Feeding spectra and activity of the freshwater crab Trichodactylus kensleyi (Decapoda: Brachyura: Trichodactylidae) at La Plata basin

Background: In inland water systems, it is important to characterize the trophic links in order to identify the ‘trophic species’ and, from the studies of functional diversity, understand the dynamics of matter and energy in these environments. The aim of this study is to analyze the natural diet of Trichodactylus kensleyi of subtropical rainforest streams and corroborate the temporal variation in the trophic activity during day hours. Results: A total of 15 major taxonomic groups were recognized in gut contents. The index of relative importance identified the following main prey items in decreasing order of importance: vegetal remains, oligochaetes, chironomid larvae, and algae. A significant difference was found in the amount of full stomachs during day hours showing a less trophic activity at midday and afternoon. The index of relative importance values evidenced the consumption of different prey according to day moments. Results of the gut content indicate that T. kensleyi is an omnivorous crab like other trichodactylid species. Opportunistic behavior is revealed by the ingestion of organisms abundant in streams such as oligochaetes and chironomid larvae. The consumption of allochthonous plant debris shows the importance of this crab as shredder in subtropical streams. However, the effective assimilation of plant matter is yet unknown in trichodactylid crabs. Conclusions: This research provides knowledge that complements previous studies about trophic relationships of trichodactylid crabs and supported the importance of T. kensleyi in the transference of energy and matter from benthic community and riparian sources to superior trophic levels using both macro- and microfauna.Fil: Williner, Verónica. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto Nacional de Limnología. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto Nacional de Limnología; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias; ArgentinaFil: de Azevedo Carvalho, Debora. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto Nacional de Limnología. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto Nacional de Limnología; ArgentinaFil: Collins, Pablo Agustin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe. Instituto Nacional de Limnología. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Instituto Nacional de Limnología; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas; Argentin

Annelida (Oligochaeta and Aphanoneura) from the Natural Reserve of Isla Martín García (upper Río de la Plata estuary, Argentina): biodiversity and response to environmental variables

The Island of Martín García – located in the Upper Río de la Plata, to the south of the Uruguay River – is an outcropping of the crystalline basement. Fourteen sampling sites were selected, five along the littoral section of the island and nine in inland ponds. Four major environmental variables were measured: water temperature, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, and pH. A total of 34 species of Oligochaeta and Aphanoneura were found, 30 belonging to Naididae plus one species each of the Narapidae, Lumbricidae, Enchytraeidae, and Aeolosomatidae. The thirteen most frequent species were: A. leydigi (30%), N. bonettoi (13%), L. hoffmeisteri (11%), N. variabilis(10%), S. trivandrana (6.5%), A. pigueti (5.6%), D. sawayai (4.5%), D. digitata(3.5%), C. diastrophus (2.7%), A. costatus (2.5%), P. longiseta (2.0%), Enchytraeidae (1.5%), and A. p. paraguayensis(1.4%). UPGMA clustering of species based on their occurrence in different ecological conditions revealed two main species groups. Canonic-correspondence analysis (CCA) was conducted with the 15 most frequent and abundant species in the 9 sampling sites and the 4 environmental variables. Results from the CCA revealed that the order of fluctuation of the environmental variables during the sampling period was, from the greatest to the least: dissolved oxygen, conductivity, pH, and water temperature. Approximately 97.6% of the correlations between species and environmental variables were expressed on axis 1 of the ordination diagram. Species richness correlated with the four environmental variables in the following order, from the weakest to the strongest: water temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, and dissolved oxygen

Estimating secondary production of Uca uruguayensis (Decapoda, Brachyura, Ocypodidae) from Samborombón Bay, Argentina

Specimens of Uca uruguayensis were collected (n = 1200, 216 megalopae, 984 undifferentiated and adults), counted and classified as males, females or undifferentiated individuals. Each was measured (total carapace width, CW) and weighed (dry weight, DW). The crabs were analyzed and separated into cohorts by the conversion of polymodal width-frequency distributions into normal curves. Six cohorts were recruited during the study period. Two cohorts coexisted in September and December 2001, and April and October 2002, and three in March and June 2001, December 2002, and February 2003. Ovigerous females were captured in December 2001 and 2002, and February 2003; on this last date, megalopal settlement was registered at all the sampling sites. The correlation between CW and DW was analyzed and the growth pattern was modelled by applying the power function (DW = a CWb). Males, females and undifferentiated individuals were examined separately and all together as a group. The data were fitted, indicating a positive allometry for DW, males showing the highest allometric values. To estimate the annual production we used a size-frequency method. Mature individuals, in particular those included in the 10–11.99 mm size class, contributed most to production. On the other hand, few individuals belonged to the size class prior to puberty. Total biomass (expressed in DW) varied between 20 and 611 mg m–2 and the highest values were recorded during summer