AI Article Synopsis
- Two species of land crabs, Chiromantes haematocheir and Chiromantes dehaani, found in Japan's seaside forests primarily consume plant materials and detritus.
- Research indicates that these crabs have the ability to break down cellulose and lignin, key components of plant biomass, facilitating their herbivorous diet.
- The study highlights that while all crabs show cellulase activity, higher guaiacol oxidation activity—linked to lignin degradation—is especially evident in the midgut gland of female C. dehaani and some female C. haematocheir, suggesting a stronger herbivorous tendency in females.
Article Abstract
The land crabs, Chiromantes haematocheir (Akate-gani) and Chiromantes dehaani (Kurobenkei-gani) inhabit seaside forests in Japan. The crabs mainly consume plant material and its detritus. Therefore, they are expected to possess the ability to degrade the major components of biomass, cellulose and lignin in order to digest plant materials. In this study, we analyzed biomass-degrading activities of the land crabs, especially guaiacol oxidation activity, which seems to be related to lignin degradation. Cellulase activity was detected from almost all gut samples including the stomach, midgut gland and intestine of all dissected crabs. Conversely, high guaiacol oxidation activity was detected in the midgut gland of all C. dehaani and several female C. haematocheir crabs. This is consistent with a previous study showing that female crabs were more herbivorous than male crabs were and observation that C. dehaani crabs are more herbivorous than C. haematocheir. Guaiacol oxidation activity might play an important role in the herbivorous behavior of land crabs.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiosc.2019.02.012 | DOI Listing |
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