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Feeding and burrowing ecology of two East African mangrove crabs

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Abstract

The behavior and ecology of two mangrove crabs,Sesarma meinerti De Man, 1887 andCardisoma carnifex (Herbst, 1794) were investigated at the beginning of the rainy season (October–November 1988) at Mida Creek, Kenya. Both species occupy upper intertidal levels, above mean high-water neap, and completely overlap in their zonation. Each burrow lasts ca. 3 wk, with no significant difference between the species. Both are more active around dusk and dawn and also follow a similar trend in their foraging activity, but differ in that burrowing is mainly diurnal inC. carnifex and nocturnal inS. meinerti. A hierarchy of food preference, established by offeringC. carnifex andS. meinerti leaves of five mangrove species, proved similar for both, withBruguiera gymnorhiza ranking first andAvicennia marina last, but significant only forC. carnifex. A rough estimate of the amount of litter consumed by these two species and of the soil mixed up by their burrowing activity indicates that they play a role of primary importance in the ecology of East African mangroves.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 28557, Morehead City, North Carolina, USA

    F. Micheli

  2. Dipartimento di Biologia Animale e Genetica dell'Universitá degli Studi di Firenze, via Romana 17, I-50125, Firenze, Italy

    F. Gherardi & M. Vannini

Authors
  1. F. Micheli
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  2. F. Gherardi
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  3. M. Vannini
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Communicated by M. Sará, Genova

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Micheli, F., Gherardi, F. & Vannini, M. Feeding and burrowing ecology of two East African mangrove crabs. Mar. Biol. 111, 247–254 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01319706

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