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Article
Hemigrapsus sanguineus in Long Island Salt Marshes: Experimental Evaluation of the Interactions Between an Invasive Crab and Resident Ecosystem
PeerJ (2014)
  • Bradley J. Peterson, Stony Brook University
  • Alexa M. Fournier, Stony Brook University
  • Bradley T. Furman, Stony Brook University
  • John M. Carroll, Georgia Southern University
Abstract
The invasive Asian shore crab, Hemigrapsus sanguineus, has recently been observed occupying salt marshes, a novel environment for this crab species. As it invades this new habitat, it is likely to interact with a number of important salt marsh species. To understand the potential effects of H. sanguineus on this ecosystem, interactions between this invasive crab and important salt marsh ecosystem engineers were examined. Laboratory experiments demonstrated competition for burrows between H. sanguineus and the native fiddler crab, Uca pugilator. Results indicate that H. sanguineus is able to displace an established fiddler crab from its burrow. Feeding experiments revealed that the presence of H. sanguineus has a significantly negative impact on the number as well as the biomass of ribbed mussels (Geukensia demissa) consumed by the green crab, Carcinus maenas, although this only occurred at high predator densities. In addition, when both crabs foraged together, there was a significant shift in the size of mussels consumed. These interactions suggests that H. sanguineus may have long-term impacts and wide-ranging negative effects on the saltmarsh ecosystem.
Keywords
  • Hemigrapsus sanguineus,
  • Long Island salt marshes,
  • Experimental evaluation,
  • Interactions,
  • Invasive crab,
  • Resident ecosystem engineers
Disciplines
Publication Date
July 3, 2014
DOI
10.7717/peerj.472
Publisher Statement
© 2014 Peterson et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction and adaptation in any medium and for any purpose provided that it is properly attributed. For attribution, the original author(s), title, publication source (PeerJ) and either DOI or URL of the article must be cited. This article was retrieved from PeerJ.
Citation Information
Bradley J. Peterson, Alexa M. Fournier, Bradley T. Furman and John M. Carroll. "Hemigrapsus sanguineus in Long Island Salt Marshes: Experimental Evaluation of the Interactions Between an Invasive Crab and Resident Ecosystem" PeerJ Vol. 2 Iss. e472 (2014) p. 1 - 19 ISSN: 2167-8359
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/john-m-carroll/18/