嵊泗海岛不同底质潮间带春秋季大型底栖动物的群落格局

于2006年9月(秋季)和2007年4月(春季)对嵊泗海岛的不同底质潮间带断面设立的8个取样站采集的调查资料,采用ABC曲线方法和大型多元统计分析软件PRIMER5对嵊泗海岛大型底栖动物进行Bray-Curtis相似性聚类分析和非度量MDS标序,研究群落结构格局以及用物种多样性指数、物种均匀度和物种丰富度指数分析潮间带大型底栖动物物种多样性和群落种类组成,并对大型底栖动物的群落结构进行了初步研究。调查获得嵊泗海岛的不同底质潮间带大型底栖动物130种,其中多毛类31种,软体动物57种,节肢动物32种,棘皮动物4种,其它类6种。春、秋季嵊泗潮间带大型底栖动物多样性指数(H′)(F1,13=0.10,P=0.75)、物种丰富度(D)(F1,13=0.66,P=0.43)和均匀度指数(J)(F1,13=0.33,P=0.58)均无显著差异;不同底质嵊泗潮间带大型底栖动物多样性指数(H′)(F1,13=14.28,P<0.01)、物种丰富度(D)(F1,13=14.07,P<0.01)存在显著差异,而均匀度指数(J)(F1,13=1.62,P=0.23)无显著差异。群落结构聚类分析和MDS标序表明,8个取样站的群落可分为3组(Ⅰ、Ⅱ和Ⅲ组)。根据所调查嵊泗海岛潮间带的丰度和生物量资料做的ABC曲线分析表明,底栖动物群落受到了中等程度的污染或者扰动。     

高邮湖大型底栖动物群落结构及影响因素

跨流域调水工程沿线调蓄湖泊生态状况直接决定工程能否顺利实施。基于2018年4和9月高邮湖底栖动物调查数据,对底栖动物区系组成、群落结构及主要影响因子进行了研究。调查期间共鉴定出底栖动物42种,隶属3门7纲22科;软铗小摇蚊（Microchironomus tener）、霍甫水丝蚓（Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri）、齿吻沙蚕（Nephtys sp.）、苏氏尾鳃蚓（Branchiura sowerbyi）、厚唇嫩丝蚓（Teneridrilus mastix）为调查期间优势物种,相对丰度分别为24.0%、17.7%、8.1%、7.2%和6.5%;两次调查期间底栖动物优势物种组成存在较大差异。密度、物种丰度、香浓指数在4月份显著高于9月份;非度量多维标度排序（NMDS）和多响应置换过程（MRPP）从群落层面证实了两次调查期间底栖动物群落结构的差异性。指示物种分析表明,软铗小摇蚊、霍甫水丝蚓和有栉管水蚓（Aulodrilus pectinatus）是造成两次调查底栖动物群落差异的关键物种。基于距离的冗余分析（dbRDA）表明,高邮湖底栖动物群落在4月份主要受硅酸盐和总磷影响;9月份主要受水深和叶绿素a影响。     

考洲洋人工种植红树林湿地大型底栖动物群落环境响应

2017年以来,广东省惠州市在考洲洋潮间带开展了大规模人工种植红树林生态修复工程,但考洲洋人工种植红树林湿地大型底栖动物群落的环境响应未见报道。根据2018-2019年四个季节在考洲洋盐洲大桥附近红树种植1-2年（X断面）和5-6年（Y断面）的两处湿地的大型底栖动物定量取样数据,分析了人工红树林湿地大型底栖动物的时空格局及其环境响应。方差分析表明,Y断面冬季的大型底栖动物群落的物种数、栖息密度、生物量、多样性指数（H''）和丰富度指数（d）,以及夏季的栖息密度均随潮高（海平面高程）降低而增加;而Y断面冬季的均匀度指数（J）、夏季的H''和J则是随潮高降低而减少。聚类（Cluster）和非度量多维尺度（nMDS）分析表明冬季和夏季X断面和Y断面大型底栖动物群落相似性较低,而春季和秋季X断面和Y断面大型底栖动物群落相似性较高。冬季和夏季最大潮高、潮差、大型底栖动物物种数、栖息密度、H''和d较春季和秋季的高。红树种植1-2年的X断面大型底栖动物物种数、H''和J低于种植5-6年的Y断面。上述结果证实潮汐和红树种植年限影响考洲洋红树林湿地大型底栖动物的群落结构,研究结果可为大型底栖动物多样性保护和生态修复提供基础资料。     

