Top-down control of meiofauna and microphytobenthic biomass by the fiddler crab Uca burgersi (Decapoda: Ocypodidae)

• Grant number: 13/14828-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: October 01, 2013
• End date: July 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Applied Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Tânia Marcia Costa
• Grantee: Monique D Assunção Fortuna
• Host Institution: Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus Experimental do Litoral Paulista. São Vicente , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 13/23623-3 - Top-down control of meiofauna and microphytobenthic biomass by the fiddler crab Uca burgersi (Decapoda: Ocypodidade), BE.EP.MS

Abstract

The crabs of the family Ocipodidae are abundant in estuary ecosystems. The foraging activity of the Uca genus may have top-down effects on meiofauna communities and microphytobenthos biomass when the distribution of the fiddler crabs occurs in high density. The present study is to evaluate experimentally the top-down effect of Uca burgersi on meiofauna and microphytobenthos. The study was realized on mesocosms with densities of Uca sp ranging from 0, 5 and 10 animals. Samples were collected 4 times with an interval of 7 days with 4 replicates per treatment. Samples are evaluated and compared to the first millimeters (0-5mm) of the sediment, the range of 5cm deep and feeding pellets. Associating quantitative analysis of meiofauna and microphytobenthos biomass, will determine the fatty acids profile of available sediment, absorbed by animals (tissue U. burgersi) and discarded in the feces in order to track energy transfer along the trophic chain: microphytobenthos-meiofauna-U. burgersi. The decrease of meiofauna and microphytobenthos biomass in the treatments with crabs may show the fiddler crab predation effect over time and through analysis of fatty acids will determine which organic compounds are utilized in metabolism of U. burgersi.

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

FORTUNA, Monique D Assunção. Controle descendente da meiofauna pelo caranguejo Uca burgersi. 2014. Master's Dissertation - Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Instituto de Biociências. Botucatu Botucatu.