2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference

March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH

<< BACK TO AGENDA

6/06/2017 | 3:15 PM - 3:30 PM | LIFE HISTORIES ALTER DECAPOD DISTRIBUTIONS AND FOODWEB STRUCTURAL CHANGES ALONG ENVIRONMENTAL GRADIENTS IN THE LUQUILLO MOUNTAINS, PUERTO RICO | 306B

LIFE HISTORIES ALTER DECAPOD DISTRIBUTIONS AND FOODWEB STRUCTURAL CHANGES ALONG ENVIRONMENTAL GRADIENTS IN THE LUQUILLO MOUNTAINS, PUERTO RICO

Differences among decapod species in their life histories influence how many species occur along a gradient from sea level to 1000 m within the Espiritu Santo-Sonadora River network. All the shrimp species migrate as post larvae from estuaries to reproduce in inland rivers. Changes in salinity, water temperature, water depths, slope, and riparian forest composition can affect how many species co-occur. Omnivores include 5 species of Macrobrachium that differ in the distances they move to upslope. Only M. carcinus and M. crenulatum move as high as 450 masl. The most abundant detritivores, Atya lanipes and Xiphocaris elongata, can migrate along the entire gradient but fewer individuals of these species occur at the highest elevations. The reasons for their low numbers and the absence of Macrobrachium at the highest elevations is likely due to a combination of colder water, highly variable pool depths, and the risks associated with longer distance for larvae to travel downstream to the estuaries to complete their development to post larvae. In contrast, non-migratory, omnivorous freshwater crabs (Epilobocera sinuatifrons) carry their young and occur along the entire gradient.

C29 Life Histories
C18 Biodiversity
S09 The importance of environmental gradients for the advance of tropical stream ecology

Presentation:
This presentation has not yet been uploaded.

Handouts:
Handout is not Available

Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference

Presenters/Authors

Alan Covich (), University of Georgia, alanc@uga.edu;