莱州湾小清河口近岸海域底栖生境健康评价

于2019年7月、8月和9月对莱州湾小清河口近岸海域的大型底栖动物进行调查，对该海域大型底栖动物群落的种类组成和群落结构等进行研究，利用丰度/生物量比较曲线法、AMBI指数法和M-AMBI指数法对研究海域大型底栖动物群落健康和底栖生境健康状况进行评价。研究结果表明，2019年7月、8月和9月共采集到大型底栖动物64种，其中多毛类24种，甲壳类19种，软体动物17种，其他类群4种。该海域的优势种为光滑河蓝蛤（Potamocorbula laevis）、彩虹明樱蛤（Moerella iridescens）、半褶织纹螺（Nassarius semiplicatus）、四角蛤蜊（Mactra veneriformis），寡鳃齿吻沙蚕（Nephthys oligobranchia）、中蚓虫（Mediomastus californiensis）、东方长眼虾（Ogyrides orientalis）、尖齿拳蟹（Philyra acutidens）和短角双眼钩虾（Ampelisca brevicornis），其中彩虹明樱蛤和寡鳃齿吻沙蚕在三次调查中均为优势物种，优势度明显。群落结构聚类分析和多维尺度分析表明，7月研究海域的大型底栖动物群落以10%的相似性可以分为3组，8月以18%相似性可以分为4组，9月以19%的相似性可以分为3组，三次调查的群落结构相似度均较低。丰度/生物量比较曲线法研究结果显示，底栖动物群落生物量优势显著，群落处于未干扰状态。AMBI指数及M-AMBI指数分析结果表明，莱州湾小清河口近岸海域底栖生境处于未干扰或者轻度干扰的状态，健康状况处于高等或者优良的状态。     

鄱阳湖湿地大型底栖无脊椎动物多样性对群落次级生产力及稳定性的影响

理解生物多样性对生态系统功能及稳定性的影响对于制定有效的保护管理策略有重要意义。然而,目前生物多样性与群落生产力、稳定性的关系仍存在争议。在鄱阳湖湿地布设30个采样点,于2019年秋季开展大型底栖无脊椎动物群落野外调查。基于底栖动物群落数据,采用广义加性模型分析物种、谱系、功能多样性对鄱阳湖湿地底栖动物群落次级生产力与稳定性的影响。结果表明:底栖动物群落的次级生产力与反映物种多样性的指数(Simpson多样性指数、Shannon-Wiener多样性指数、Pielou均匀度指数)、分类多样性指数、平均分类差异指数、功能丰富度指数等呈显著的负相关,其中Pielou均匀度指数与次级生产力的相关度最高(r²=0.33)。功能多样性对群落次级生产力的空间分异有最高的解释度(r²=0.75)。P/B值(次级生产力与生物量之比代表群落稳定性)与物种、谱系、功能多样性指数均呈正相关,其中功能丰富度与P/B值的相关度最高(r²=0.22)。反映物种多样性的三个指数总体上对P/B值的空间分异解释度最高(r²=0.37)。谱系多样性与次级生产力、P/B值的相关性相对较弱。生物多样性指数总体分别解释了次级生产力和群落稳定性中81.9%、54.8%的变异。上述研究结果表明,生物多样性与群落生产力、稳定性的关系可能因具体的生物群落而异。研究结果对于鄱阳湖湿地的底栖生物多样性保护有参考价值。     

