The Burrowing Crab Neohelice granulata as key prey for the near threatened Olrog´s Gull Larus atlanticus: a review of its relevance throughout the annual cycle.

NICOLÁS SUÁREZ; PAULA BERRON; PABLO YORIO

Neohelice granulata, a Model Species for Studies on Crustaceans.

Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Año: 2020; p. 207 - 227

Crabs constitute valuable prey for a varietyof terrestrial and marine organisms, and are widely preyed upon by birds. They canbe a dominant or even exclusive component in the diet of some ratherspecialized species, such as the Olrog?s Gull (Larus atlanticus). TheBurrowing Crab (Neohelice granulata) is the dominant macroinvertebratein salt marshes and tidal flats along the southwest Atlantic coasts, and playsan essential role in the functioning of these coastal ecosystems. Severalstudies have shown the Olrog?s Gull  hasrather specialized trophic ecology, feeding almost exclusively on the BurrowingCrab, in addition to Cyrtograpsus angulatus and C. altimanusduring the breeding season, and to a great extent on Burrowing Crab and C.angulatus during its non-breeding dispersal along the coasts of Argentinaand Uruguay. In this chapter, we review and integrate published information onthe trophic ecology of Olrog?s Gull during the annual cycle, focusing on therole of the Burrowing Crab as prey for this near threatened species. We presentinformation on (1) the contribution of the Burrowing Crab to the overall dietcomposition of breeding and non-breeding Olrog?s Gull individuals, (2) thesegment of the Burrowing Crab population, in terms of sizes and sex of preyindividuals, that is preyed upon by the Olrog?s Gull, and (3) the spatialpatterns in the use of foraging areas by Olrog?s Gull in relation to BurrowingCrab distribution. Finally, we identify information gaps and presentrecommendations for future research.