Microbial Communities associated to three species of crabs in Puerto Rican Red and Black Mangroves
Mature forests of red (Rhizophora mangle) and black (Avicennia germinans) mangroves in Puerto Rico support a diversity of crabs with different trophic strategies. Red mangroves harbor detritivorous Goniopsis cruentata in their flooded roots, and herbivorous Aratus pisonii in the canopy, while black mangroves sustain detritivorous Uca rapax fiddler crabs. Mangrove leaves and derived detritus are an important food source for these macroinvertebrates and their foraging and feeding activities directly influence the availability of organic carbon and nutrient cycling. The present study was carried out to understand the microbiome community composition and functional diversity among three different species of crabs in response to their feeding behaviors.