付疃河流域中下游大型底栖动物群落结构与水质生物学评价

2018年12月-2019年10月对山东省日照市付疃河流域中下游大型底栖动物及相应水环境因子进行分季节的监测,并对底栖动物群落组成、多样性特征及与水质因子的相关性进行分析。结果表明,调查共采集底栖动物42种（环节动物14种、节肢动物20种、软体动物8种）,广泛分布物种为霍甫水丝蚓（Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri）、水丝蚓属（Limnodrilus sp.）及摇蚊属（Chironomus sp.）;底栖动物总密度呈春季 > 冬季 > 秋季 > 夏季;CCA （Canonical Correspondence Analysis）分析表明环节动物与COD、TP有显著正相关性,各门类与NH₃-N相关性差异较大;底栖动物多样性分布特征与河流水源结构有关。采用生物多样性指标、指示物种水质生物学指标进行水质评价,Shannon-Wiener指数、Margalef指数评级偏差,Pielou指数评级偏优,而指示物种水质生物学评价（Goodnight-Whitley指数、相对重要性指数及Wright指数）基本一致,整体平均处于中污染,评价过程仍须考虑河流及物种客观属性特征,得到更具适用性的评价管理方法。     

大兴安岭地区兴安落叶松林步甲群落多样性时间动态分析

兴安落叶松林是大兴安岭地区代表性的植被类型,其生物多样性具有独特性。步甲是森林生态系统环境和多样性的指示性物种,以及认识环境变化和生物多样性特征的关键物种。为研究大兴安岭地区兴安落叶松林步甲群落多样性的时间动态,分析步甲群落对时间变化的响应规律,于2019年5月下旬-8月下旬步甲活跃期,利用陷阱诱捕法在兴安落叶松林5个样地中采集步甲标本共15属34种1149头,其中大兴安岭地区地理新纪录物种7种,中国地理新纪录物种6种。研究结果表明,通缘步甲属（Pterostichus）和大步甲属（Carabus）物种丰富度最高;通缘步甲属未定种5（Pterostichus eximius）为极优势物种,对时间变化最敏感。兴安落叶松林小生境类型的多样化和步甲休眠期的选择是步甲群落个体数和物种数随时间变化呈双峰模式的主要因素,最高峰均出现在6月下旬;多样性与均匀度指数均在7月上旬达高峰期,8月下旬多样性下降而均匀度上升,各指数之间相关性较低。步甲群落在6月下旬到7月下旬对环境具有较高的适应度;群落结构在环境条件相对稳定的6月下旬到7月下旬和8月上旬到8月下旬均表现为极相似（I>0.75）。物种取食特征和生活史策略的多样化使步甲群落各指数随时间变化具有显著差异,而物种取食特征和生活史策略受环境因子的综合影响较大。稳定的森林环境条件下,步甲活跃期更长,群落结构相似度更高。该结果为步甲群落时间动态研究奠定了一定的理论基础,为大兴安岭地区地下生物多样性的保护和管理策略制定提供了一定的理论和数据依据。     

长江口潮间带大型底栖动物群落演替

2006年1月在崇明岛西端的潮间带湿地进行了一项生态工程,经过土方工程的区域被选为大型底栖动物群落演替区,因为其中的大型底栖动物群落受到了较大破坏,在其周边未受干扰区设立对照样点。试图通过群落重建群的研究分析3个问题：（1）在群落恢复过程中不同的生态学指标如何变化？（2）群落演替过程中什么先增长,生物量还是复杂性？（3）是否可以选择生态学指标以利于演替过程中3类不同增长模式（生物量、网络结构和信息量）的识别？多变量分析用于检验被干扰区群落是否已经得到恢复。Shannon-Wiener指数、Margalef指数、Pielou均匀度指数、能质（exergy）和结构能质（Specificexergy）用于分析演替过程中群落状态的变化。结果显示物种随时间的更替与群落结构变化密切相关。物种丰富度增长迅速,而且对照区和演替区的物种组成非常相似。演替进行1个月左右之后,演替区的生物多样性已经超过了对照区。能质和结构能质提供了群落结构发展的有用信息,但仍然缺乏鉴别系统所处信息状态的能力。多样性分析结果可以从中度干扰假说（Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis）得到很好地解释。总体而言,干扰的空间尺度决定了群落的恢复特征,如果干扰区域明显小于周边未受干扰的区域,那么群落的复杂性（信息量和网络结构）将先于生物量得到恢复。     

