Effects of land crabs on seedling densities and distributions in a mainland neotropical rain forest

Abstract

The land crab, Gecarcinus quadratus (Gecarcinidae), affects plant diversity in a mainland, neotropical rain forest through selective seedling consumption. In Costa Rica's Corcovado National Park, G. quadratus lives in fossorial populations with up to six crabs m⁻² in coastal forest extending c. 600 m inland from the Pacific Ocean. A narrow transition zone (c. 30 m) separates the crab zone from the crabless zone that comprises the remainder of the 55 000-ha park. The composition of dicotyledonous plants from the adjacent zones were distinct: crabless zone transects (240 m²) contained 97 species representing 76 genera and 41 families; crab zone transects contained 46 species representing 38 genera and 25 families. Despite the narrow zonal separation, the crabless zone shared only 27.4, 29.9 and 52.8% of its species, genera and families, respectively, with the crab zone; in contrast, crab zone transects shared 56.5, 60.5 and 88% of their species, genera and families with the crabless zone. This abrupt diversity gradient suggests a powerful selection pressure in the crab zone preventing the establishment of certain dicotyledonous species. Two years of experimental crab exclusion suggested that G. quadratus reduces seedling density and diversity. Densities of seedlings (3–25 cm tall) within exclosures increased 144% over baseline values while control densities decreased. In contrast, seedlings at the cotyledon stage and taller (26–50 cm) were unaffected by crab exclusion. Preference tests conducted in the crab zone revealed a five-fold ratio of mortality rates for seedlings transplanted from the crabless zone and crab zone respectively. However, when protected from crabs, transplanted crabless and crab zone seedlings survived similarly well over 6 mo (83 and 70% respectively). Together, data from transects and experiments suggest that G. quadratus influences plant community composition.