Ghost crabs as ecological indicators of human stressors on sandy beaches

Serena Lucrezi

doi:10.25907/00566

Back

Ghost crabs as ecological indicators of human stressors on sandy beaches

Dissertation

Open access

Ghost crabs as ecological indicators of human stressors on sandy beaches

Serena Lucrezi

University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland

Doctor of Philosophy, University of the Sunshine Coast

2010

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25907/00566

Files and links (1)

pdf

PDF - Thesis19.34 MBDownload View

ThesisPDF - Thesis Open Access

Abstract

sandy beaches

Ghost Crabs

Ocypode

invertebrate

indicator

impacts

stressor

recreation

trampling

armouring

erosion

off-road vehicle

climate change

storm impacts

recovery

pulse disturbance

monitoring

assessment

management

animal movement

burrow

behaviour

Sandy beaches geographically dominate the globe's shorelines. They critical ecosystem services, provide habitat for threatened species, and support biodiversity, and recycle nutrients and organic matter. Human pressures on sandy beaches are escalating, chiefly as a result of the high demand for recreation and coastal development. Direct human impacts on sandy shores include dune removal and infrastructure construction, soft (nourishment) and hard (armouring)-engineering solutions, pedestrian trampling, and ORV traffic. Global climate change and its predicted effects (e.g. increasing storm intensity and frequency; sea level rise) place additional stressors on ocean-exposed sandy shores. Assessing and monitoring the ecological effects of human pressures are critical steps in developing and implementing adequate coastal management strategies that are effective in conserving beach ecosystems. However, monitoring programs are currently impeded by the lack of scientifically robust biological indicators. Consequently, this thesis examined the utility of ghost crab (genus Ocypode) to measure biological responses to several types of human disturbance on sandy shores.

Details

Title: Ghost crabs as ecological indicators of human stressors on sandy beaches
Authors: Serena Lucrezi
Contributors: Thomas Schlacher (Supervisor)
Awarding institution: University of the Sunshine Coast
Degree awarded: Doctor of Philosophy
Publisher: University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
DOI: 10.25907/00566
Organisation Unit: School of Science and Engineering - Legacy; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99449526602621
Output Type: Dissertation

Metrics

136 File views/ downloads

1792 Record Views