Joint effects of patch edges and habitat degradation on faunal predation risk in a widespread marine foundation species

Hovel, Kevin A.; Duffy, J. Emmett; Stachowicz, John J.; Reynolds, Pamela L.; Boström, Christoffer; Boyer, Katharyn E.; Cimon, Stéphanie; Cusson, Mathieu; Fodrie, F.J.; Gagnon, Karine; Hereu, Clara M.; Hori, Masakazu; Jorgensen, Pablo; Kruschel, Claudia; Lee, Kun‐Seop; Nakaoka, Masahiro; O’Connor, Nessa E.; Rossi, Francesca; Ruesink, Jennifer L.; Tomàs, Fiona; Ziegler, Shelby L.

doi:10.1002/ecy.3316

Cited by 13 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Hence, sparse seagrass may have been valuable for adult blue crabs by improving foraging efficiency (Hovel and Lipcius 2001;Hines 2007;Carroll et al 2015), while still providing sufficient refuge from blue crab predators (relative to unvegetated areas; Micheli and Peterson 1999). Sparse seagrass, particularly at meadow edges, can be areas where blue crab prey are especially vulnerable to predation (Hovel et al 2021). We did not observe an ensuing edge effect on adult blue crab CPUE, but this is not necessarily surprising, as edge effects vary greatly among habitats, faunal types, and seasons (Boström et al 2006(Boström et al , 2011.…”

Section: Relationships With Seagrass Habitat Structure At Local To Landscape Scalesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Gravid female blue crabs were more abundant closer to meadow edges, likely because moving between several habitats during their spawning migration increases their encounters with habitat edges (Epifanio 1995;Carr et al 2005;Hovel et al 2021). Gravid females may also have congregated near seagrass meadow edges because they support a higher diversity and quantity of food (Bologna and Heck 2002;Tanner 2005;Boström et al 2006;Darnell et al 2009;Macreadie et al 2010).…”

Section: Relationships With Seagrass Habitat Structure At Local To Landscape Scalesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Coastal Vegetation and Bathymetry Influence Blue Crab Abundance Across Spatial Scales

Cheng

Tedford

Smith

et al. 2022

Estuaries and Coasts

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Blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) are highly mobile, ecologically-important mesopredators that support multimillion-dollar fisheries along the western Atlantic Ocean. Understanding how blue crabs respond to coastal landscape change is integral to conservation and management, but such insights have been limited to a narrow range of habitats and spatial scales. We examined how local-scale to landscape-scale habitat characteristics and bathymetric features (channels and oceanic inlets) affect the relative abundance (catch per unit effort, CPUE) of adult blue crabs across a > 33 km2 seagrass landscape in coastal Virginia, USA. We found that crab CPUE was 1.7 × higher in sparse (versus dense) seagrass, 2.4 × higher at sites farther from (versus nearer to) salt marshes, and unaffected by proximity to oyster reefs. The probability that a trapped crab was female was 5.1 × higher in sparse seagrass and 8 × higher near deep channels. The probability of a female crab being gravid was 2.8 × higher near seagrass meadow edges and 3.3 × higher near deep channels. Moreover, the likelihood of a gravid female having mature eggs was 16 × greater in sparse seagrass and 32 × greater near oceanic inlets. Overall, we discovered that adult blue crab CPUE is influenced by seagrass, salt marsh, and bathymetric features on scales from meters to kilometers, and that habitat associations depend on sex and reproductive stage. Hence, accelerating changes to coastal geomorphology and vegetation will likely alter the abundance and distribution of adult blue crabs, challenging marine spatial planning and ecosystem-based fisheries management.

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Section: Relationships With Seagrass Habitat Structure At Local To Landscape Scalesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Relationships With Seagrass Habitat Structure At Local To Landscape Scalesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coastal Vegetation and Bathymetry Influence Blue Crab Abundance Across Spatial Scales

Cheng

Tedford

Smith

et al. 2022

Estuaries and Coasts

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“…All these results suggest an indirect component to edge effects in which the impact of edge proximity on predation risk is mediated by the effect of edges on other key biotic factors such as habitat complexity within the vegetated patch [29,[154][155][156][157][158][159][160]. Taxonspecific responses to shoot structure seemed more important than landscape structure for distribution and behavior [161].…”

Section: Habitat Structures In the Edges Of Patchesmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…In Zostera marina patches across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and the Mediterranean Sea, the predation risk for crustaceans (crabs or shrimps) was lower along patch edges than in patch interiors, regardless of the extent of habitat degradation. However, the extent to which edges reduced predation risk depended on the extent to which edges supported higher structural complexities compared to patch interiors [29]. Ecologically significant edge effects on predation rates of tethered blue crabs and pinfish have been found, with blue crabs surviving >2.5 × longer, and pinfish surviving >2 × longer along the meadow edge relative to the patch interior [148].…”

Section: Habitat Structures In the Edges Of Patchesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The World of Edges in Submerged Vegetated Marine Canopies: From Patch to Canopy Scale

