Nursery role of seagrass beds: enhanced growth of juvenile blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus Rathbun)

Perkins-Visser, Eileen; Wolcott, Thomas G.; Wolcott, Donna L.

doi:10.1016/0022-0981(96)00014-7

Cited by 106 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Amphidromous species regularly migrate between the sea and fresh water but not directly for breeding, as in anadromous and catadromous species. Other animals appear to have a critical dependence on shallow inshore areas (primarily in the early-life stages) and are thought to benefit in terms of rapid growth and enhanced predator avoidance (Boesch and Turner, 1984;Rozas and Odum, 1988;Sogard, 1992;Gibson, 1994;Perkins-Visser et al, 1996;Rooker and Holt, 1997). In contrast, some animals use inshore areas only occasionally, this often occurring when conditions fluctuate in their favour (termed 'stragglers' by Potter et al, 1990 andWhitfield, 1999).…”

Section: Life Cyclesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Movements of Marine Fish and Decapod Crustaceans: Process, Theory and Application

Pittman

McAlpine

2003

Advances in Marine Biology

218

178

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Section: Life Cyclesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Movements of Marine Fish and Decapod Crustaceans: Process, Theory and Application

Pittman

McAlpine

2003

Advances in Marine Biology

218

178

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“…There is extensive information of decapod species associated with complex vegetation assemblages (e.g. Hines 1982, Herrkind and Buttler 1986, García-Raso and Fernán-dez-Muñoz 1987, Perkins-Visser et al 1996, López De La Rosa et al 2006, Daly and Konar 2010. Crabs of the family Epialtidae are commonly found in seaweed assemblages of the subtidal zone.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, information about shelter requirements refers mainly to recruitment (e.g. Herrkind and Buttler 1986, Rodríguez et al 1993, Perkins-Visser et al 1996, Moksnes 2002.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food and habitat choice in the spider crab <em>Leucippa pentagona</em> (Majoidea: Epialtidae) in Bahía Bustamante, Patagonia, Argentina

Varisco¹,

Martín²,

Zaixso³

et al. 2015

Sci. Mar.

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Summary:The aim of the present study was to analyse the feeding strategy and spatial distribution of the spider crab Leucippa pentagona in Bahía Bustamante (Patagonia, Argentina). Several microhabitat variables that could influence the spatial distribution of this crab were related to its different life stages by using redundancy analysis. Regarding its feeding preferences, we found that the sphacelariales Halopteris spp. and Sphacelaria fusca, epiphytes of the alga Gracilaria gracilis, represented over 70% of its diet. Conversely, consumption of G. gracilis was low throughout the year. These feeding preferences can be related to the higher proportion of ash-free dry mass of sphacelariales. A close association was observed between G. gracilis biomass and recruits and mature crabs; this relationship was stronger at critical periods of the crab's life cycle such as incubation or moult. Intermolt juveniles were related to G. gracilis as well as to other species of macroalgae. Our results suggest that G. gracilis plays a key role in the small-scale distribution of L. pentagona in Bahía Bustamante, providing food and shelter. The consumption of G. gracilis epiphytes allows L. pentagona to maintain high foraging rates at safe living sites, minimizing the damage to G. gracilis.Keywords: Leucippa pentagona; Gracilaria gracilis; microhabitat; subtidal beds; epiphyte consumption; Sphacelariales.Alimentación y selección del hábitat en el cangrejo araña Leucippa pentagona (Majoidea: Epialtidae) en Bahía Bustamante, Patagonia, Argentina Resumen: En este trabajo se analiza la alimentación y distribución especial del cangrejo araña Leucippa pentagona en Bahía Bustamante (Patagonia, Argentina). La distribución espacial de distintos estadios del ciclo de vida de la especie se relacionó con variables ambientales mediante un análisis de redundancias. La especie presenta una dieta especializada, las sphacelariales Halopteris spp. y Sphacelaria fusca, epifitas de Gracilaria gracilis, representan más del 70% de la dieta. Por otra parte, se observó una baja incidencia de G. gracilis en la dieta durante todas las estaciones del año. Estos resultados pueden estar relacionados con el alto contenido de materia orgánica que tienen las sphacelariales. Respecto de la distribución espacial, se observó una relación significativa entre la biomasa de G. gracilis y reclutas y adultos de L. pentagona; esta relación es más significativa en periodos críticos del ciclo de vida del cangrejo como la muda o la incubación de los huevos. Los juveniles de tallas más grandes, en intermuda, están asociados tanto a G. gracilis como a otras macroalgas disponibles en el área. Nuestros resultados sugieren que G. gracilis tiene un rol importante en la distribución a pequeña escala del cangrejo L. pentagona en Bahía Bustamante, proveyéndole alimento y refugio. El alto consumo de epifitas de G. gracilis permite a L. pentagona alimentarse en el complejo microhabitat que le provee el alga, minimizando el daño sobre G. gracilis.

