Crabs play an important role in maintaining, modifying and regulating the benthic environment by influencing both abiotic and biotic components. Many species of crabs burrow in the wild, changing the surface characteristics of sediments and directing nutrient cycling (Pandya, 2011). Feeding activity, degradation of mangrove leaf litter and pellet formation by different species of fiddler crabs modify substrate characteristics and organic matter content. Additionally, their biological waste, such as feces, contains nitrogen, carbon, phosphorus and trace metals, providing a rich food source for other consumers (Kuraeuter, 1976). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay The bioturbatory processes of crabs in the intertidal zone result in a variety of structures and biogenic markings controlling an assortment of processes important for an ecosystem. These include facilitation of oxygen to subsurface depth allowing microbial diversity and oxic-anoxic zoning of sediments, feeding activity (scraping off the organic-rich top layer of sediments) regulates organic matter content, algae cover and gut byproducts enrich the sediment with minerals. (Arya et al., 2014). In mangrove ecosystems, the burrowing activity of crabs increases soil porosity, thereby increasing the regeneration of mangrove seedlings (Khan et al., 2005). The burrowing habit helps oxidize the sulfide that accumulates due to the high rate of organic decomposition in mangroves (Diemont et al., 1975). Crabs have been recognized as regulators of estuarine community structure (Dittel et al., 1995; Heck and Coen, 1995). They constitute food for predatory fish and terrestrial vertebrates (Siddon & Witman, 2004), and their larvae are also consumed by many carnivores and crabs therefore play an important role in the food chain (Macintosh et al., 1984). Crabs potentially rich in protein and other nutrients not only meet the nutritional needs of coastal fishermen, but also contribute significantly to the sustainable subsistence economies of the local population. As predators, crabs have a potential influence on the behavior, distribution and abundance of their own as well as neighboring communities (Seeley, 1986; Trussell and Nicklin, 2002). Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a custom article now from our expert editors. Get a Custom Essay In intertidal zones, these organisms function as super-creatures adapting to the gravity of a variety of environmental factors such as desiccation stress, temperature, predation, salinity change, fluctuations tides, sediment deposits. name a few. These phenomena could be the probable causes of the spatial and temporal variations of community patterns. Studies of brachyurous crabs are important for the formulation of conservation policies (Fransozo et al., 1992; Hebling et al., 1994), because these investigations lead to a better understanding of community structure and ecological processes...