Atlantic Rock Crab, unlike American Lobster, Is Important to Ecosystem Functioning in Northumberland Strait

To compare the roles of American lobster Homarus americanus and Atlantic rock crab Cancer irroratus in the food web processes of a coastal ecosystem, distribution, abundance, stomach contents, diet overlap, and occurrence in stomachs of predators were described for the two species collected during J...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Transactions of the American Fisheries Society (1900) 2014-09, Vol.143 (5), p.1266-1279
Main Authors: Hanson, John Mark, Comeau, Michel, Rondeau, Amélie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cancer irroratus
cannibalism
Crangon
Crangon septemspinosa
Decapoda
demersal fish
diet
ecosystems
energy
fisheries
food webs
Homarus americanus
larvae
Leucoraja
Leucoraja ocellata
lobsters
Marine
Myoxocephalus octodecemspinosus
Myoxocephalus scorpius
pelagic fish
predators
sand
shrimp
stomach
surveys
Tautogolabrus adspersus
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Summary:To compare the roles of American lobster Homarus americanus and Atlantic rock crab Cancer irroratus in the food web processes of a coastal ecosystem, distribution, abundance, stomach contents, diet overlap, and occurrence in stomachs of predators were described for the two species collected during July–August trawl surveys in Northumberland Strait, southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. Atlantic rock crab was more widely distributed, was more numerous on mud and muddy sand substrates, and occurred in deeper water than American lobster. Atlantic rock crab was the principal prey of American lobster while American lobster was almost never eaten by Atlantic rock crab. American lobster (benthic and pelagic stages) was a trace item in all fish and decapod stomachs examined except in those of the Shorthorn Sculpin Myoxocephalus scorpius and other American lobsters. In contrast, Atlantic rock crab larvae commonly occurred in stomachs of many pelagic fishes while small (
ISSN:1548-8659
0002-8487
1548-8659
DOI:10.1080/00028487.2014.931300