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- Title
Dry season distribution of land crabs, Gecarcinus quadratus (Crustacea: Gecarcinidae), in Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica.
- Authors
Griffiths, Megan E.; Mohammad, Basma A.; Vega, Andres
- Abstract
The land crab Gecarcinus quadratus is an engineering species that controls nutrient cycling in tropical forests. Factors regulating their coastal distribution are not fully understood. We quantified land crab distribution during the dry season at Sirena Field Station in Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica, and found that land crab burrow density decreases with increasing distance from the ocean. Leaf litter depth and tree seedling density are negatively correlated with land crab burrow density. Burrows are strongly associated with sand substrate and burrow density is comparatively low in clay substrate. Results suggest that G. quadratus is limited to a narrow coastal zone with sand substrate, and this distribution could have profound effects on plant community structure.
- Subjects
PARQUE Nacional Corcovado (Costa Rica); COSTA Rica; GECARCINIDAE; GECARCINUS lateralis; CRUSTACEA; ANIMAL species
- Publication
Revista de Biología Tropical, 2007, Vol 55, Issue 1, p219
- ISSN
0034-7744
- Publication type
Article