![]() An increase in daytime foraging activity during cold months in contrast to a greater night-time foraging during warmer months shows a plasticity in the time of foraging. The RI tended to increase as the sand temperature increased. The most significant items in its diet were insects, unidentified organic matter, and crustaceans. Feeding index (IAi) indicates that feeding patterns varied only between seasons, demonstrating that the availability of prey is reflected in the diet of the ghost crab. We examined the contents of 660 stomachs, which were grouped into major food categories. We performed the biometry of the crabs, which involved weighing and measuring the size of the individuals, followed by the weighing of the stomachs to calculate the repletion index. The samples were collected monthly, from March 2017 to February 2018, on three subtropical beaches in southern Brazil. In addition, we used the repletion index (RI) to check the presence of food resource throughout the year. Considering such factors as environmental differences, seasons, sex, and ontogeny, we evaluated which of these would be responsible for differences in the crab's food composition and quantity of items consumed. Our study thus aimed to characterize the diet of the Ocypode quadrata on three morphologically distinct beaches in southern Brazil. Despite its wide distribution, there is arguable information on the trophic ecology of this crab. Among the existing populations on tropical and subtropical sandy beaches in the world, the ghost crab (Ocypode) is the most conspicuous invertebrate. They also help to understand the dynamics of populations involved in ecological relationships. Studies on feeding habits are fundamental to characterising the trophic role that species play in an ecosystem. Initiatives with a focus on wildlife conservation including spatial-temporal controlled beach closures may increase the biodiversity resilience. Our results show that urban beaches should not be exclusively managed for recreational purposes. The reduction in the mean burrow opening diameter during this period evidenced that young metapopulation have thrived on urban beaches when recreational activities ceased. Burrow abundance significantly increased in urban sectors, but not in control site along with the time of pandemic. Recovery of ghost crab metapopulation during the lockdown occurred even in more human-modified beaches. For this purpose, we compiled a historic dataset (2013–2019) of the ghost crab density and performed biweekly burrow measurements from June/2020 to May/2021. We assessed whether the anthropause associated with beach closures during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in repopulation of the Atlantic ghost crab Ocypode quadrata (Fabricius, 1787) on urban beaches. This period termed “anthropause” provided a unique opportunity to evaluate the recovery of wildlife in the absence of stressors on urban ecosystems. The majority of government authorities initially responded to COVID-19 pandemic by declaring lockdown to facilitate social distancing and minimize virus spreading. Their diet is broad-including predation on the eggs and young of sea turtles and shorebirds-and frequently encompasses efficient scavenging of animal carcasses. As consumers, ghost crabs display extraordinary trophic plasticity, occupying several trophic levels, obtaining food through a variety of strategies, and consuming a wide diversity of prey. Functionally, ghost crabs are pivotal in littoral food webs as mesopredators: They are often the apex invertebrate consumers on beaches while being predated by a diversity of reptiles, birds, and mammals that forage at the land-sea interface. ![]() Ghost crabs are the fastest crustaceans on land and have acute senses of sight, smell, and hearing. Although not true land crabs, they have evolved a range of physiological, morphological, and behavioural adaptations to semi-terrestrial habitats and hence occupy a broad spatial gradient from coastal dunes to the swash zone. A defining ecological trait of the group is its fossorial habit: The crabs excavate deep, voluminous, and complex burrows, alternating between activity on the beach surface (e.g., foraging, mating, and dispersion) and underground microhabitats. They are globally abundant on many sandy beaches from the tropics to temperate latitudes. Or When a string of murders overtook the streets of New York, it was up to detective Neil Josten to solve the most complex case he'd ever seen.Ghost crabs are the largest invertebrates on ocean shores. ![]() The only thing he could hear was Andrew’s voice coming from behind him. Neil didn’t know what to say and what to do, he was pinned in place with disbelief. ![]() Ten minutes was the time it took for her to die, painfully, and with multiple witnesses. The Foxes | Palmetto State Foxes Member(s) (All For The Game).Eechoox Fandoms: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic ![]()
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