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- Title
CHANGES IN GHOST CRAB (OCYPODE QUADRATA) ABUNDANCE AND DISTRIBUTION AT A TEXAS BEACH TWO YEARS AFTER HURRICANE IKE.
- Authors
Maccarone, Alan D.; Mathews, Patrick L.
- Abstract
The Atlantic Ghost Crab (Ocypode quadrata) is widely distributed on beaches along the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. In May 2010, almost two years after Hurricane Ike caused significant damage to portions of the upper Texas Gulf Coast, ghost crab populations were measured at the same high- and low-impact sites on the Bolivar Peninsula first examined in May 2006. Line transects were used to determine the width of the beach at both sites. Variables included the number and density of burrows, the diameter of burrow openings, burrow distance to the high- water line, and nearest-neighbor distances. Before the hurricane, the high-impact site experienced significant human activity and disturbance. In 2010, human activity was negligible, beach width had increased by 50% after dunes were washed away, the number of burrows tripled, and nearest-neighbor distances decreased by half, but burrow density did not change. The low-impact site experienced little human activity or beach alteration before or after the hurricane. After the hurricane reshaped the tip of the peninsula, beach width decreased by two-thirds, mean burrow density increased seven-fold, and nearest neighbor distances decreased by one-half. Ghost crabs at both sites were significantly smaller two years after the hurricane.
- Subjects
ATLANTIC ghost crab; HURRICANE research; ZOOGEOGRAPHY; CRABS; HURRICANE Ike, 2008
- Publication
Texas Journal of Science, 2011, Vol 63, Issue 3/4, p199
- ISSN
0040-4403
- Publication type
Article