Colomer

Serra

2021

Water

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This review describes the world of edges in submerged vegetated marine canopies (seagrasses, saltmarshes, and seaweeds) where an edge is a boundary with a frontal area separating the vegetation from the adjacent non-vegetated zones. Plants within the vegetation are made of flexible elements pronating in the direction of the flow and oscillating back and forth in response to wave forcing. Some of them also occupy the full height within the water body. The analysis focuses on both the canopy- and local-patch scales to acquire knowledge about the hydrodynamics and the biophysical interactions in the structural shallows and deep limits of the canopies as well as on the structural edges of vegetation patches and the edges in the gaps within the canopies. The spatial arrangements of both canopy and patch edges are not only well imposed through the modification of hydrodynamics, but so too through small-scale interactions from internal structural causes and modifications. The continuous fragmentation of coastal marine habitats has reduced their structural complexity, thus making habitat edges a prevalent seascape feature, including in the shallow (or upper) and deep (or lower) limits of the canopies, the patch edges, and the edges in the gaps within the canopies. Canopy patches represent a region of high flow resistance where flow deflects and accelerates above and/or next to the canopy, resulting in an increase in water velocity and turbulence, especially at the edges of the patch. At the edges, energy transfer is found in spectral wave velocities from the longer to shorter wave period components. Likewise, at the edges, the net deposition of sediments decreases over a distance to a certain length, relative to the bare bed, which is associated with a region of vertical updraft and elevated turbulent kinetic energy. The edge effects also relate to the influence that a patch edge can have on determining species composition and predation risk, which is additionally mediated by the effect the edges have on habitat complexity within the vegetated patch. Organism feedback within the edges does not simply follow the canopy and local features and, in fact, the intricate interaction between biogeophysical processes is key in explaining the complexity of coastal submerged canopy landscapes. For example, proximity to patch edges has a greater influence on epifaunal density and community structure than structural complexity or predation do. The extent to which edges reduce predation risk depends on the extent to which they support higher structural complexities compared to patch interiors. The canopies’ shallow limits and their position in the underwater beach profile are mostly limited by light availability, the intensity of the wave action, and the local nearshore hydrodynamics, but they also depend on the local structural conditions at the vegetated side. The deep limits of the canopies, however, mainly depend on the availability of light and research findings support migration both to the deeper and shallower layers. All structural edges face changes caused by increasing nutrient inputs, development of coastal zones and the increasing impact of climate change. A considerable challenge to managing, restoring, and conserving coastal marine ecosystems stems from understanding how the canopies are able to cope with these natural and anthropogenic disturbances.

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Comparing edge and fragmentation effects within seagrass communities: A meta‐analysis

Yarnall

Byers

Yeager³

et al. 2022

Ecology

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Examining community responses to habitat configuration across scales informs basic and applied models of ecosystem function. Responses to patchscale edge effects (i.e., ecological differences between patch edges and interiors) are hypothesized to underpin the effects of landscape-scale fragmentation (i.e., mosaics of multipatch habitat and matrix). Conceptually, this appears justifiable because fragmented habitats typically have a greater proportion of edge than continuous habitats. To critically inspect whether patchscale edge effects translate consistently (i.e., scale up) into patterns observed in fragmented landscapes, we conducted a meta-analysis on community relationships in seagrass ecosystems to synthesize evidence of edge and fragmentation effects on shoot density, faunal densities, and predation rates. We determined effect sizes by calculating log response ratios for responses within patch edges versus interiors to quantify edge effects, and fragmented versus continuous landscapes to quantify fragmentation effects. We found that both edge and fragmentation effects reduced seagrass shoot densities, although the effect of edge was statistically stronger. By contrast, fauna often exhibited higher densities in patch edges, while fragmentation responses varied directionally across taxa. Fish densities trended higher in patch edges and fragmented landscapes.Benthic fishes responded more positively than benthopelagic fishes to edge effects, although neither guild strongly responded to fragmentation. Invertebrate densities increased in patch edges and trended lower in fragmented landscapes; however, these were small effect sizes due to the offsetting responses of two dominant epifaunal guilds: decapods and smaller crustaceans. Edge and fragmentation affected predation similarly, with prey survival trending lower in patch edges and fragmented landscapes. Overall, several similarities suggested that edge effects conform with patterns of community dynamics in fragmented seagrass. However, across all metrics except fish densities, variability in fragmentation effects was twice that of edge effects. Variance patterns combined with generally stronger responses to edge than fragmentation, warrant caution in unilaterally "scaling-up" edge effects to describe fragmentation effects. Alternatively, fragmentation includes additional factors (e.g., matrix effects, patch number, mean patch size, isolation) that may enhance or offset edge effects. Fragmentation and increased edge are syndromes of habitat

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Joint effects of patch edges and habitat degradation on faunal predation risk in a widespread marine foundation species

Cited by 13 publications

References 54 publications

Coastal Vegetation and Bathymetry Influence Blue Crab Abundance Across Spatial Scales

Coastal Vegetation and Bathymetry Influence Blue Crab Abundance Across Spatial Scales

The World of Edges in Submerged Vegetated Marine Canopies: From Patch to Canopy Scale

Comparing edge and fragmentation effects within seagrass communities: A meta‐analysis

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