Bioenergetics modeling to investigate habitat use by the nonindigenous crab,Carcinus maenas, in Willapa Bay, Washington

McDonald, P. Sean; Holsman, Kirstin K.; Beauchamp, David A.; Dumbauld, Brett R.; Armstrong, David A.

doi:10.1007/bf02781815

Cited by 19 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…The information necessary to parse the effects of the invasive cordgrass from the high interannual variability in population size characteristic of coastal populations of Dungeness crabs (i.e., McConnaughey et al 1994) is beyond the scope of this paper. 2 in McDonald et al 2006). However, we did observe Dungeness crabs at the lower margin of meadows during snorkeling surveys at TP despite never seeing them within dense patches of smooth cordgrass (K. Holsman and P. McDonald, unpublished data), and similar patterns have been observed using passive ''pitfall'' traps that do not attract crabs with bait (see Fig.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

Restoration through eradication? Removal of an invasive bioengineer restores some habitat function for a native predator

Holsman

McDonald

Barreyro

et al. 2010

Ecological Applications

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Invasive aquatic macrophytes increase structural complexity in recipient systems and alter trophic and physical resources; thus, eradication programs that remove plant structure have potential to restore some impaired ecological functions. In this study we evaluate how an invasive ecosystem engineer, Atlantic smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora), interferes with the movement and foraging activity of a mobile predator, Dungeness crab (Cancer magister), and whether removal of aboveground cordgrass structure rapidly reestablishes access to foraging habitats. By 2004, smooth cordgrass had invaded >25% of crab foraging habitat in Willapa Bay, Washington (USA), and transformed it into a highly structured landscape. However, by 2007 successful eradication efforts had eliminated most meadows of the cordgrass. In order to investigate the effect of smooth cordgrass on the habitat function of littoral areas for foraging crabs, we integrated field, laboratory, and statistical modeling approaches. We conducted trapping surveys at multiple sites and used a hierarchical model framework to examine patterns in catches prior to and following cordgrass removal (i.e., before-after control-impact design, BACI). Prior to eradication, catches of Dungeness crabs in unstructured habitats were 4-19 times higher than catches in adjacent patches of live cordgrass. In contrast, the results of post-eradication trapping in 2007 indicated similar catch rates of crabs in unstructured habitats and areas formerly invaded by the cordgrass. Subsequent laboratory experiments and video observations demonstrated that the rigid physical structure of smooth cordgrass shoots reduces the ability of Dungeness crabs to access prey resources and increases the risk of stranding. Taken together, these findings suggest that eliminating the structural complexity of invasive macrophytes may rapidly restore some ecological function (i.e., foraging area) for migratory predators like Dungeness crab. However, restoration of affected areas to a preinvasion state will also depend on long-term patterns of succession in invaded areas and the degree of persistence of physical changes that continue to alter biotic characteristics of the habitat. Our work highlights: (1) the efficacy of employing multiple methods of inquiry to evaluate causal relationships through mechanisms of interaction, and (2) the importance of targeting particular ecological functions when identifying both short- and long-term goals of restoration efforts.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

Restoration through eradication? Removal of an invasive bioengineer restores some habitat function for a native predator

Holsman

McDonald

Barreyro

et al. 2010

Ecological Applications

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“…We subsequently followed that strong year class in Coos Bay and the other estuaries and found that growth was very rapid, averaging 14 mm in carapace width by the end of June, 32 mm by the end of July, and 47 mm at the end of their first growing season in September (Behrens Yamada et al 1999, 2005. A bioenergetics model for green crabs in Willapa Bay, Washington supports the view that 0-age green crabs can attain a carapace width of 50 mm in about 5 months (McDonald et al 2006). Thus crabs attaining 50 mm CW in September would have settled out from the plankton around March or April.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 71%

Linking ocean conditions to year class strength of the invasive European green crab, Carcinus maenas

