Mangrove sedimentary characteristics and implications for crab Ucides cordatus (Crustacea, Decapoda, Ucididae) distribution in an estuarine area of the Amazonian region


Autoria(s): Gomes,José Diego; Abrunhosa,Fernando Araújo; Simith,Darlan de Jesus de Brito; Asp,Nils Edvin
Data(s)

01/12/2013

Resumo

At the coastal zone sediments, water and organisms interact intensely. At equatorial tidal-dominated coast mangroves are abundant. These areas are well-known for their ecological importance. Considering the mangroves of Atlantic South America, the mangrove crab, Ucides cordatus has ecological and economic prominence. High densities of this crab are found on the Amazon coast. This study investigates the sediment distribution of the Bragança mangrove area (Amazon coast, Brazil) and its correlations with vegetation and mangrove crab distribution. Sediments of 47 sites, as well as crabs from sites with different sediment and vegetation, were sampled. Results show that surface sediment of the area is mainly composed by silt (59%), with 21% sand and 20% clay. Variations in sorting and skewness are the product of local variations in clay and sand content. The vegetation type was significantly correlated to mangrove crab characteristics, abundance and weight/size. Sediment characteristics are also substantially different according to the vegetation type. Areas where Avicennia germinans prevails have more sand and clay than areas of Rizophora mangle, in which silt is dominant and crabs were significantly heavier. The present results have showed that the distribution of sediments, crabs and vegetation at mangrove areas are strongly correlated. Thus, they should be studied in conjunction.

Formato

text/html

Identificador

http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0044-59672013000400010

Idioma(s)

en

Publicador

Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia

Fonte

Acta Amazonica v.43 n.4 2013

Palavras-Chave #coastal plain #sediment distribution #tides #vegetation #North Brazil #mangrove crab
Tipo

journal article