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Selective geochemistry of iron in mangrove soils in a semiarid tropical climate: effects of the burrowing activity of the crabs Ucides cordatus and Uca maracoani

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Abstract

Bioturbation by crabs may affect processes associated with organic matter decomposition in mangrove soils. This study examines how two crabs (Uca maracoani and Ucides cordatus), which are of substantial ecological and economic importance in semiarid coastal areas of Brazil, affect biogeochemical processes in mangrove soils. For this purpose, the physicochemical and geochemical parameters of the soils at different sites were analyzed. The redox potential was always positive at bioturbated sites (+12 to +218 mV), indicating more oxidizing conditions conducive to the oxidation of pyrite and precipitation of oxyhydroxides. In contrast, anoxic conditions prevailed at the control site (Eh < 0 mV), and the most abundant form of iron was Fe-pyrite. The highest degree of iron pyritization (DOP) was observed in soils from the control site (∼48%) and the lowest in the bioturbated soils (5–16%), indicating that crabs have an oxidative effect on iron sulfides. The results also suggest that U. cordatus has a higher oxidizing capacity than U. maracoani, probably because it constructs larger and deeper burrows. The results demonstrate that both crabs must be considered as important bioturbators in Brazilian semiarid mangrove soils, being capable of enhancing organic matter decomposition and also shifting the dominant pathway of organic matter degradation.

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Acknowledgements

The first author benefited from a scholarship from Fundação Cearense de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, FUNCAP. We thank Carmen Pérez Llaguno for laboratory assistance. We also appreciate constructive comments by three anonymous reviewers and the journal editors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ciências do Solo, Universidade Federal do Ceará, UFC, M.B. 12168, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil

    J. M. C. Araújo Jr., A. G. B. Marques, G. N. Nóbrega & T. O. Ferreira

  2. Departamento Edafoloxía e Química Agrícola, Facultade de Bioloxía, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

    X. L. Otero

  3. Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Ceará, UFC, CEP 60457-970, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil

    J. R. F. Silva

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  1. J. M. C. Araújo Jr.
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  2. X. L. Otero
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  3. A. G. B. Marques
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  4. G. N. Nóbrega
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Correspondence to T. O. Ferreira.

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Araújo, J.M.C., Otero, X.L., Marques, A.G.B. et al. Selective geochemistry of iron in mangrove soils in a semiarid tropical climate: effects of the burrowing activity of the crabs Ucides cordatus and Uca maracoani . Geo-Mar Lett 32, 289–300 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-011-0268-5

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