Predicting the distribution of a portunid crab in Patagonian coastal waters
- de la Barra, Paula María
- Svendsen, Guillermo
- Romero, Maria Alejandra
- Avaca, Maria Soledad
- Narvarte, Maite Andrea
DOIAbstract
Ovalipes trimaculatus is a commercially important, cosmopolitan portunid crab.However, environmental conditions that drive its distribution have never been studied. Thus, we aimed to assess the habitat preferences of this species in northern Patagonia by developing a species distribution model. We obtained spatial quantitative data of the crab and its prey species from a benthic survey performed prior to commercial fishing in the area. We used measurements ofenvironmental condition, biomass, richness and evenness of its prey as predictors, and modeled the density of O. trimaculatus through a delta-gamma model, and produced a map of its predicted biomass. Prey biomass, depth and substrate type were the most important variables for predicting...
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