Randolph Jacobis, Mark Ram and Rovindra Lakenarine
📃• URC22 Abstract •
Published: May 16, 2022 • Book of Abstracts (Forthcoming) of the 4th Undergraduate Research Conference. University of Guyana, Office for Undergraduate Research.
Randolph Jacobis ✉️ Mark Ram, Rovindra Lakenarine Department of Biology. Faculty of Natural Sciences. University of Guyana-Turkeyen Campus. Greater Georgetown, Guyana.
Mangrove restoration has many different goals aside from increasing mangrove cover and biomass. The restoration of ecosystem services is a goal that a few studies have evaluated using crabs as indicator species. This study investigated the viability of mangrove restoration as a tool to restore ecosystem services measured by the emergence of an important taxon, crabs. We compared crab abundance and diversity in natural and restored mangrove forests and the influence of biophysical parameters on their abundance. Crabs were sampled in restored and natural mangrove habitats using visual encounter surveys at 10 m intervals along a 100 m transect. The findings suggest that natural mangrove forests have a higher diversity and abundance of crabs compared to restored forests, but there was higher species richness in restored habitats. Restored forests had 1,690 crabs per transect from two (2) species in comparison to natural mangrove forests that had 1,963 crabs per transect from five (5) species. M. mordax and A. pisonii were found at all study sites, and they are the most abundant species. This indicates that restoration is a viable option for restoring key ecosystem services, such as crabs. However, more research is required to provide a better understanding of mangrove restoration outcomes by examining different ecosystem services.
Keywords: Mangrove restoration, Crab, Abundance, Distribution, Bio-indicator
The 4th Undergraduate Research Conference (URC22) is hosted by the University of Guyana’s Office for Undergraduate Research on May 18-20, 2022.
