Nursery habitat for Asian horseshoe crabs along the northern Beibu Gulf, China: Implications for conservation management under baseline gaps

文献类型： 外文期刊

第一作者： Xie, Xiaoyong

作者： Xie, Xiaoyong;Wu, Zhou;Wu, Zhou;Fu, Yijian;Wang, Xueping;Xu, Peng;Huang, Xing;Liao, Yongyan;Kwan, Kit Yue;Wang, Chun-Chieh;Huang, Shiang-Lin

作者机构：

关键词： Beibu Gulf; Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda; mangrove; recruitment; seagrass; Tachypleus tridentatus; tidal creek

期刊名称：AQUATIC CONSERVATION-MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS （ 影响因子：2.771； 五年影响因子：3.37 ）

ISSN： 1052-7613

年卷期： 2020 年 30 卷 2 期

页码：

收录情况： SCI

摘要： Identification, protection and enhancement of essential habitats are priority issues for management and restoration of exploited species. The shores utilized by Asian horseshoe crabs as nurseries were surveyed and the coastal habitat characteristics were described in the northern Beibu Gulf of China. Regression models were applied to explore species-habitat relationships. Fourteen and ten nursery sites were identified for Tachypleus tridentatus and Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda populations, respectively. Xiacun and Jinhaiwan in the eastern region of the northern Beibu Gulf were the essential nurseries for T. tridentatus, whereas Shanxin and Jiaodong in the western part were the primary nursery shores for C. rotundicauda. These shores supported high densities (4-6 individuals/100 m(2)) of juvenile horseshoe crab populations. Mangrove and seagrass coverage area, coupled with sediment physico-chemical parameters, particularly grain size, and the environmental heterogeneity of nursery habitats explained the distribution pattern of juvenile populations. Most juvenile populations were found along the outer fringe of mangroves in the small shallow estuary, particularly near outflows of tidal creeks with generally higher chlorophyll a and organic carbon contents. The distribution of high-density juvenile populations of both species also overlapped with areas of seagrass patches. These findings highlight the importance of mangroves and seagrasses in the nursery habitat use of Asian horseshoe crabs. Preserving the estuarine habitats with these vegetation types and identifying the high-use nursery sites should be prioritised in China and other Asian places to conserve the declining Asian horseshoe crab populations.

分类号：

  • 相关文献
作者其他论文 更多>>

微信小程序