The ecological roles of neohelice granulata ii: regulating species interactions

Abstract

Neohelice granulata inhabits soft bare sediments (herein mudflats) and salt marshes in South Western Atlantic (SWA) estuarine and protected environments. They excavate semi-permanent burrows that differ in shapes and depth between habitats and form extensive areas of high densities (hereafter “crab beds”) that not only modify the abiotic environment (see Chapter 10 Volume I), but also regulate species interactions. The feeding activity of these crabs differs between areas being herbivores in salt marshes but mainly deposit feeders in the mudflats. In this chapter we will review the biological interactions occurring at both, the salt marsh and the mudflat, in which crabs are directly or indirectly involved. These interactions are summarized in Figure 17.1.