Temporal and spatial refugia modify predation risk for non-native crabs in rocky intertidal habitats

Populations of the non-native Asian shore crab, , now dominate the rocky intertidal of southern New England, USA. High abundances suggest the recent invader may have experienced enhanced success as a result of enemy release. While larvae and juveniles may serve as a food source for ecologically impo...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:PeerJ (San Francisco, CA) CA), 2024-02, Vol.12, p.e16852-e16852, Article e16852
Main Authors: Montanaro, Renee C, O'Connor, Nancy J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Aquaculture, Fisheries and Fish Science
Asian shore crab
Brachyura
Coastal ecosystems
Crustaceans
Decapoda
Ecology
Ecosystem
Experiments
Fishes
Food sources
Habitats
Hemigrapsus sanguineus
Laboratories
Marine Biology
Native species
Nonnative species
Predation
Predation (Biology)
Predators
Predatory Behavior
Refugia
Refugium
Rocky intertidal
Success
Tautoga onitis
Tethering
Tide pool ecology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Populations of the non-native Asian shore crab, , now dominate the rocky intertidal of southern New England, USA. High abundances suggest the recent invader may have experienced enhanced success as a result of enemy release. While larvae and juveniles may serve as a food source for ecologically important species, little is known about predation of mature or the influence of habitat on predation pressure. To assess natural predation rates of adult crabs were tethered in the intertidal at Clarks Cove in New Bedford, MA. Crabs were left for half of a tidal cycle then observed for signs of predation. Results of separate high and low tide trials showed that adult crabs were preyed upon at both high and low tide, though at a significantly higher rate during high tide during both daytime and nighttime, suggesting predation by aquatic species is greater than that by terrestrial species. To investigate the role of habitat as refuge from predation, a laboratory experiment manipulated the complexity of habitat provided to crabs in the presence of a native fish predator. Results indicate better refuge is provided by more complex shelter. Together, findings suggest that fish, crabs, and/or diving birds are important predators for in the invaded range and that habitat refuge acts to reduce predation pressure.
ISSN:2167-8359
2167-8359
DOI:10.7717/peerj.16852