Yamada

Kosro

2009

Biol Invasions

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Once a non-native species arrives and survives in an area, its long-term persistence depends on its recruitment success. If conditions are not favorable for recruitment it will ultimately disappear. The European green crab (Carcinus maenas) has a 6 year life span and has persisted at low densities in Oregon and Washington coastal estuaries for the past 12 years. We show here that after the arrival of the strong founding year class of 1998, significant selfrecruitment to the Oregon and Washington populations occurred only in 2003, 2005 and 2006. Warm winter water temperatures, high Pacific Decadal Oscillation and Multivariate ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation) Indices in March, late spring transitions and weak southward shelf currents in March and April are all correlated with the these strong year classes. Cold winter water temperatures, low Pacific Decadal Oscillation Indices, early spring transitions and strong southward (and offshore) currents in March and April are linked to year class failure. Right now, green crabs are still too rare to exert a measurable effect on the native benthic community and on shellfish culture in Oregon and Washington. However, if their numbers were to increase, we would be able to predict the arrival of strong year classes from ocean conditions and alert managers and shellfish growers of possible increases in predation pressure from this invader.

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“…In addition to their effects on oysters, other bivalves and native crabs, green crabs may also negatively impact shorebird populations and sediment characteristics (Grosholz and Ruiz 2002). However, the realized effects of green crabs on the West Coast may be less than originally feared because of biotic resistance from large native crabs, which interact via predation and competition (Hunt and Yamada 2003;McDonald et al 2006;Jensen et al 2007). This potentially explains why green crabs are only found in areas on the West Coast that lack large adult native crabs such as the high intertidal zone of protected estuaries.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…From its native range in Europe and North Africa, it has spread to the east coast of North America (Glude 1955), southern Australia (Carlton and Cohen 2003), South Africa (Le Roux et al 1990), Japan (Carlton and Cohen 2003), South America (Hidalgo et al 2005), and to the Pacific coast of North America, from Morro Bay, California, to as far north as Vancouver Island, British Columbia (Carlton and Cohen 2003). Although green crabs utilize a variety of habitats in their native range and on the east coast of North America, their predominant habitat on the west coast of North America is currently limited to the high intertidal zone in protected estuaries, perhaps due to biotic resistance from native crabs (Cohen et al 1995;Grosholz and Ruiz 1996;Jamieson et al 1998;Hunt and Yamada 2003;McDonald et al 2006;Jensen et al 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Reconstructing the range expansion and subsequent invasion of introduced European green crab along the west coast of the United States

See

Feist

2009

Biol Invasions

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The European green crab, Carcinus maenas, was first documented in San Francisco Bay in 1989, and has since spread north along the west coast of North America. The spread of this invasion has not been a smooth expansion, which has raised questions about the underlying causes of variation in recruitment. We modeled larval development and transport along the West Coast by employing an individual-based model that incorporated oceanographic model output of water temperature and ocean currents at fine spatial and temporal scales. The distance that larvae were advected depended primarily on the timing of larval release. However, the effect of seasonal ocean currents varied across latitude and years. Our results imply that the furthest northern transport from California occurs when larvae are released from Humboldt Bay during the fall of an El Niño year, making this a particularly risky time for invasion to Oregon and Washington estuaries. To precisely predict future spread and potential impacts of green crab, we recommend further empirical research to determine the precise timing of larval release and seasonal abundance of green crab larvae from North American west coast populations.

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Bioenergetics modeling to investigate habitat use by the nonindigenous crab,Carcinus maenas, in Willapa Bay, Washington

Cited by 19 publications

References 67 publications

Restoration through eradication? Removal of an invasive bioengineer restores some habitat function for a native predator

Restoration through eradication? Removal of an invasive bioengineer restores some habitat function for a native predator

Linking ocean conditions to year class strength of the invasive European green crab, Carcinus maenas

Reconstructing the range expansion and subsequent invasion of introduced European green crab along the west coast of the United States

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