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Beneath the surface: co-habitation of recruits of the land crab Johngarthia lagostoma and its relevance for conservation on oceanic islands

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Autor(es):
Pinheiro, Marcelo Antonio Amaro ; Dias-Silva, Isabella ; Kriegler, Nicholas ; Santana, William ; Joao, Marcio Camargo Araujo
Número total de Autores: 5
Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
Fonte: Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom; v. 104, p. 9-pg., 2024-11-05.
Resumo

Gecarcinid crabs have their life cycles in antagonistic scenarios, with their larvae developing in the sea and the juvenile/adult phases occurring on land. Adults migrate from land to sea to release their larvae, which return to land upon reaching the megalopa stage. Recruitment and early instar traits in gecarcinids crabs remain unknown, leading to some species lacking age-specific information. Despite massive recruitment observed in some insular gecarcinid species (e.g. Gecarcoidea natalis), recruits are generally expected to be few and exhibit cryptic behaviour, potentially occupying the burrows of conspecifics. We evaluated whether recruits of Johngarthia lagostoma on Trindade Island, Brazil, co-inhabit larger conspecific burrows, analysing this occurrence and examining their growth patterns, density, and body size across different lunar phases. Johngarthia lagostoma recruits inhabit conspecific burrows, either abandoned or occupied by adult crabs, but always with leaves stored in the inner chamber. Recruits in co-inhabiting behaviour reach a maximum carapace width of 7.3 mm, and after that, they are likely detected by the adults and possibly cannibalized or leave burrows naturally. During the full moon, the higher density and smaller size of recruits were recorded, indicating a recruitment lunar phase. It is crucial to ascertain the prevalence of co-inhabitation behaviours in other land crab species to expand the knowledge about recruitment patterns in these key community species. (AU)

Processo FAPESP: 19/16581-9 - Biologia populacional do caranguejo amarelo Johngarthia lagostoma (Brachyura: Gecarcinidae) na ilha de Trindade, Brasil
Beneficiário:Marcio Camargo Araujo João
Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Mestrado