Abstract
This article reports on soil samples collected from Hsiang-Shan wetland, Taiwan. Canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) was applied to identify an existing habitat type’s scheme by identifying the physico-chemical properties of sediment in Hsiang-Shan wetland. The three constructed discriminant functions (CDFs) showed a marked contribution by most of the discriminant variables, and the recognition capacities in these three CDFs were 49.5, 32.8 and 17.7%. Our study revealed that the most important latent factors in Hsiang-Shan wetland are soil texture-caused factor, ocean current-caused factor, nutrient-caused factor, and the redox reaction-caused factor. And the most sensitivity parameters in this habitat followed the descending order: OBD, EC, Eh, sand, TN, porosity, STP, silt, VCP and pH. And the inhabited sediment properties for U. formosensis in terms of soil texture are sand, silt, and clay (34.05, 29.72, and 32.35%, respectively): that is clay loam soil. We also found that U. formosensis preferred to inhabit the upper intertidal zone, spending 8.41% of the time submerged. Vegetation coverage on the ground was less than 2.20%, showing that it preferred to live in a bare intertidal habitat. Concerning nest choosing, excavating burrows is more difficult when a high soil penetration force is required, and in this study the soil penetration force for 20 cm was found to be is 45.98 N/cm2. The results will be helpful in developing a methodology for use by the government in refining its management programs.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
ASTM (1994). Particle size analysis of soils, D-422. Annual book of ASTM standards (vol. 4.08). Philadelphia: American Society for Testing and Materials.
Bertness, M. D., & Miller, T. D. (1984). The distribution and dynamics of Uca pugnax (Smith) burrows in a New England salt marsh. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 83, 211–237.
Brower, J. E., Zar, J. H., & Von Ende, C. N. (1998). Field and laboratory methods for general ecology (4th ed). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Croll, G. A., & McClintock, J. B. (2000). An evaluation of lekking behavior in the fiddler crab Uca spp. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 254, 109–121.
Cruz-Castillo, J. G., Ganeshanandam, S., Mackay, B. R., Lawes, G. S., & Woolley, D. J. (1994). Application of canonical discriminant analysis in horticultural research. HortScience, 29, 1115–1119.
Hillel, D. (1998). Environmental soil physics. New York: Academic.
Hsieh, H. L., Chen, C. P., & Lin, P. P. (2004). The impact of mangroves on wetlands biodiversity: Uca formosensis. Wetlands Hope, 47, 21–33 (in Chinese).
Huberty, C. J. (1994). Applied discriminant analysis. New York: Wiley.
King, R. S., Hines, A. H., Craige, F. D., & Grap, S. (2005). Regional, watershed and local correlates of blue crab and bivalve abundances in subestuaries of Chesapeake Bay, USA. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 319, 101–116.
Liao, S. W., Gau, H. S., Lai, W. L., Chen, J. J., & Lee, C. G. (2007). Identification of pollution of Tapeng Lagoon from neighbouring rivers using multivariate statistical method. Journal of Environmental Management, DOI 10.1016/j.jenvman.2007.02.010.
Liao, S. W., Lai, W. L., Chen, J. J., Sheu, J. Y., & Lee, C. G. (2006). Water quality during development and apportionment of pollution from rivers in Tapen Lagoon, Taiwan. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 122, 81–100.
Macnae, W. (1968). A general account of the flora and fauna of the mangrove swamps in the Indo-West-Pacific region. Advances in Marine Biology, 63, 73–270.
Manzelli, M., Benedettelli, S., & Vecchio, V. (2005). Agricultural biodiversity in Northwest Somalia – An assessment among selected Somali sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) germplasm. Biodiversity and Conservation, 14, 3381–3392.
Matthew, C., Lawoko, C. R. O., Korte, C. J., & Smith, D. (1994). Application of canonical discriminant analysis, principal component analysis, and canonical correlation analysis as tools for evaluation differences in pasture botanical composition. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 37, 509–520.
McGuinness, K. A. (1994). The climbing behaviour of Cerithidea anticipata (Mollusca: Gastropoda): the roles of physical and biological factors. Australian Journal of Ecology, 19, 283–289.
Momen, B., & Zehr, J. P. (1998). Watershed classification by discriminant analyses of lakewater-chemistry and terrestrial characteristics. Ecological Applications, 8, 497–507.
Nobbs, M. (2003). Effects of vegetation differ among three species of fiddler crabs (Uca spp.). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 284, 41–50.
Nomann, B. E., & Pennings, S. C. (1998). Fiddler crab-vegetation interactions in hypersaline habitats. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 225, 53–68.
Rencher, A. C. (1992). Interpretation of canonical discriminant functions, canonical varieties, and principal components. American Statistics, 46, 217–225.
Ribeiro, P. D., Iribarne, O. O., & Daleo, P. (2005). The relative importance of substratum characteristics and recruitment in determining the spatial distribution of the fiddler crab Uca uruguayensis Nobili. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 314, 99–111.
Salmon, M. (1987). On the reproductive behavior of the fiddler crab Uca thayeri, with comparisons to U. pugilator and U. vocans: evidence for behavioral convergence. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 7, 25–44.
Shih, H. T., Mok, H. K., & Chang, H. W. (2005). Chimney building by male Uca formosensis Rathbun, 1921 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Ocypodidae) after pairing: A new hypothesis for chimney function. Zoological Studies, 44(2), 242–251.
Shih, H. T., Mok, H. K., Chang, H. W., & Lee, S. C. (1999). Morphology of Uca formosensis Rathbun, 1921 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Ocypodidae), an endemic fiddler crab from Taiwan, with notes on its ecology. Zoological Studies, 38(2), 164–177.
Smith, W. K., & Miller, P. C. (1973). The thermal ecology of two South Florida fiddler crabs: Uca rapax Smith and Uca pugilator Bosc. Physiological Zoology, 46, 186–207.
StatSoft (2004). STATISTICA for Windows, StatSoft, Inc, Tulsa OK.
Takahasi, S. (1934a). An ecological study of the littoral animals near the mouth of Tamsui. Transport. Native History Society Formosa, 24, 1–14 (in Japanese).
Takahasi, S. (1934b). The ecology of Ocypodidae near the mouth of Tamsui. Zoological Magazine, 45, 73–74 (in Japanese).
Takahasi, S. (1935). Ecological notes on the ocypodian crabs (Ocypodidae) in Formosa, Japan. Annales Zoologici in Japan, 15, 78–87.
Weissburg, M. (1992). Functional analysis of fiddler crab foraging: sex-specific mechanics and constraints in Uca pugnax (Smith). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 156, 105–124.
Zucker, N. (1981). The role of hood-building in defining territories and limiting combat in fiddler crabs. Animal Behaviour, 29, 387–395.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Liao, SW., Chang, WL. & Lin, SW. Status and habitat preferences for endemic inhabitants of fiddler crab Uca formosensis in Hsiang-Shan wetland, Taiwan. Environ Monit Assess 143, 203–214 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-007-9969-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-007-9969-7