Food Habits of Juvenile American Alligators in the Upper Lake Pontchartrain Estuary

Brantley, Christopher G.; Hastings, Robert W.

doi:10.18785/negs.1102.04

Cited by 22 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Epizoans may be killed when their host crab is preyed upon. Blue crabs are preyed upon by a variety of animals including other blue crabs, starfish, fish (including eels and sharks), alligators, birds, and mammals (Gunter, 1945;Darnell, 1959;Adkins, 1972;Wenner and Musick, 1975;Millikin and Williams, 1984;Wilson et al, 1987;Hunt and Slack, 1989;Platt et al, 1990;Stillwell and Kohler, 1993;Auster and Degoursey, 1994). The main cost to the barnacles is obviously the molting of the host crab, which removes the barnacles from their living host.…”

Section: Costs and Benefits Of Epibiosismentioning

confidence: 99%

Barnacle Fouling of the Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus at Beaufort, North Carolina

Key

Volpe

Jeffries

et al. 1997

Journal of Crustacean Biology

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This study examines the barnacle symbionts on 168 blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus, taken from both shallow and deep estuarine environments in the area of Beaufort, North Carolina. The purpose of the study was to quantify the prevalence, intensity, abundance, and spatial distribution of the ectosymbiotic barnacle Chelonibia patula on blue crabs. The proportion of blue crabs fouled was 67%. There was no difference in the prevalence of barnacles on crabs from the shallow versus the deep environment. Results indicate female crabs were significantly more fouled than males. This suggests that the prevalence and intensity of barnacles are dominantly controlled by the migratory habits of the host, since female crabs spend more time in deeper waters of higher salinity, where they are more likely to be fouled by barnacle larvae. The spatial distribution of barnacles on the crab carapaces was controlled by the surface topography of the carapace with more barnacles on the lateral regions than medial. The orientation of the carinal to rostral axes of the barnacles on the carapaces of the host crabs was measured, but no preferred orientation was found. The costs and benefits of epibiosis are reviewed and the barnacle/blue crab relationship appears to be more beneficial to the barnacles than to the host blue crabs.

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Section: Costs and Benefits Of Epibiosismentioning

confidence: 99%

Barnacle Fouling of the Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus at Beaufort, North Carolina

Key

Volpe

Jeffries

et al. 1997

Journal of Crustacean Biology

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“…In turn, these macroinvertebrates are eaten by small freshwater and marine fishes (MacNeil et al 1999;Heck et al 2000;. These lower order predators are prey for piscivorous birds, fishes, and reptiles feeding in and along the boundaries of SAV habitats (Wolfe et al 1987;Dundee and Rossman 1989;Platt et al 1990). As such, macroinvertebrates are a key conduit for the transfer of energy from autotrophs to higher order consumers.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Macroinvertebrate Production in the Submerged Aquatic Vegetation of the Mobile–Tensaw Delta: Effects of an Exotic Species at the Base of an Estuarine Food Web

Chaplin

Valentine

2008

Estuaries and Coasts

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This study, conducted in 1997, reports the first estimates of the impacts of the proliferation of an exotic submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) species (Myriophyllum spicatum) on macroinvertebrate production via comparisons with two co-occurring native SAV species (Heteranthera dubia and Vallisneria americana) in the tide-influenced Mobile-Tensaw Delta (located in the northcentral Gulf of Mexico, 30°40′ N, 87°55′ W). Production of macroinvertebrates was greatest on M. spicatum and H. dubia and least on V. americana. The key determinant of these differences was a greater abundance of amphipods (Gammarus mucronatus) found on the leaves of M. spicatum and H. dubia. Macroinvertebrate production on M. spicatum was three times greater (>1 kg m −2 year −1 ) than on either of the native SAV species. No-choice palatability tests showed that these differences could not be attributed to differences in invertebrate grazing on these plants. Instead, it is probable that the high production within the structurally complex M. spicatum and H. dubia was the result of reduced predator foraging efficiency. If true, then the presence of this exotic species probably renders this elevated production inaccessible to most highorder predators.

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“…A. mississippiensis and C. porosus : M. Brien, personal observation). Hard seeds may also function as gastroliths (Platt et al., ; Staton & Dixon, ), especially in habitats where stones are rare or absent (Platt, Brantley, & Hastings, ). Additionally, vegetative material, in the form of a knotted ball, has been reported from crocodile stomachs.…”

Section: Vegetation Interactions and Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct and indirect interactions with vegetation shape crocodylian ecology at multiple scales

Somaweera

Brien²,

Manolis³

et al. 2018

Freshwater Biology

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As one of the world's largest predators of freshwater environments, crocodylians play an important role in shaping their community. In turn, many aspects of crocodylian life histories are influenced and have been shaped by characteristics of their environment, especially vegetation. However, our understanding of just how vegetation impacts crocodylian life histories remains limited, particularly in regard to indirect interactions. Such interactions can be critical for understanding population dynamics and, therefore, for informing conservation management decisions. We reviewed contemporary understanding of these plant–crocodylian interactions in peer‐reviewed journals and the grey literature, synthesising life history‐shaping dynamics against aspects of their ecology. We then conceptualised how global environmental change, including climate change, species invasions and land use change, may threaten these critical dependencies, and how future conservation plans need to account for these pressures. We identified five primary aspects of crocodylian ecology—habitat selection, nesting ecology, communication, physiology, and feeding ecology—that are probably shaped by vegetation interactions at different spatial scales. These interactions include direct and indirect impacts, with both positive and negative outcomes from a crocodylian perspective. Anthropogenic impacts on environments via global environmental change drivers is causing unprecedented change to vegetation dynamics. What is often overlooked is how these changes impact large aquatic predators such as crocodylians. Our synthesis shows that while many impacts can be identified, their magnitude and mechanism are not well understood, making management driven mitigation challenging. We recommend that future studies prioritise quantifying how vegetation communities shape the suitability of crocodylian nest sites, and how to best detect the fingerprint of impacts caused by invasive alien plants on demographic change in crocodylians over longer durations. An improved understanding of the impact of vegetation impacts on crocodylians is essential for building effective conceptual frameworks and management agendas for the conservation of these iconic reptiles.

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Food Habits of Juvenile American Alligators in the Upper Lake Pontchartrain Estuary

Cited by 22 publications

References 6 publications

Barnacle Fouling of the Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus at Beaufort, North Carolina

Barnacle Fouling of the Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus at Beaufort, North Carolina

Macroinvertebrate Production in the Submerged Aquatic Vegetation of the Mobile–Tensaw Delta: Effects of an Exotic Species at the Base of an Estuarine Food Web

Direct and indirect interactions with vegetation shape crocodylian ecology at multiple scales

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