Variation in burrow morphology of ghost crab Ocypode cursor (Linnaeus, 1758) under human influence

Abstract

Ghost crabs are common bioindicator species for human disturbance on sandy shores. Ghost crabs often alter their population dynamics under human disturbance. Ghost crabs, further, alter their burrowing behavior under human influence, however, these changes are not well known on the Turkish coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Therefore, burrowing morphology of Ocypode cursor at two sites that differ in the degree of human disturbance was compared. Ghost crabs created smaller, steeper and simpler burrows at the site under higher human disturbance compared to the crabs living at the sites with lower human influence. Further, there was no difference in the ghost crab burrow depth and the frequency of existence of chambers between sites. Moreover, the results of this study revealed that larger crabs preferred higher parts of the beach at both sites, suggesting that this is a common behavior for the populations of O. cursor. Consequently, the results of this study emphasized that O. cursor alter their burrowing morphology and characteristics under human disturbance besides their population demographics; suggesting that studies that focus on the use of ghost crabs for human disturbance should include burrow morphology in their assessments.