Feeding Habit and Lifestyle Influence the Baseline Micronuclei Frequency of Crab Species in Pristine Mangroves

Author(s)

Amaro Pinheiro, Marcelo Antonio ^[1] ; Kriegler, Nicholas ^[1] ; de Souza, Caroline Araujo ^{[1, 2]} ; de Almeida Duarte, Luis Felipe ^{[3, 1]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Estadual Paulista, Lab Biol Conservacao Crustaceos & Ambientes Coste, Grp Pesquisa Biol Crustaceos CRUSTA, Inst Biociencias TB, UNESP, Campus Litoral Paulista CLP, Parque Bitaru, BR-11330900 Sao Vicente, SP - Brazil

^[2] IFPA Inst Fed Educ Ciencia & Tecnol, Campus Maraba Ind, Folha 22, Lote Especial 2, BR-68508970 Maraba, Para - Brazil

^[3] UNIFESP Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Ciencias Mar, Campus Baixada Santista, BR-11030400 Santos, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: WETLANDS; v. 41, n. 2 FEB 24 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Metals are harmful inorganic pollutants in aquatic environments when their concentrations are higher than expected (or tolerated) and, in low concentrations, they can lead sublethal genetic injuries. Baseline frequencies of micronucleated cells (MN parts per thousand) of three mangrove crab species were established in a pristine mangrove (Jureia-Itatins Ecological Station, JIES). Aratus pisonii, Ucides cordatus and Goniopsis cruentata belong to different functional groups, regarding the diet and lifestyle. Overall, the baseline MN parts per thousand of G. cruentata (1.7 +/- 1.2; mean +/- sd) was higher than that of A. pisonii (0.9 +/- 1.1) and U. cordatus (1.3 +/- 0.9). These differences can be explained by the diet (gl, green leaves; sl, senescent leaves; a, animal items; or their combination) and lifestyle of these species, as their degree of contact with abiotic compartments (w, water; s, sediment). Aratus pisonii is an arboreal crab and specialist herbivore, associated with few compartments (w + gl); Ucides cordatus is a digger crab, generalist herbivore, using three compartments (w + s + sl); and Goniopsis cruentata is a cursorial crab, omnivorous, exploring more compartments (w + s + sl + a). Thus, using a broader range of compartments and a more diverse diet were correlated with a higher genotoxicity. Metals in JIES were registered in environmentally safe concentrations but seem to influence the baseline MN parts per thousand in crab species. Higher genotoxicity was registered in species that interact with more compartments (especially the sediment), a fact that should be considered in monitoring processes. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/06894-6 - Basal levels of genotoxicity for Aratus pisonii (H. Milne Edwards, 1837) and Goniopsis cruentata (Latreille, 1803) (Crustacea: Brachyura), in the mosaic of conservation units Jureia-Itatins, state of Sao Paulo, Brazil
• Grantee: Nicholas Kriegler
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation