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    Ecological importance of passive deposition of organic matter into burrows of the SW Atlantic crab Chasmagnathus granulatus

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    m312p201.pdf (207.3Kb)
    Date
    2006-04-24
    Author
    Botto, Florencia  Concept link
    Iribarne, Oscar  Concept link
    Gutierrez, Jorge  Concept link
    Bava, Jose  Concept link
    Gagliardini, Antonio  Concept link
    Valiela, Ivan  Concept link
    Metadata
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    Citable URI
    https://hdl.handle.net/1912/4509
    As published
    https://doi.org/10.3354/meps312201
    DOI
    10.3354/meps312201
    Keyword
     Spartina-marsh; Chasmagnathus granulatus; Burrowing; Detritus dynamics 
    Abstract
    The burrowing crab Chasmagnathus granulatus is the most abundant bioturbator in estuarine intertidal sediments from southern Brazil to central Argentina. This crab is a deposit feeder that excavates and maintains large semi-permanent open burrows with funnel shaped entrances. In this study we showed that the funnel shaped burrows with low aspect ratio are the most common and, with field experiments, we demonstrated that these burrows are also the most efficient in the capture of organic matter. As shown by C isotopic signatures, the origin of trapped detrital material is Spartina densiflora. Burrows are distributed in the upper part of estuaries and saltmarshes, mostly in areas of low energy, and cover extensive areas between the marsh vegetation and the open estuary. Through sampling of crab densities and use of satellite images, we estimated the number of burrows of different shapes in the Bahia Blanca estuary (38°50’S), one of the largest estuarine intertidals in the SW Atlantic. After combining this information with the trapping efficiency of burrows of different shapes, we estimated that within 100 d, a crab bed could capture the entire annual production from a marsh area of similar size. Therefore, we suggest that these extensive burrow beds may be considered large macrodetritus retention areas, reducing the amount of organic matter exported from marshes but locally increasing the sediment organic matter content.
    Description
    Author Posting. © Inter-Research, 2006. This article is posted here by permission of Inter-Research for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Marine Ecology Progress Series 312 (2006): 201-21, doi:10.3354/meps312201.
    Collections
    • Boston University Marine Program (BUMP)
    Suggested Citation
    Marine Ecology Progress Series 312 (2006): 201-21
     
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