Is the Sand Bubbler Crab ( Scopimera globosa ) an Effective Indicator for Assessing Sandy Beach Urbanization and Adjacent Terrestrial Ecological Quality?

Hai-Rui Huang, Jian Liang () and Chae-Woo Ma ()
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Hai-Rui Huang: Department of Business Administration Management, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, Republic of Korea
Jian Liang: Department of Biology, Soonchunhyang University, Asan 31538, Republic of Korea
Chae-Woo Ma: Department of Biology, Soonchunhyang University, Asan 31538, Republic of Korea

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 4, 1-15

Abstract: Urbanization in South Korea has significantly impacted the country’s sandy beach ecosystems. In our study, we investigated the population responses of sand bubbler crabs ( Scopimera globosa ) to beach urbanization and assessed the impact of adjacent terrestrial ecological quality. We employed the urbanization index to measure the urbanization levels of two sandy beaches and the remote-sensing ecological index (RSEI) to evaluate the ecological quality of adjacent terrestrial areas. The sampling of sand bubbler crab populations was conducted over five months. Our results show that urbanization significantly influences sand bubbler crab populations. While the ecological quality of adjacent terrestrial areas does not directly affect the crab populations, the land surface temperature (LST) of surrounding lands has a significant impact on sand bubbler crab biomass. These results suggest that sand bubbler crabs may serve as a useful indicator of anthropogenic disturbance on sandy beaches. This study provides critical ecological insights and offers a novel perspective for developing effective conservation strategies in South Korea’s sandy beach ecosystems.

Keywords: sand bubbler crab; Anmyeon Island; urbanization index; remote-sensing index; anthropic activity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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