RT journal article
T1 Cannibalism, post-settlement growth rate and size refuge in a recruitment-limited population of the shore crab Carcinus maenas.
A1 Almeida, M.J.
A1 González Gordillo, Juan Ignacio
A1 Flores, A.V.V.
A1 Queiroga, H.
A2 Biología
K1 Habitat structure
K1 Juvenile growth
K1 Nursery habitat
K1 Predation
K1 Relative prey size
K1 Shore crab
AB Previous studies on intra-specific interactions among green shore crabs have been undertaken in very largepopulations, in which individuals concentrate at high densities in physically complex substrates. Undersuch conditions, cannibalism and interference competition often override initial density patterns deliveredby larval supply. In this study, we focused on a Carcinus maenas population receiving a low supply of settlers.We reported crab abundance in habitats of different physical structure, and measured cannibalistic interactions,in different substrates, at a prey density expected only after a major recruitment event. Different predatorand prey sizes were used to verify if juveniles froma critical range attain a size refugewhen coexistingwith subadults,which are still commonly found in the nursery habitat. Virtually no juvenile shore crabs were found onsandy habitats, and differences between sparsely and densely vegetated cover were only detected shortly aftera settlement pulse, indicating that nursery habitats are under their carrying capacity most of the time. Evenunder extreme high densities, cannibalism on juveniles of 10 mm carapace width (CW) remained undetected,and predation on crabs half this sizewas only significant in lowand mediumZostera cover,when larger predators(20–25 mmCW)were included in experimental plots. The allometricmodel predicted the non-linear decrease ofpredation rate as a function of relative prey size, with a nearly asymptotic value of one prey consumed each 5 dby one predator in a square metre, when relative prey size attains 0.6. Such a relationship is expected for ‘cruising’predators which rely on encounter rate. Growth estimates obtained using time series of the catch of distinctjuvenile stages in artificial collectors indicated that crabs surviving 50 d after settlement have attained a size refugefrom predation by larger conspecifics
YR 2011
FD 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/16692
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/16692
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 06-nov-2026