崇明岛稻田三种种植方式下中小型土壤动物群落多样性

平陆运河是西部陆海新通道的一项重要工程,茅尾海是平陆运河的重要支撑节点。本次调查潮间带大型底栖动物群落,在评估茅尾海生态环境质量的同时,又积累本海域大型底栖动物基线数据,为平陆运河建设期、运营期的科学管理提供科学数据支撑。于2020年10月和2021年1月、4月、7月,在钦州茅尾海东部岸线设置4个采样断面,分别是仙岛公园、沙环村、滨海公园和康王庙村,按照《海洋调查规范》(GB 12763.6-2007)的要求对潮间带大型底栖动物进行采样调查和物种分类鉴定;分析大型底栖动物群落组成、优势种组成及生物多样性指数。调查研究结果表明,茅尾海潮间带大型底栖动物以节肢动物为主,物种占比超过41%,个体数占比超过87%,优势种(IRI > 1 000)有麦克碟尾虫(Discapseudes mackiei)、台湾泥蟹(Ilyoplax formosensis)、隆背大眼蟹(Macrophthalmus convexus)和四齿大额蟹(Metopograpsus quadridentatus),但优势种在4个断面分布不均,仅麦克碟尾虫出现在各断面;主要种(100 ≤ IRI < 1 000)有27种,其中仅扁平拟闭口蟹(Paracleistostoma depressum)、背毛小头虫(Notodasus sp.)出现在各断面;常见种(10 ≤ IRI < 100)有19种,稀有种(IRI < 10)有8种,它们均分布不均;辛普森多样性指数(D)和香农多样性指数(H?)分别为0.435(0.183 ~ 0.704)和1.506(0.747 ~ 2.256),显著低于2009年相应指标,P值分别为0.004和0.048;Pielou均匀度指数(J)均值为0.475(0.223 ~ 0.696),与2009年的Pielou均匀度指数(J)没有显著差异(P = 0.109)。综合丰度-生物量曲线(ABC曲线)、香农多样性指数(H?)、大型底栖动物污染指数(IMP)推断茅尾海目前整体海域生态环境处于中等污染水平。综合上述指标,认为目前茅尾海海域整体生态环境已属于中等程度污染。本次调查建立的茅尾海潮间带大型底栖动物数据库,将为未来平陆运河的生态建设和科学运营提供支撑。     

珊瑚藻类对南麂列岛潮间带底栖生物群落多样性的影响

为了解南麂列岛潮间带珊瑚藻类对于其他大型藻类和底栖动物的影响, 在南麂列岛国家级海洋自然保护区布设了4条潮间带断面, 于2012年5月至2013年2月对其生物状况进行了逐季调查, 分别分析了中低潮区大型藻类、非珊瑚藻大型藻类、底栖动物的物种多样性和均匀度, 并计算了大型底栖动物的功能多样性指数Rao's Q。主要结果如下: (1)共采集和鉴定出大型藻类52种, 其中珊瑚藻科藻类有5种; (2)珊瑚藻类在高潮区没有分布, 在中低潮区均占据优势, 占潮间带藻类生物量的68.9%。四季中低潮区大型藻类的Shannon-Wiener多样性指数范围为1.638-4.044, 非珊瑚藻大型藻类的多样性指数范围为1.495-3.809, 底栖动物为5.289-6.917; 大型藻类的Pielou均匀度指数范围为0.819-0.971, 非珊瑚藻大型藻类的均匀度指数范围为0.830-0.973, 底栖动物为0.967-0.988; (3)大型藻类物种多样性和均匀度指数的降低与珊瑚藻类优势度的增加相关, 但珊瑚藻类优势度与底栖动物物种多样性指数、均匀度指数和功能多样性指数均没有显著相关性; (4)底栖动物功能多样性与珊瑚藻类优势度均呈低潮区高于中潮区的变化规律, 但相关性分析表明两者间并无直接联系。推测珊瑚藻类通过竞争占据了其他藻类的生存空间, 从而降低了南麂列岛潮间带大型藻类的物种多样性和均匀度。底栖动物则因其自身生活特点而使得珊瑚藻类的扩张未能影响其多样性水平。     

A remote photographic technique for high replication, large scale understanding of spatial distribution patterns of intertidal crabs

