 99.2% in less than one year. This work demonstrates that human harvesting strongly affects the population dynamics of Patella species in the area and that within the MPA this stressor is not efficiently reduced.

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Influence of seasonal food abundance and quality on the feeding habits of an opportunistic feeder, the intertidal crab Pachygrapsus marmoratus

Cited by 44 publications

References 53 publications

Spatial and temporal variation in diets of the crabs Metopograpsus frontalis (Grapsidae) and Perisesarma bidens (Sesarmidae): implications for mangrove food webs

Spatial and temporal variation in diets of the crabs Metopograpsus frontalis (Grapsidae) and Perisesarma bidens (Sesarmidae): implications for mangrove food webs

Rapid experimental shift in host use traits of a polyphagous marine herbivore reveals fitness costs on alternative hosts

The exploitation of limpets in a Mediterranean Marine Protected Area: assessing the effectiveness of protection in the intertidal zone

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