Role of abiotic drivers on crab burrow distribution in a saltmarsh wetland
Role of abiotic drivers on crab burrow distribution in a saltmarsh wetland
Crab burrows play an important role in saltmarsh wetlands and are a useful indicator of wetland condition. The spatiotemporal distribution of crab burrows varies considerably in tidal wetlands. However, the reasons for these variations are poorly understood, in part, due to the limited availability of comprehensive field data. Based on a two-year continuous observation at a tidal wetland in the northern Jiangsu Coast, China, this study explored the relationship between crab burrow density and environmental variables, including median grain size, water content, organic matter content, soil salinity, and elevation. Our results show that the distribution of crab burrows was unimodal across the shore in winter and spring (Nov-Apr) when air temperature was relatively low, while bimodal in summer and autumn (May-Oct) when temperature was relatively high. The density of crab burrows was larger at areas with higher water content, higher organic matter content, and lower soil salinity, while it was lower with stronger hydrodynamics and lower suspended sediment concentration. Crab burrows were more abundant in vegetated areas than in un-vegetated areas. A backward stepwise model selection was performed based on R-square and Akaike information criterion (AIC) to distinguish the main driving factors that determine crab burrow distribution. Results suggested that the principal driving factors were organic matter content and soil salinity in all the seasons, with the addition of water content in warm seasons. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive field dataset for a more in-depth understanding of crab burrow distribution and a scientific basis for sustainable management of tidal wetlands.
crab burrow, ecosystem engineers, marine invertebrates, salt marsh, spatiotemporal distribution, wetland
Chen, Xue
78813301-5484-4b91-9291-31da562d5bff
Zhou, Zeng
cf550d40-fd8c-4786-b9ea-baed1447ea53
He, Qiang
37b9547d-f6a4-459f-b8ff-e01802e90c50
Zhang, Heyue
fa5a6da9-29b4-4d59-88a8-8b299709276b
Bouma, Tjeerd
0f64a6ad-e198-462e-9d30-d6a1f43e25e9
Gong, Zheng
1699c55c-1eff-4651-9980-cacdd639539a
Townend, Ian
f72e5186-cae8-41fd-8712-d5746f78328e
Zhang, Changkuan
dfdb560e-6606-4ba2-86be-f7068ef48393
10 November 2022
Chen, Xue
78813301-5484-4b91-9291-31da562d5bff
Zhou, Zeng
cf550d40-fd8c-4786-b9ea-baed1447ea53
He, Qiang
37b9547d-f6a4-459f-b8ff-e01802e90c50
Zhang, Heyue
fa5a6da9-29b4-4d59-88a8-8b299709276b
Bouma, Tjeerd
0f64a6ad-e198-462e-9d30-d6a1f43e25e9
Gong, Zheng
1699c55c-1eff-4651-9980-cacdd639539a
Townend, Ian
f72e5186-cae8-41fd-8712-d5746f78328e
Zhang, Changkuan
dfdb560e-6606-4ba2-86be-f7068ef48393
Chen, Xue, Zhou, Zeng, He, Qiang, Zhang, Heyue, Bouma, Tjeerd, Gong, Zheng, Townend, Ian and Zhang, Changkuan
(2022)
Role of abiotic drivers on crab burrow distribution in a saltmarsh wetland.
Frontiers in Marine Science, 9, [1040308].
(doi:10.3389/fmars.2022.1040308).
Abstract
Crab burrows play an important role in saltmarsh wetlands and are a useful indicator of wetland condition. The spatiotemporal distribution of crab burrows varies considerably in tidal wetlands. However, the reasons for these variations are poorly understood, in part, due to the limited availability of comprehensive field data. Based on a two-year continuous observation at a tidal wetland in the northern Jiangsu Coast, China, this study explored the relationship between crab burrow density and environmental variables, including median grain size, water content, organic matter content, soil salinity, and elevation. Our results show that the distribution of crab burrows was unimodal across the shore in winter and spring (Nov-Apr) when air temperature was relatively low, while bimodal in summer and autumn (May-Oct) when temperature was relatively high. The density of crab burrows was larger at areas with higher water content, higher organic matter content, and lower soil salinity, while it was lower with stronger hydrodynamics and lower suspended sediment concentration. Crab burrows were more abundant in vegetated areas than in un-vegetated areas. A backward stepwise model selection was performed based on R-square and Akaike information criterion (AIC) to distinguish the main driving factors that determine crab burrow distribution. Results suggested that the principal driving factors were organic matter content and soil salinity in all the seasons, with the addition of water content in warm seasons. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive field dataset for a more in-depth understanding of crab burrow distribution and a scientific basis for sustainable management of tidal wetlands.
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fmars-09-1040308
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Accepted/In Press date: 20 October 2022
Published date: 10 November 2022
Keywords:
crab burrow, ecosystem engineers, marine invertebrates, salt marsh, spatiotemporal distribution, wetland
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 493547
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/493547
ISSN: 2296-7745
PURE UUID: 767e63fc-d1ff-44fb-9604-0b0dea22c916
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Date deposited: 05 Sep 2024 17:15
Last modified: 06 Sep 2024 01:38
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Contributors
Author:
Xue Chen
Author:
Zeng Zhou
Author:
Qiang He
Author:
Heyue Zhang
Author:
Tjeerd Bouma
Author:
Zheng Gong
Author:
Changkuan Zhang
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