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“…They observed an increase in juvenile crabs (greater than the first instar) at a leeward site after Hurricane 'Danielle' passed close to the Chesapeake Bay, suggesting that these early benthic stages of blue crabs are either transported to, or select a low-energy habitat during storm events (Pile et al 1996). In a second example of this post-settlement dispersal phenomenon, a mass escape of stained juvenile blue crabs during a storm event in the Chesapeake Bay, and their subsequent retrieval on artificial settlement substrates 10 km up-estuary (Perkins-Visser et al 1996), also suggest that early juvenile blue crabs exhibit long-distance, water-column dispersal.…”

Section: Settler-recruit Relationships and Post-settlement Planktonimentioning

confidence: 99%

Large-scale blue crab recruitment: linking postlarval transport, post-settlement planktonic dispersal, and multiple nursery habitats

Etherington¹,

Eggleston²

2000

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

117

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A large-scale study of early juvenile blue crab Callinectes sapidus recruitment within a shallow, predominantly wind-driven estuarine system demonstrated that distribution and abundance patterns were jointly influenced by location from oceanic sources of postlarvae, time period, habitat type, and post-settlement planktonic dispersal. The Croatan-Albemarle-Pamlico Estuarine System (CAPES) in North Carolina, USA, is a lagoonal body of water that is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a chain of barrier islands, which are bisected by Oregon, Hatteras, and Ocracoke Inlets. For sampling purposes, the CAPES was divided into 4 regions that differed in distance and orientation from oceanic sources of postlarvae, as well as available complex benthic habitat types. The Eastern region was closest to oceanic waters, contained 3 major inlets, and harbored extensive seagrass beds. The Northern and Western regions were located along the inland boundary of the CAPES, and contained alternative habitat types including the submersed rooted vascular plant Myriophyllum spicatum and shallow detrital habitats. The Southern region was inshore and contained patchy seagrass. During a period that lacked storm events, virtually all juvenile recruitment occurred within seagrass beds at the Eastern region. Conversely, early juvenile blue crabs were distributed widely throughout the CAPES after the passage of tropical cyclones. The Eastern region appears to act as a relatively consistent initial recruitment site, whereas Northern and Western regions of the CAPES may act as episodic recruitment areas after the passage of tropical cyclones. Similar densities of early juveniles were found in different complex benthic habitats (seagrass, shallow detrital habitat, M. spicatum). A comparison of site-specific, settler-recruit densities (which represent distinct cohorts) suggested that post-settlement juveniles dispersed planktonically throughout the CAPES, most likely due to stormdriven transport. Post-settlement, planktonic dispersal altered the settler-recruit relationship, by both masking and potentially enhancing a density-dependent relationship between settlers and recruits. This study illustrates that ecological processes influencing recruitment, such as post-settlement dispersal, may be missed when studied at relatively small spatial scales, and that our interpretation of population regulation can vary depending on the scale of study. Studies conducted over broad spatial scales can provide a more complete understanding of recruitment dynamics and can elucidate the interconnectedness of subpopulations by identifying potential 'source' areas in species with open populations.

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Nursery role of seagrass beds: enhanced growth of juvenile blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus Rathbun)

Cited by 106 publications

References 28 publications

Movements of Marine Fish and Decapod Crustaceans: Process, Theory and Application

Movements of Marine Fish and Decapod Crustaceans: Process, Theory and Application

Food and habitat choice in the spider crab <em>Leucippa pentagona</em> (Majoidea: Epialtidae) in Bahía Bustamante, Patagonia, Argentina

Large-scale blue crab recruitment: linking postlarval transport, post-settlement planktonic dispersal, and multiple nursery habitats

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