- Title
- Food preferences of the estuarine crab Sesarma catenata estimated through laboratory experiments
- Creator
- Bergamino, Leandro, Richoux, Nicole B
- Subject
- To be catalogued
- Date
- 2015
- Type
- text
- Type
- article
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10962/457256
- Identifier
- vital:75620
- Identifier
- xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1071/MF14122"
- Description
- Feeding by sesarmid crabs on plants represents an important energy pathway within some estuarine ecosystems. We examined the trophic ecology of estuarine sesarmid crabs Sesarma catenata through a series of laboratory feeding-preference experiments. Our experiments considered decomposed and mature leaves of terrestrial riparian trees, marsh plants Chenolea diffusa and Sarcocornia perennis and the marshgrass Spartina maritima as potential food items. S. catenata preferred decomposed leaves of terrestrial riparian trees, followed by decomposed and mature leaves of S. maritima. We suggest that the low carbon:nitrogen (C:N) ratios of S. maritima and high bacterial production associated with decomposed terrestrial leaves may explain the trophic behaviour of S. catenata. The faecal production by S. catenata during these experiments confirmed the preferential assimilation of decomposed material by the crabs. By combining the consumption rates with an estimated density of S. catenata within the local estuary that it inhabits, we suggest that moderate proportions of the leaf material can potentially be consumed by this species (34% of total leaf litter), leaving substantial amounts of unconsumed leaf litter that may represent an important subsidy for adjacent environments. Our results validate previously published trophic data, showing the value of linking feeding experiments with biological tracers to improve food-web models.
- Format
- computer, online resource, application/pdf, 1 online resource (7 pages), pdf
- Publisher
- CSIRO
- Language
- English
- Relation
- Marine and Freshwater Research, Bergamino, L. and Richoux, N.B., 2015. Food preferences of the estuarine crab Sesarma catenata estimated through laboratory experiments. Marine and Freshwater Research, 66(8), pp.750-756, Marine and Freshwater Research volume 66 number 8 p. 750 2015 1448-6059
- Rights
- Publisher
- Rights
- Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the CSIRO Publishing Copyright Statement (http://www.publish.csiro.au/journals/copyright)
- Rights
- Closed Access
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- Visitors: 36
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Collections
Richoux, Nicole Bertine (Assoc Prof)
SDG 15. Life On Land
RU Department of Zoology and Entomology
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