Intertidal crabs are intricately involved in many estuarine processes. However, their integration in general applicable ecological models is limited by a lack of understanding regarding their landscape level spatial distribution patterns. This gap, in part, reflects on the time consuming sampling methods employed which limit the scale and level of replication in spatial distribution studies. We developed a new photographic technique tailored towards high replication, large scale sampling of spatial distribution patterns of intertidal crabs occupying bare, low intertidal banks with limited topographic heterogeneity. Therefore, photographs were taken from a boat maintained at a distance at which crabs were not disturbed. After standardisation, estimates of abundance, relative occurrence and presence/absence of crabs were reliably obtained. Compared to pitfall trapping, hand catch and visual observation, photography collected a higher number of replicates in a shorter timeframe, allowing sampling across large areas and providing better representation of species occurring in lower densities. However, small, cryptic species were not as well represented and outcomes are influenced by the crab’s activity patterns. Overall, photography provides a new, complementary sampling technique and has the potential to rapidly produce extensive data on crab spatial distributions, making it attractive for landscape level spatial ecology research and monitoring.     

笼捕法和陷阱法对森林小型兽类多样性监测效率比较

<正>小型兽类包括食虫目(Insectivora)、啮齿目(Rodentia)、翼手目(Chiroptera)、兔形目(Lagomorpha)等,物种数量多,分布广,适应能力强,对环境变化敏感,因此其群落组成和种群数量变化可较好地反映生境变化的质量和人类活动的干扰程度(肖治术等,2002;李俊生等,2003;仝磊和路纪琪,2010)。小型兽类多样性一直是生物多样性和生态环境监测与评价的重要指示类群之一(周立志和马勇,2002)。统计动物毛发、粪便、巢穴、叫声、足迹等动物痕迹以及直接观察等方法已被广泛用于兽类物种监测和种群密度估计(Eberhardt and Van Etten,1956;Bider,1968;Gannon     

湄洲湾潮间带底栖生物多样性

为了了解福建省湄洲湾潮间带底栖生物的物种多样性、数量时空分布及群落结构现状,2005年11月和2006年4月在湄洲湾潮间带选择了灵川(Mch1)、苏厝(Mch2)、郭厝(Mch3)、东吴(Mch4)和东桥(Mch5)5条断面进行了调查。共鉴定潮间带底栖生物225种,其中多毛类、软体动物和甲壳动物占总种数的88.00%,三者构成潮间带底栖生物的主要类群。断面间比较,东桥断面种数较多,苏厝断面较少。季节比较,春季各断面种类较秋季多。平均生物量22.91g/m2,以软体动物居第一位,甲壳动物居第二位;平均栖息密度为388个/m2,以多毛类居第一位,软体动物居第二位。生物量以中潮区>低潮区>高潮区;栖息密度以低潮区>中潮区>高潮区。调查结果显示湄洲湾潮间带底栖生物物种多样性较高,群落结构相对稳定。     

基于MAXENT模型评估北部湾潮间带中国鲎和圆尾鲎稚鲎的潜在地理分布及种群保育对策

鲎具有极高的经济价值和科研意义。近年来由于过度捕捞和栖息地受损等原因,亚洲鲎种群数量正急剧下降。鲎漫长的生命周期使得鲎资源的保护和增殖迫在眉睫。生态位模型已经广泛应用于物种的潜在地理分布预测。基于实地调研数据和公开发表的北部湾中国海域中国鲎和圆尾鲎地理分布数据,运用MAXENT模型得到中国鲎和圆尾鲎在广西北部湾(中国部分)的栖息地适宜度指数(Habitat suitability index, HSI),确定了这两种稚鲎在北部湾中国海域潜在适生区。模型分析结果表明,潮间带坡度和地形指数是影响中国鲎分布的主要环境因子,而潮间带底质的有机物含量和植被指数是影响圆尾鲎分布的主要环境因子,根据研究结果建议在两种稚鲎适生区建立保护区,进行人工放流稚鲎,加强对海草和红树林的生态建设,进而促进鲎资源种群恢复和发展。     

Getting a grip on the intertidal: flow microhabitat and substratum type determine the dislodgement of the crab Pachygrapsus crassipes (Randall) on rocky shores and in estuaries

