As a key ecological link in food webs of sandy beaches, ghost crabs (Decapoda: Brachyura) are important for the maintenance of sandy beach ecosystems due to their scavenger properties in temperate and tropical regions. A baseline study of Ocypode cursor had been carried out at Alagadi beach in northern Cyprus in 1994 and in order to address concerns that the species may be in decline on the island, the population was re-assessed over nine weeks during summer 2017. To enable comparison of data, standardised, indirect methods were used to determine population parameters such as burrow size, population size, distribution and density. Results indicated a significant, six-fold decline in population size. Average burrow densities in our study was up to 0.05 burrows/m2 in the general crab zone, while Strachan et al. (1999) had recorded up to 0.67 burrows/m2. Possible reasons or factors causing such effects were considered such as invasive pufferfishes Lagocephalus sceleratus and Torquigener flavimaculosus from the Red Sea, climate change in terms of warming sea water and air temperatures and increases in extreme weather conditions such as windiness, and anthropogenic interventions such as human trampling and effects of increase in urbanisation. The management of sandy beaches and conservation of these species is urgent to re-stabilize the populations of O. cursor on the beaches of northern Cyprus.

中文翻译：

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二十年后在塞浦路斯北部的沙滩上重新审视鬼蟹（Ocypode cursor）的种群：有什么值得关注的吗？

鬼蟹（Decapoda：Brachyura）作为沙滩食物网中的关键生态环节，因其在温带和热带地区的清道夫特性，对沙滩生态系统的维护很重要。1994 年在塞浦路斯北部的 Alagadi 海滩进行了 Ocypode cursor 的基线研究，为了解决该物种可能在岛上减少的担忧，在 2017 年夏季对种群进行了九周的重新评估。数据比较、标准化、间接的方法被用来确定种群参数，如洞穴大小、种群大小、分布和密度。结果表明，人口规模显着下降了六倍。在我们的研究中，一般螃蟹区的平均洞穴密度高达 0.05 个洞穴/平方米，而 Strachan 等人。(1999) 记录到 0。67 个洞穴/平方米。考虑了造成这种影响的可能原因或因素，例如来自红海的入侵河豚 Lagocephalus sceleratus 和 Torquigener flavimaculosus、海水和气温变暖导致的气候变化以及大风等极端天气条件的增加，以及人类活动等人为干预。城市化进程中的践踏和影响。对沙滩的管理和这些物种的保护迫切需要重新稳定塞浦路斯北部海滩上的 O. cursor 种群。气候变化，包括海水和气温变暖，极端天气条件（如多风）的增加，以及人类践踏等人为干预和城市化进程加快的影响。对沙滩的管理和这些物种的保护迫切需要重新稳定塞浦路斯北部海滩上的 O. cursor 种群。气候变化，包括海水和气温变暖，极端天气条件（如多风）的增加，以及人类践踏等人为干预和城市化进程加快的影响。对沙滩的管理和这些物种的保护迫切需要重新稳定塞浦路斯北部海滩上的 O. cursor 种群。