scholarly journals The different fates of two Asian horseshoe crab species with different dispersal abilities

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qian Tang ◽  
Prashant Shingate ◽  
Yusli Wardiatno ◽  
Akbar John ◽  
Boon Hui Tay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Horseshoe Crab ◽  
Crab Species ◽  
Dispersal Abilities

Horseshoe crabs as potential sentinel species for coastal health: juvenile haemolymph quality and relationship to habitat conditions

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 894 ◽  
Author(s):  
Billy K. Y. Kwan ◽  
Virginia K. Y. Un ◽  
S. G. Cheung ◽  
Paul K. S. Shin
Keyword(s):  
Horseshoe Crab ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Sentinel Species ◽  
Crab Species ◽  
Horseshoe Crabs ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Lead Nickel ◽  
Further Development

As an interface between terrestrial and marine environments, coastal and estuarine areas are particularly prone to various pollution stresses. Identification of sentinel species is, therefore, essential to provide precautionary information on coastal health conditions. Given their significant ecological roles in estuarine ecosystems, horseshoe crabs are a potential species to indicate the general health status of coastal habitats. The present study demonstrated that the changes in haemolymph composition pattern of two Asian juvenile horseshoe crab species (Tachypleus tridentatus and Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda) are sensitive to reflect heavy metal (lead, nickel and iron) and nutrient (nitrate and ammonia) concentrations of intertidal sediments. In particular, a significant negative correlation was found for the amebocyte viability and ratio of granular–spherical to granular–flattened and degranulated dendritic-like morphological states of amebocytes in juvenile haemolymph with nitrate and lead concentrations respectively. There were also significantly higher concentrations of haemolymph haemocyanin and plasma protein in juvenile C. rotundicauda than in T. tridentatus on the same shore, possibly being related to the difference in foraging habitats of these two horseshoe crab species. Such non-lethal sampling of haemolymph from juvenile horseshoe crabs can be useful for a further development of the monitoring program in assessing potential environmental impacts by anthropogenic activities.

scholarly journals Classification and characterization of hemocytes from two Asian horseshoe crab species Tachypleus tridentatus and Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangli Wu ◽  
Zhe Xie ◽  
Mingyan Yan ◽  
Qiongzhen Li ◽  
Jie Song ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Horseshoe Crab ◽  
Crab Species ◽  
Tachypleus Tridentatus

Effect of starvation on the energy budget of two Asian horseshoe crab species: Tachypleus tridentatus and Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda (Chelicerata: Xiphosura)

2011 ◽  
Vol 158 (7) ◽  
pp. 1591-1600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Menghong Hu ◽  
Youji Wang ◽  
Sau Ting Tsang ◽  
Siu Gin Cheung ◽  
Paul K. S. Shin
Keyword(s):  
Energy Budget ◽  
Horseshoe Crab ◽  
Crab Species ◽  
Tachypleus Tridentatus

scholarly journals DNA Metabarcoding Revealed Interspecific Dietary Difference and Prey Selectivity in Juvenile Horseshoe Crabs Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda and Tachypleus tridentatus From Hong Kong

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Yee Lee ◽  
Kaori Wakabayashi ◽  
Simon Yung Wa Sin ◽  
Susumu Ohtsuka ◽  
Ling Ming Tsang
Keyword(s):  
Horseshoe Crab ◽  
Trophic Ecology ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Prey Selectivity ◽  
Crab Species ◽  
Invasive Approach ◽  
Fecal Samples ◽  
Tachypleus Tridentatus ◽  
Dna Metabarcoding ◽  
Horseshoe Crabs

Horseshoe crabs provide important ecological services including bioturbation and linking of food web in the shallow waters, but their populations are declining globally, leading to major concerns on conservation of these iconic animals. Baseline information of horseshoe crab ecology, such as their trophic role and food source, is pre-requisite for habitat protection plan and captive restocking program. Trophic ecology of Asian horseshoe crabs is relatively poorly understood and previous studies on their juveniles have suggested that they are selective feeders rather than opportunistic generalists. This study demonstrates a non-invasive approach, using DNA metabarcoding analyses of the nuclear 18S rRNA gene on fecal samples to assess the dietary compositions of Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda and Tachypleus tridentatus juveniles to (1) determine their dietary compositions and trophic roles in their ecosystem, (2) determine any prey selectivity, and (3) distinguish the interspecific dietary differences with potential implications on the habitat requirement and ecological partitioning between these two horseshoe crab species. The results based on relative read abundance (RRA) suggested that oligochaetes were the major prey items for both C. rotundicauda (41.6%) and T. tridentatus (32.4%). Bivalves and crustaceans were second major prey groups for C. rotundicauda (8.6 and 8.4%, respectively). Surprisingly, anthozoans contributed a considerable portion of T. tridentatus’s diet (22.8%), which has never been reported. Furthermore, the major prey groups identified in the fecal samples were not the dominant benthic organisms in the studied area as revealed by environmental DNA (eDNA) analyses on the sediment samples, implying that both species are selective feeders rather than dietary generalists. Significant differences observed in the dietary compositions of the two species might be partially due to the difference in habitat preference between the two species. This study provides new insights into the trophic ecology of the two Asian horseshoe crab species in the estuarine habitat and establishes a new framework for future detailed molecular dietary analyses on all developmental stages of horseshoe crabs around the world, which will allow us to evaluate the food sources needed for the survival of horseshoe crabs and facilitate future conservation strategies without killing the animals.

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