IIMYC   23581
INSTITUTO DE INVESTIGACIONES MARINAS Y COSTERAS
Unidad Ejecutora - UE
artículos
Título:
Food manipulation and selection in the omnivorous grapsoid crab Neohelice granulata (Decapoda: Varunidae)
Autor/es:
LANCIA, JUAN; BAS CLAUDIA; SPIVAK, EDUARDO
Revista:
SCIENTIA MARINA
Editorial:
INST CIENCIAS MAR BARCELONA
Referencias:
Lugar: Barcelona; Año: 2014 vol. 78
ISSN:
0214-8358
Resumen:
Summary: Neohelice granulata is an omnivorous, semi-terrestrial burrowing crab endemic to southwestern Atlantic salt¬marshes that behaves as a herbivore when it inhabits vegetated saltmarsh areas or a deposit feeder on bare mudflats. In order to gain insights into how non-specialized crabs manage to rely on low quality diets, we studied in laboratory i) how they use feeding appendages to manipulate the food items commonly eaten (halophytic plant leaves and sediment), and ii) their ability to sort particles when they act as deposit feeders by analysing the food particle content of sediment and stomach. According to the source of food consumed, different behaviours and mouthparts involved in food processing were observed. Sex differ-ences were found in handling halophytic plant leaves in the herbivore feeding mode. In deposit feeding, a concentration of potentially N-rich items of animal origin was detected in stomach contents. Indirect evidence of food item concentration from sediment was revealed by analysis of the C and N content of sediment and feces. N. granulata seems to be an effective deposit feeder even though it lacks the characteristic mouthparts commonly associated with this type of food source.