کد مقاله کد نشریه سال انتشار مقاله انگلیسی نسخه تمام متن
4397421 1305886 2007 9 صفحه PDF دانلود رایگان
عنوان انگلیسی مقاله ISI
Habitat size, flora, and fauna: Interactions in a tidal saltwater marsh
موضوعات مرتبط
علوم زیستی و بیوفناوری علوم کشاورزی و بیولوژیک علوم آبزیان
پیش نمایش صفحه اول مقاله
Habitat size, flora, and fauna: Interactions in a tidal saltwater marsh
چکیده انگلیسی

Anthropogenic habitat fragmentation is increasingly problematic in both terrestrial and aquatic systems. Fragmentation reduces the size of habitat patches, so examining the effect of patch size on community structure can provide insight into the potential effects of fragmentation. In this study, we examined the effect of habitat size on the density of Spartina alterniflora shoots in tidal saltwater marshes, as well as on the two predominant macrofaunal species, the marsh periwinkle Littoraria irrorata and fiddler crabs Uca spp. We estimated the density of shoots in three different marsh habitats, (1) large island marshes, (2) small island marshes, and (3) large fringing marshes, in Indian Field Creek, York River, Chesapeake Bay. We manipulated shoot density in each of the marsh types to distinguish between the effects of marsh grass density and marsh type on crab and Littoraria densities in the system. We found significant differences in grass density among the three marsh types as well as significant species-specific effects of grass density, marsh type, and distance from edge on faunal abundance. Decreasing the shoot density resulted in a decrease in Littoraria density in the large marshes. Littoraria density increased with distance from edge in the small marshes and in the first 5 m of the fringing marshes, then decreased with distance from edge after 5 m in the fringing marshes. Shoot density had a negative effect on crabs in both the large and small marshes. These results suggest that fragmentation would have a negative effect on the community structure by lowering the densities of both the flora and fauna.

ناشر
Database: Elsevier - ScienceDirect (ساینس دایرکت)
Journal: Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology - Volume 353, Issue 1, 21 December 2007, Pages 80–88
نویسندگان
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