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Effects of land-use/land-cover changes on land crab, Cardisoma guanhumi, abundance in Puerto Rico

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2008

Yogani Govender ,
Alberto M. Sabat  and
Elvira Cuevas
Yogani Govender*
Affiliation:
CATEC-Centre for Applied Tropical Ecology and Conservation, University of Puerto Rico, P. O. Box 23360, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00931-3360 Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico, P. O. Box 23360, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00931-3360
Alberto M. Sabat
Affiliation:
CATEC-Centre for Applied Tropical Ecology and Conservation, University of Puerto Rico, P. O. Box 23360, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00931-3360
Elvira Cuevas
Affiliation:
CATEC-Centre for Applied Tropical Ecology and Conservation, University of Puerto Rico, P. O. Box 23360, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00931-3360 Department of Biology, University of Puerto Rico, P. O. Box 23360, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00931-3360
*
1Corresponding author. Email: yoganig@yahoo.com
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Abstract

The land crab Cardisoma guanhumi populations have been on the decline in Puerto Rico for the last three decades. While some studies suggest overexploitation and pesticides as causing the observed population declines, the effect of land-use/land-cover (LULC) changes have not been investigated. In this study we compared the abundance and size of Cardisoma guanhumi in five different LULC types (mangroves, grasslands, forest, urban and industrial), and investigated the relationship between differences in physical microhabitat conditions among the LULC types with crab abundance and size. Although no significant differences in size were found among the different LULC types, crabs were significantly less abundant in grassland sites. Surface soil temperature, depth to groundwater and air temperature were found to vary significantly among the LULC types. Of these, only surface soil temperatures had a significant negative relationship with crab abundance. It appears that high variation in soil temperature and a high groundwater table observed in the grasslands is most detrimental to crabs. Interestingly, during the time when land crab populations declined there was corresponding change of LULC from agriculture to grasslands. Cardisoma guanhumi is resilient to changes in LULC, however, changes that alter their access to groundwater and escape from high soil temperature reduce their habitat.

Keywords

depth to groundwaterestuariesgrasslandshabitat changessoil temperature
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 24 , Issue 4 , July 2008 , pp. 417 - 423
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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