PARENT SESSION
Poster Session 36: Genetics / Population Ecology
Thursday, August 11, 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM, Exhibit Hall 220 A-E, Level 2, Palais des congrès de Montréal

Populations of the land crab Cardisoma guanhumi in Puerto Rico: Conservation and Managment.

Rodriguez-Fourquet, Concepcion ^*,1, Sabat, Alberto², ¹ University of Puerto Rico Bayamon, Bayamon, PR² University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras, San Juan, PR

ABSTRACT- Uncontrolled use of resources leads them to collapse. Sustainable use of resources through effective management is desirable to protect species. It is important to understand the population biology of the species to be protected. In terms of management and conservation, this information is necessary in order to make recommendations for the management and protection of the species. Cardisoma guanhumi is a commercially important species whose populations had been in decline for the last 25 years. In this study we asked the following questions: What is the actual status of the population? Which vital rates or life stages are critical to the population growth rate? We determined a Condition Index and examined size frequency distributions, growth rate, and sex ratio, and conducted a matrix model and elasticity analysis to assess the status of the population. The analysis of the data presented in this study suggests that there are differences in the conditions of the populations in the different study sites. We think that the differences could be the result of habitat and resource quality, recruitment, and survival.

Key words: Cardisoma guanhumi, matrix model analysis, population growth rate, population