Sex- and habitat-specific movement of an omnivorous semi-terrestrial crab controls habitat connectivity and subsidies: a multi-parameter approach

Oecologia
Lena HübnerMartin Zimmer

Abstract

Distinct habitats are often linked through fluxes of matter and migration of organisms. In particular, intertidal ecotones are prone to being influenced from both the marine and the terrestrial realms, but whether or not small-scale migration for feeding, sheltering or reproducing is detectable may depend on the parameter studied. Within the ecotone of an upper saltmarsh in the United States, we investigated the sex-specific movement of the semi-terrestrial crab Armases cinereum using an approach of determining multiple measures of across-ecotone migration. To this end, we determined food preference, digestive abilities (enzyme activities), bacterial hindgut communities (genetic fingerprint), and the trophic position of Armases and potential food sources (stable isotopes) of males versus females of different sub-habitats, namely high saltmarsh and coastal forest. Daily observations showed that Armases moved frequently between high-intertidal (saltmarsh) and terrestrial (forest) habitats. Males were encountered more often in the forest habitat, whilst gravid females tended to be more abundant in the marsh habitat but moved more frequently. Food preference was driven by both sex and habitat. The needlerush Juncus was preferred ov...Continue Reading

References

Dec 12, 2002·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Martin Zimmer
Oct 1, 2003·Archives of Insect Biochemistry and Physiology·Xiaodun He
Oct 7, 2005·Nature·Tiffany M KnightRobert D Holt
Jul 1, 2008·Ecology·Chuan-Kai Ho, Steven C Pennings
Nov 6, 2009·Ecology·Claudio Gratton, M Jake Vander Zanden
Mar 12, 2011·Oecologia·Erica A GarciaBrian R Silliman
May 23, 2012·Microbial Ecology·Jessica DittmerDidier Bouchon
Nov 17, 2012·PloS One·Carmen Lía MurallChris T Bauch
Mar 1, 1989·Oecologia·C H Peterson, P E Renaud

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Mar 23, 2018·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Jessica J WilliamsDavid M P Jacoby
Aug 11, 2019·Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Toxicology & Pharmacology : CBP·Špela KorezReinhard Saborowski
Mar 25, 2021·Scientific Reports·Mi Ryu, Jae Geun Kim

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Cell Migration

Cell migration is involved in a variety of physiological and pathological processes such as embryonic development, cancer metastasis, blood vessel formation and remoulding, tissue regeneration, immune surveillance and inflammation. Here is the latest research.