Hydrodynamic forces can affect survival as well as limit the movement of motile benthic animals. An animal's danger of dislodgement depends on the hydrodynamic forces it experiences in its microhabitat relative to the force required to dislodge it (tenacity) from the substratum. We measured water flow and substratum characteristics in two different habitats of the shore crab Pachygrapsus crassipes: a wave-swept rocky shore and an intertidal mudflat. The maximum water velocities and accelerations in the microhabitats of the crabs at the wave-swept site were three times and two times greater, respectively, than at the mudflat site. In the laboratory, we measured the tenacity of crabs of various sizes on different substrata, and also measured their drag, lift and added-mass coefficients. Using these data, we calculated the flow conditions under which crabs would be overturned or sheared off the substratum in their two habitats. The net horizontal force (drag plus acceleration reaction) required to dislodge a crab on a rugose rock substratum was an order of magnitude greater than on smooth rock and two orders of magnitude greater than on mud. Our calculations indicate that, under non-storm conditions, crabs will not be dislodged from the substratum in either the mudflat or the wave-swept habitat when grasping the substratum with maximum tenacity. Moving crabs have lower tenacity and our calculations predict that hydrodynamic forces will restrict the mobility of large crabs more than that of small ones on smooth, but not on rugose rock.     

Phylogenetic analysis of intestinal bacteria in the Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis)

AIMS: To identify the dominant intestinal bacteria in the Chinese mitten crab, and to investigate the differences in the intestinal bacteria between pond-raised and wild crabs. METHODS AND RESULTS: The diversity of intestinal bacteria in the Chinese mitten crabs was investigated by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) fingerprinting, 16S rRNA gene clone library analysis and real-time quantitative PCR. The principal component analysis of DGGE profiles indicated that substantial intersubject variations existed in intestinal bacteria in pond-raised crab. The sequencing of 16S rRNA genes revealed that 90-95% of the phylotypes in the clone libraries were affiliated with Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. Some genera were identified as unique in wild crabs and in pond-raised crabs, whereas Bacteroidetes was found to be common in all sampled crab groups. Real-time quantitative PCR indicated that the abundance of Bacteroides and the total bacterial load were approximately four-to-10 times higher in pond-raised crabs than in wild crabs. A significant portion of the phylotypes shared low similarity with previously sequenced organisms, indicating that the bacteria in the gut of Chinese mitten crabs are yet to be described. CONCLUSIONS: The intestinal bacteria of pond-raised crabs showed higher intersubject variation, total diversity and abundance than that observed in wild crabs. The high proportion of the clones of Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes in the clone library is an indication that these bacteria may be the dominant population in the gut of the Chinese mitten crab. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study demonstrated obvious differences in the intestinal bacterial composition of pond-raised crabs and wild crabs. This knowledge will increase our understanding of the effects of aquaculture operations on bacterial community composition in the crab gut and provide necessary data for the development of probiotic products for crab cultivation.     

A comparison of pitfall traps with bait traps for studying leaf litter ant communities.

A comparison of pitfall traps with bait traps for sampling leaf litter ants was studied in oak-dominated mixed forests during 1995-1997. A total of 31,732 ants were collected from pitfall traps and 54,694 ants were collected from bait traps. They belonged to four subfamilies, 17 genera, and 32 species. Bait traps caught 29 species, whereas pitfall traps caught 31 species. Bait traps attracted one species not found in pitfall traps, but missed three of the species collected with pitfall traps. Collections from the two sampling methods showed differences in species richness, relative abundance, diversity, and species accumulation curves. Pitfall traps caught significantly more ant species per plot than did bait traps. The ant species diversity obtained from pitfall traps was higher than that from bait traps. Bait traps took a much longer time to complete an estimate of species richness than did pitfall traps. Little information was added to pitfall trapping results by the bait trapping method. The results suggested that the pitfall trapping method is superior to the bait trapping method for leaf litter ant studies. Species accumulation curves showed that sampling of 2,192+/-532 ants from six plots by pitfall traps provided a good estimation of ant species richness under the conditions of this study.     

Disturbance and recovery of salt marsh arthropod communities following BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Oil spills represent a major environmental threat to coastal wetlands, which provide a variety of critical ecosystem services to humanity. The U.S. Gulf of Mexico is a hub of oil and gas exploration activities that historically have impacted intertidal habitats such as salt marsh. Following the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, we sampled the terrestrial arthropod community and marine invertebrates found in stands of Spartina alterniflora, the most abundant plant in coastal salt marshes. Sampling occurred in 2010 as oil was washing ashore and a year later in 2011. In 2010, intertidal crabs and terrestrial arthropods (insects and spiders) were suppressed by oil exposure even in seemingly unaffected stands of plants; however, Littoraria snails were unaffected. One year later, crab and arthropods had largely recovered. Our work is the first attempt that we know of assessing vulnerability of the salt marsh arthropod community to oil exposure, and it suggests that arthropods are both quite vulnerable to oil exposure and quite resilient, able to recover from exposure within a year if host plants remain healthy.     

