A Preliminary Investigation of the Effects of Human Physical Disturbance on the Ecology of the Soldier Crab Dotilla fenestrata (Crustacea, Ocypodidae) at Praia da Costa do Sol, Maputo

Abstract

The effects of human trampling on the population parameters of the soldier crab Dotilla fenestrata at Praia da Costa do Sol, Maputo were studied in two areas subjected to two different levels of human disturbance: (1) a low disturbance area; and (2) a high disturbance area. Sampling was carried out 1 day before and 1 day after disturbance took place and crab abundance and biomass data were compared between the two periods at each area. No significant differences (P > 0.05) were found between abundance and biomass values before and after the disturbance. These results suggest that human trampling has an insignificant effect on D. fenestrata and that behavioral and habitat structure aspects might play more important roles on the population ecology of the soldier crab at Praia da Costa do Sol.