Callinectes

settle, and grow with a reduced risk to predation. This is contrasted to the large mesh bags that anything could get into to fed on the organisms growing there. In an experiment done by Danovaro et al. in 2007, as similar result was shown. The experiment looked more so at enclosed, such as the PVC, verses open, such as the mesh bag rather than substrate. However, they did see an increased effect of predation on the open site rather than the closed site which was seen in our experiment as well. This shows that, while substrate is important, the type of enclosure we used also had an effect on the accumulated biomass over time. The influence of predation has a definite effect on the distribution of meiofauna in soft-sediment communities Callinectes sapidus, commonly called the blue crab, is a benthic opportunistic predator found along the Atlantic coast. Contrary to their name, the blue crab is more of a dull green-gray color. The claws of adults are the only truly blue part of the crab, with females having red tips that males lack. Another distinction between males and females are their abdomens. Males exhibit a narrow “T” shaped abdomen whereas females have rounded triangular ones. This shape allows for the female to extend her abdomen to carry her eggs with her for protecting after mating. Blue crabs feed primarily on benthic invertebrates such as worms, bivalves, and other crustaceans. They are also considered scavengers and will eat any organic debris they can find…

Classification Levels of the Chesapeake Blue Crab Characteristics of Invertebrates in the Class Malacostraca Scientific Name: Callinectes sapidus Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Sub-Phylum: Crustacea Class: Malacostraca Order: Decapoda Family: Portunidae Genus: Callinectes Species: Sapidus Habitat of the Chesapeake Blue Crab The Blue Crab lives in several different locations. A few of these locations are the…

Introduction How can creatures that don’t have eyes, and ears tell if a predator is nearby? We will be looking in depth into the predation of Periwinkles (Littoraria irrorata) and the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus). What are periwinkles? Whats the reaction and relationship between the two species. How can one species detect the other? Once we explore the our creatures we will then conduct an experiment to test if there are any notable difference in the reactions of the periwinkles in the…

Brazil has the highest biodiversity of the Earth. Its coastline is 8698 km long, with about 324,000 Km2, and diverse biomes such as mangroves, salt marshes, coral reefs, rocky shores, and sandy beaches. Due to these proportions, the introduction and dispersion of marine species is larger and easier, Brazil currently is one of the countries most at risk of loss of biodiversity in the world. By 2011, more than 380 invasive species have already been identified in Brazil, with more than 11,250…