Invasion of a Reef-builder Polychaete: Direct and Indirect Impacts on the Native Benthic Community Structure

In this work, we evaluate the effect of the introduced reef-building polychaete Ficopomatus enigmaticus on the benthic community and on sediment characteristics of a southwestern Atlantic coastal lagoon. When reefs were experimentally added, density of the native crab Cyrtograpsus angulatus dramatically increased in a short time period. After reefs and crabs were experimentally transplanted as a unit, they decreased the density of the free-living soft-bottom polychaetes Heteromastus similis and Laeonereis acuta. Exclusion/inclusion caging experiments showed that Cyrtograpsus negatively affect the density of soft-bottom polychaetes (H. similis, L. acuta, Nephtys fluviatilis) and ostracodes. Our results showed that this effect is much higher in areas populated by reefs because of the increased density of crabs that find shelter under the reefs. Thus, reefs have a cascading effect on the native benthic community within the areas colonized by them. Analysis of crab stomach contents indicated that crabs feed on a wide variety of prey, including infaunal organisms, small gastropods and also algae. When reefs and crabs were experimentally added, the amount of bivalve shells on superficial sediments increased. Our results suggest that this bivalve shell accumulation and sediment composition are due to the reworking activity of Cyrtograpsus in the sediment where they dig burrows. The invasive habits of Ficopomatus may be favoring crabs to have a major effect on the integrity of the native community in the lagoon. Ficopomatus should be considered a bioengineer organism by creating and regulating refuge for other species, altering the interactions between preexistent species and also by changing the physical factors of the invaded environment.     

Small- and large-scale effect of the SW Atlantic burrowing crab Chasmagnathus granulatus on habitat use by migratory shorebirds

Here we address the question of whether the presence of the burrowing crabs Chasmagnathus granulatus affects small- and large-scale habitat use by migrant shorebirds. This crab is the dominant species in soft bare sediments and vegetated intertidal areas along the SW Atlantic estuaries (southern Brazil 28°S to the northern Argentinean Patagonia 42°S). They generate very extensive burrow beds in soft bottom intertidal areas. Our information shows that this burrowing crab affects the small-scale habitat use by shorebirds, given that shorebirds never walk through the funnel-shaped entrances of burrows. Given that crab burrow entrances occupy up to 40% of the intertidal area, there is a large decrease of available shorebird habitat in crab beds, restricting their activity to the spaces between the burrows. The southern migratory shorebird Charadrius falklandicus maximize the use of these areas by foraging closer to the burrows than the other bird species. Neotropical migrants, such as Calidris fuscicollis, Pluvialis squatarola and Tringa melanoleuca, used foraging paths that tended to maximize the distance from burrows, especially the distance to larger burrows. A field experiment showed that this was not necessarily due to a decrease in the availability of polychaetes near the crab burrows. A combination of landscape measurements and satellite images showed that crab beds covered up to 40% of the intertidal area of the Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon (37°40′S, Argentina), and nearly 100% of the intertidal area of the Bahia Blanca estuary (38°48′-39°25′S, Argentina). These two estuaries are located along the migratory flyway of Neotropical migratory shorebirds, but the Bahia Blanca estuary (area∼110,000 ha) shows a much lower shorebird diversity than Mar Chiquita (area∼4500 ha). The most common species in Bahia Blanca is the two-banded plover C. falklandicus, the species least affected by crabs at Mar Chiquita and which prefers to use high-density crab areas as foraging sites. The oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus was also most abundant in high-density crab areas, but they used these areas for resting. The abundances of preys varied during the study period and between the crab density areas, indicating that the use of these areas by birds is independent of crab density. However, burrowing crabs affect the depth distribution of polychaete and thus their availability to shorebirds. We suggest that this shorebirds-burrowing organism interaction could be generalized for other intertidal estuarine habitats.