A comparison of brachyuran crab community structure at four mangrove locations under different management systems along the Melaka Straits-Andaman Sea Coast of Malaysia and Thailand |
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| Authors: | Email author" target="_blank">Elizabeth?C?AshtonEmail author Peter?J?Hogarth Donald?J?Macintosh |
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| Institution: | 1.Centre for Tropical Ecosystems Research, Department of Ecology and Genetics,University of Aarhus,Denmark;2.Department of Biology,University of York,York,UK |
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| Abstract: | Brachyuran crab community structure was compared between mangrove sites under different management systems from four locations
along the Melaka Straits-Andaman Sea Coast. Klong Ngao, a mangrove estuary in Ranong Province of southern Thailand, lies within
a Biosphere Reserve designated in 1997. Sites were positioned in plantations at a former charcoal concession forest, a disused
tin mine, and an abandoned shrimp pond along this estuary. The Merbok estuary in Kedah, Malaysia, is partially managed: the
mangroves are cut for charcoal and poles on a small scale and the forests are left to regenerate naturally. The Matang Mangrove
Forest Reserve in Perak, Malaysia, is heavily exploited but well managed, forRhizophora wood to produce charcoal, and has been for 100 years. Sites were positioned in plantations of different ages. Kuala Selangor
Nature Park, Selangor, Malaysia, was established as a nature reserve in 1987 and contains mature mangrove forest regenerating
naturally from previous selective felling. At Klong Ngao and Matang, mature reserve forest sites were also studied for comparison
with plantation sites. The sites included both upstream and downstream locations and were of similar area, minimizing effects
from possible species-area relationships. Sites were chosen with similar environmental conditions and with a dominance ofRhizophora spp. At each site per location, the brachyuran crabs were sampled quantitatively in 100 m2 quadrats by three independent 15-min timed crab catches. The crab community recorded was analyzed by univariate and multivariate
statistical techniques. Management history plays an important role in moderating the crab community structure. The crab community
also changes with the age of the mangrove forest stand. Sesarmid crabs consistently dominated in mature forests, whereas young
plantations were colonized mainly by ocypodid crabs. The findings show that heavily effected sites—e.g., disused tin mining
areas, former concession forests, and abandoned shrimp ponds—can be rehabilitated by planting mangroves and that the crab
community is a useful ecological indicator of habitat status. |
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