Published

The intertidal mudflats of Barr Al Hikman, Sultanate of Oman, as feeding, reproduction and nursery grounds for brachyuran crabs Version 11

Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research https://doi.org/10.25850/nioz/7b.b.cb

Brachyuran crabs are an important ecological and economical, yet often unstudied aspect of intertidal mudflats of the Arabian Peninsula. Here we provide baseline density estimates of crabs at the relatively pristine intertidal mudflats of Barr Al Hikman (Sultanate of Oman) and provide information on their life cycle and habitat preference. Across the winters of 2012???2015 crabs were sampled on a grid covering the entire intertidal depth gradient. 29 species were found and average densities varied between 12 and 54 crabs/m2. Deposit-feeding and herbivorous crabs were the most abundant species across all winters. Size frequency data and the presence of ovigerous females show that most crabs species reproduce in the intertidal area. P. segnis, the most important crab for local fisheries, was found to use the intertidal area as a nursery ground. We analysed the relationship between the two most abundant crab species, Macrophthalmus sulcatus and Thalamita poissonii and the environmental variables: seagrass density, tidal elevation, median grain size and sediment depth using Random Forest models. The predictive capacity of the models and the relative importance of the environmental predictors varied between years, but crab densities in general were positively associated with seagrass density, presumably because seagrass offers feeding habitat.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Subject Earth and Environmental Sciences
DAS Code 7b.b.cb
Source https://dataportal.nioz.nl/doi/10.25850/nioz/7b.b.cb
Version 11
Creator(s)
Bom, Roeland (Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research)
Contact the corresponding author
Depositor Roeland Bom
Publication Date 2020-09-30
Deposit Date 2020-09-30
Dataset Persistent Identifier DOI:10.25850/nioz/7b.b.cb
Alternate identifier
Related identifier
Contributor NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research
Distributor Research Data Management(NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research)
Distribution Date 2020-09-30
Production Date 2020-09-30
Dates
Collected
2011-11-01 until 2015-12-30
Funding References
NWO (821.01.001)

TRC (ORG/EBR/12/002)
Geographic Coverage
Barr Al Hikman, Sultanate of Oman
North Bound: 8.7122
South Bound: 20.7772
West Bound: 58.6366
East Bound: 20.6714