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Temporal patterns of feeding by blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) in a tidal-marsh creek and adjacent seagrass meadow in the lower Chesapeake Bay

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Abstract

A 24-h study of blue crab feeding periodicity was conducted concurrently in a tidal marsh creek and adjacent seagrass meadow in the lower Chesapeake Bay. Crabs from the grassbed tended to have fuller guts than crabs from the marsh creek. In the grassbed, a weak trend toward nocturnal feeding was observed, with an apparent peak at dusk. During the day, crabs were not easily observed and were assumed to be feeding beneath the eelgrass canopy; at night crabs fed in the canopy. In the marsh creek, feeding was related to the tidal cycle, with guts being fullest at high tide and decreasing to lows just prior to the next high tide. This study suggests the potential importance of habitat on blue crab feeding patterns.

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  1. Virginia Institute of Marine Science School of Marine Science, College of William and Mary, 23062, Gloucester Pt., Virginia

    Clifford H. Ryer

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  1. Clifford H. Ryer
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Ryer, C.H. Temporal patterns of feeding by blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) in a tidal-marsh creek and adjacent seagrass meadow in the lower Chesapeake Bay. Estuaries 10, 136–140 (1987). https://doi.org/10.2307/1352178

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1352178

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