A biodiverse housing market in hermit crabs: proposal for a new biodiversity index

A biodiverse housing market in hermit crabs: proposal for a new biodiversity index

Authors

  • Mark E. Laidre Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley
  • Geerat J. Vermeij Department of Geology, University of California, Davis

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22458/urj.v4i2.5

Abstract

Cuantificar la variación de la biodiversidad es un objetivo importante
de la biología. Sin embargo, debido a que tales inventarios, en especial
para la biodiversidad marina, son costosos, difíciles y consumen
mucho tiempo, hay un gran valor en indicadores simples que permitan
determinar la biodiversidad de una región determinada de manera
eficiente. Hicimos un inventario de las conchas usadas como casas
móviles terrestres por los cangrejos ermitaños (Coenobita compressus)
en la Península de Osa, Costa Rica, un “punto álgido” de biodiversidad.
Se registraron 41 especies, el mayor número registrado en cualquier
población de cangrejos ermitaños. Proponemos que la “diversidad del
mercado de vivienda” en los cangrejos ermitaños puede proporcionar
un índice de biodiversidad ecosistémica conveniente, lo que podría
facilitar las comparaciones entre sitios.

ABSTRACT

Quantifying variation in biodiversity is an important goal of biology.
However, because inventorying biodiversity, especially marine
biodiversity, is costly, difficult, and time consuming, there is great value
in simple metrics that can reliably indicate a given region’s biodiversity
and that can be efficiently gathered. We inventoried shells used as
portable houses by terrestrial hermit crabs (Coenobita compressus) in
Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica, a biodiversity hotspot. Forty-one species were
recorded, the largest number registered for any hermit crab population.
We propose that housing market diversity in hermit crabs might provide
a convenient biodiversity index of ecosystems, potentially facilitating
comparisons across different sites.



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Published

2012-12-01

How to Cite

Laidre, M. E., & Vermeij, G. J. (2012). A biodiverse housing market in hermit crabs: proposal for a new biodiversity index. UNED Research Journal, 4(2), 175–179. https://doi.org/10.22458/urj.v4i2.5

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 2 (2012)

Section

Articles

License

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