File Download
  Links for fulltext
     (May Require Subscription)
Supplementary

Article: Interference competition as a key determinant for spatial distribution of mangrove crabs

TitleInterference competition as a key determinant for spatial distribution of mangrove crabs
Authors
KeywordsAggressive behaviour
Distribution patterns
Environmental factors
Indo-Pacific mangroves
Sesarmid crabs
Issue Date2018
PublisherBioMed Central Ltd. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcecol/
Citation
BMC Ecology, 2018, v. 18, p. 8 How to Cite?
AbstractBackground: The spatial distribution of mangrove crabs has been commonly associated with tree zonation and abiotic factors such as ground temperature and soil granulometry. Conversely, no studies were designed to investigate the role of competition for resources and predation in shaping crab distribution in mangroves, despite these biotic factors are recognised as key determinants for spatial patterns observed in the communities colonising rocky and sandy intertidal habitats. We studied floral and faunal assemblages in two zones of a Sri Lankan mangrove, a manmade upper intertidal level and a natural eulittoral, mid‑shore one. Leaf choice experiments were designed to study both feeding rate and intra and inter‑specific interactions for food of sesarmid crabs in the two habitats in order to better understand crab spatial distribution. Results: The two intertidal belts differed in terms of floral composition and crab species abundance. The eulittoral zone was strongly dominated by Neosarmatium smithi, while within the elevated littoral fringe four sesarmids (N. smithi, N. asiaticum, N. malabaricum and Muradium tetragonum) were more evenly distributed. At both levels, all sesarmids showed to collect significantly more Bruguiera spp. and Rhizophora apiculata leaves than Excoecaria agallocha ones. There was no temporal segregation in feeding activity among the four species, resulting in a high interference competition for leaves. Regardless of the habitat, N. smithi was always successful in winning inter‑specific fights. Conclusions: Our results showed that the elevated littoral fringe was more crowded with crabs, but was less favourable in terms of food availability and environmental conditions. The dominance of N. smithi in gathering mangrove leaves suggests that this species may segregate the other sesarmids into less favourable habitats. The present data strongly suggest for the first time that interference competition for food can contribute to shape mangrove crab spatial distribution.
Persistent Identifierhttp://hdl.handle.net/10722/262045
ISSN
2021 Impact Factor: 3.368
2023 SCImago Journal Rankings: 0.887
ISI Accession Number ID

 

DC FieldValueLanguage
dc.contributor.authorCannicci, S-
dc.contributor.authorFusi, M-
dc.contributor.authorCimo, F-
dc.contributor.authorDahdouh-Guebas, F-
dc.contributor.authorFratini, S-
dc.date.accessioned2018-09-28T04:52:27Z-
dc.date.available2018-09-28T04:52:27Z-
dc.date.issued2018-
dc.identifier.citationBMC Ecology, 2018, v. 18, p. 8-
dc.identifier.issn1472-6785-
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10722/262045-
dc.description.abstractBackground: The spatial distribution of mangrove crabs has been commonly associated with tree zonation and abiotic factors such as ground temperature and soil granulometry. Conversely, no studies were designed to investigate the role of competition for resources and predation in shaping crab distribution in mangroves, despite these biotic factors are recognised as key determinants for spatial patterns observed in the communities colonising rocky and sandy intertidal habitats. We studied floral and faunal assemblages in two zones of a Sri Lankan mangrove, a manmade upper intertidal level and a natural eulittoral, mid‑shore one. Leaf choice experiments were designed to study both feeding rate and intra and inter‑specific interactions for food of sesarmid crabs in the two habitats in order to better understand crab spatial distribution. Results: The two intertidal belts differed in terms of floral composition and crab species abundance. The eulittoral zone was strongly dominated by Neosarmatium smithi, while within the elevated littoral fringe four sesarmids (N. smithi, N. asiaticum, N. malabaricum and Muradium tetragonum) were more evenly distributed. At both levels, all sesarmids showed to collect significantly more Bruguiera spp. and Rhizophora apiculata leaves than Excoecaria agallocha ones. There was no temporal segregation in feeding activity among the four species, resulting in a high interference competition for leaves. Regardless of the habitat, N. smithi was always successful in winning inter‑specific fights. Conclusions: Our results showed that the elevated littoral fringe was more crowded with crabs, but was less favourable in terms of food availability and environmental conditions. The dominance of N. smithi in gathering mangrove leaves suggests that this species may segregate the other sesarmids into less favourable habitats. The present data strongly suggest for the first time that interference competition for food can contribute to shape mangrove crab spatial distribution.-
dc.languageeng-
dc.publisherBioMed Central Ltd. The Journal's web site is located at http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcecol/-
dc.relation.ispartofBMC Ecology-
dc.rightsBMC Ecology. Copyright © BioMed Central Ltd.-
dc.rightsThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.-
dc.subjectAggressive behaviour-
dc.subjectDistribution patterns-
dc.subjectEnvironmental factors-
dc.subjectIndo-Pacific mangroves-
dc.subjectSesarmid crabs-
dc.titleInterference competition as a key determinant for spatial distribution of mangrove crabs-
dc.typeArticle-
dc.identifier.emailCannicci, S: cannicci@hku.hk-
dc.identifier.authorityCannicci, S=rp02079-
dc.description.naturepublished_or_final_version-
dc.identifier.doi10.1186/s12898-018-0164-1-
dc.identifier.scopuseid_2-s2.0-85042140354-
dc.identifier.hkuros293283-
dc.identifier.volume18-
dc.identifier.spage8-
dc.identifier.epage8-
dc.identifier.isiWOS:000425128600002-
dc.publisher.placeUnited Kingdom-
dc.identifier.issnl1472-6785-

Export via OAI-PMH Interface in XML Formats


OR


Export to Other Non-XML Formats