Microbenthos, meiobenthos and fiddler crabs: trophic interactions in a tropical mangrove sediment

Dye, A.H.; Lasiak, TA

doi:10.3354/meps032259

Cited by 117 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…It was, therefore, not surprising to find that irrespective of season, bacteria contributed to the diet of all ocypodid species collected in LRE. The use of bacteria as a food source by ocypodid crabs has been reported previously (Dye & Lasiak 1986, Meziane et al 2000, Takeda et al 2004). Nevertheless, it has been suggested that the bacterial marker, 18:1ω7 can be formed in vivo by chain elongation of dietary 16:1ω7 in some marine invertebrates, including crabs (Styrishave et al 2000, Stevens et al 2004 and reference therein).…”

Section: Food Sources Of the Crabsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Ocypodid and grapsid crabs are the predominant organisms of the macrofauna in many mangrove ecosystems (Crane 1975, Macintosh 1988. The ocypodid crabs, with wider habitat preferences than those of the grapsids (which are usually limited to vegetated areas), are thought to be deposit-feeders and therefore rely more on sediment microorganisms for their nutritional needs (Dye & Lasiak 1986. However, these opportunistic species have also been reported to supplement their diets by ingesting vascular plants detritus and macroalgae (Meziane & Tsuchiya 2000, Hsieh et al 2002.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fate of mangrove organic matter along a subtropical estuary: small-scale exportation and contribution to the food of crab communities

Méziane¹,

D'Agata²,

Lee³

2006

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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The export of mangrove primary production to adjacent habitats has long been regarded as playing a significant role in estuarine food webs. In the Logan River Estuary, a subtropical estuary situated in the southern part of Moreton Bay in Queensland, Australia, we used the fatty acid markers approach to investigate this export and its contribution to the estuarine food web, compared to other sources. During summer and autumn of 2004, 4 stations were sampled along a salinity gradient. Surface sediment samples were collected, using pre-cut syringes, in the mangrove forest of each station and in the adjacent tidal flats. Individuals of dominant crab species were also collected from the mangrove forests. Seasonal differences in fatty acid compositions of the surface sediments within the mangrove forests and along the adjacent banks were recorded, indicating that organic matter inputs varied between summer and autumn. Results also showed that mangrove production was accumulated at the surface sediments in some parts of the estuary during autumn and consequently was not exported to the tidal flat. The fatty acid composition of crab species present in the mangrove showed obvious differences between the grapsid and the ocypodid crabs collected from the estuary. These differences most likely reflect the distinctive feeding strategies of the crab groups, although there was some indication of species-specific biosynthesis/accumulation of certain polyunsaturated fatty acids. The grapsid of this study, Paraseserma erythodactyla, in addition to being more dependent on mangrove leaves than the ocypodid crabs, is shown to potentially feed on fungal biomass.

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Section: Food Sources Of the Crabsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fate of mangrove organic matter along a subtropical estuary: small-scale exportation and contribution to the food of crab communities

Méziane¹,

D'Agata²,

Lee³

2006

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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“…This contribution of diatoms was conagreement with those obtained in a Queensland mud-'firmed by low C:N ratios (Table 4). bank (Australia) by Dye & Lasiak (1986), who showed During the rainy season, the elevated contribution of that microheterotrophs were the major food source for 18:2w6 and 18:3w6 at Stn OB 3 (Table 3) could be ex-2 crabs of the Uca genus. However, Marguillier et al plained by the abundance of Enteromorpha intestinalis (1997) concluded that U. lactea fed mostly on a mixture on and around this station (pers.…”

Section: Fatty Acid Markers In Macrozoobenthosmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fatty acids as tracers of organic matter in the sediment and food web of a mangrove/intertidal flat ecosystem, Okinawa, Japan

Méziane¹,

Tsuchiya²

2000

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

177

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Surface sediments and marine invertebrates, collected from 2 intertidal flats on Okinawa Island, 1 adjacent to a mangrove system, were analysed for fatty acid composition. The detection of fatty acid markers found in mangrove leaves in the organic matter of the surface sediments, coupled with measurements of C:N ratios, showed that organic matter from the mangrove forest (in Oura Bay) is exported to the intertidal flat in both the rainy season and the dry season. This export seems to be higher in the rainy season. However, bacteria, diatoms and macroalgae were the main food source in the surface sediments, as shown by the contribution of their respective fatty acid markers. These markers were also detected in the tissues of the dominant macrozoobenthic species, fiddler crabs and gastropods. Bacteria and green macroalgae were the primary food sources ingested at both sites, irrespective of season. The organic matter derived from mangroves was also ingested by the macrozoobenthos of Oura Bay, while markers of higher plants were not found in the tissues of invertebrate species at Itoman intertidal flat, the site that was not adjacent to a mangrove system.

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“…Verwey, 1929;Gerlach, 1958;Macnae, 1968). More recent ecological studies mainly deal with burrowing crabs from the intertidal (Dye and Lasiak, 1986;Robertson, 1986;Warren and Underwood, 1986;Macintosh, 1988;Robertson and Daniel, 1989;Micheli et al, 1991;Smith et al, 1991). Burrow construction and maintenance, ventilation and import of organic matter may play a significant role in the energy flow and element cycling in shallow coastal systems (for a review with respect to tropical ecosystems see Alongi, 1989).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decapod burrows in mangrove‐channel and back‐reef environments at the Atlantic barrier reef, Belize

Dworschak

Ott

1993

Ichnos

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Burrows of decapod crustaceans were investigated by in situ resin casting in various mangrove and back-reef environments. Alpheid shrimps (A. floridanus and A. heterochaelis) were the most numerous burrowing shrimps in soft muddy sediments of mangrove channels. Their burrows consist either of a single U or a series of U's inhabited by a pair of shrimp or are Y-shaped and inhabited by a single shrimp and a gobiid associate. Large mounds and deep funnels are produced by the thalassinidean Glypturus acanthochirus, both in bare sediments of mangrove channels and in back-reef subtidal sediments. Their burrows consist of a spiral with several radiating branches leading to the surface and deeper blind chambers often filled with shell particles reaching to a depth of over 160 cm. The thalassinidean Neocallichirus grandimana inhabits the intertidal of protected back-reef sands; it occupies shallow, mainly horizontal burrows. Corallianassa longiventris, characteristic of coarse sediments of the intertidal and shallow subtidal back-reef, inhabits simple J-to U-shaped burrows with blindly ending chambers in 60 to 80 cm sediment depth. Axiopsis serratifrons lives in pairs in sediments with a higher content of coral rubble; its burrows are simple, inclined, and spiral-shaped and reach a sediment depth of 30 cm.All burrows described in this paper are similar to those previously recorded for the respective species. Only the burrows of alpheids are less deep than those described from the intertidal. The burrowing activity of G. acanthochirus greatly influences grain size distribution and accumulation of large shell particles in deeper sediment layers. Burrow types reflect the systematic group to which the animals belong rather than feeding modes.

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Microbenthos, meiobenthos and fiddler crabs: trophic interactions in a tropical mangrove sediment

Cited by 117 publications

References 27 publications

Fate of mangrove organic matter along a subtropical estuary: small-scale exportation and contribution to the food of crab communities

Fate of mangrove organic matter along a subtropical estuary: small-scale exportation and contribution to the food of crab communities

Fatty acids as tracers of organic matter in the sediment and food web of a mangrove/intertidal flat ecosystem, Okinawa, Japan

Decapod burrows in mangrove‐channel and back‐reef environments at the Atlantic barrier reef, Belize

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