Population density, survival and movement of blue crabs in estuarine salt marsh nurseries

Johnson, Eric; Eggleston, David B.

doi:10.3354/meps08574

Cited by 29 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 49 publications

(81 reference statements)

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“…In addition, juvenile blue crabs and a variety of commercially or ecologically important finfish exhibit a strong preference (higher abundance and/or biomass) for fringe marsh habitat over altered shoreline (e.g., Peterson, Comyns, Hendon, Bond, & Duff, 2000; King et al, 2005; Bilkovic & Roggero, 2008; Balouskus & Targett, 2016). Less understood is the relative importance of salt marshes as young crab nursery habitat, which may vary among systems depending on the composition of marine coastal habitats and environmental conditions (Johnson & Eggleston, 2010; Shakeri, Darnell, Carruthers, & Darnell, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nursery habitat use by juvenile blue crabs in created and natural marshes

Bilkovic

Isdell

Stanhope

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Climate change and coastal development pressures have intensified the need for shoreline protection. Nature-first approaches that use natural habitats, particularly marshes, are being promoted globally as ecologically-beneficial alternatives to grey infrastructure. The ability of these novel shorelines to provide nursery habitat to blue crab, an ecologically and economically important species along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States, has not been quantified. We quantified the abundance and size distribution of juvenile blue crabs from a chronosequence of living shorelines (created fringing marshes) spanning 2 to 16 years in age (since construction) and compared with paired natural fringing marshes in the southern Chesapeake Bay. Both created and natural fringing marshes are being used by blue crabs as primary nursery habitats. While there were interannual differences in abundance, young blue crabs (≤ 2.5 cm carapace width) were observed in similar densities and sizes at living shoreline and natural marshes. There was no relationship between the age of the living shoreline and blue crab density, indicating that even the youngest living shorelines (2 years) were providing primary nursery habitat. Young blue crabs were more abundant in more isolated marshes and those that were inundated for longer periods of time each tidal cycle, which may be evidence for habitat-limitation. Synthesis and applications: We provide evidence that juvenile blue crabs are comparably using natural and created fringing salt marshes as primary nursery habitat. Although the relative importance of salt marshes as young crab nursery habitat is not fully understood and likely varies by system, the value of marshes within a suite of available structural nursery habitats may increase under a changing climate. The potential for living shorelines to serve as nursery habitat for an economically important species may provide additional incentives to implement these climate adaptation strategies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nursery habitat use by juvenile blue crabs in created and natural marshes

Bilkovic

Isdell

Stanhope

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…atyid shrimps, palaemonid prawns and neritid snails; Resh, ), while others undertake migrations within freshwater or marine environments (e.g. decapod crustaceans that migrate between estuarine nurseries and nearshore coastal habitats; Johnson and Eggleston, ). Some aquatic invertebrate species use terrestrial habitats for part of their life cycles, including aquatic insects and semi‐terrestrial crabs, while others utilize the vertical dimension available in hyporheic zones that intersect alluvial aquifers, groundwaters and parafluvial bars (Boulton, ; Boulton et al ., ; Boon et al ., ).…”

Section: Challenges In Aquatic Invertebrate Conservationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation of aquatic invertebrates: concerns, challenges and conundrums

Collier

Probert

Jeffries

2016

Aquatic Conservation

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ABSTRACT1. Invertebrates inhabiting marine and freshwater ecosystems make important contributions to global biodiversity and provide significant services that have cascading effects across ecosystems. However, this group is grossly under-represented in assessments of conservation status and often neglected in targeted aquatic conservation efforts.2. In global assessments of 7857 freshwater invertebrates and 2864 marine invertebrates, 30-34% were considered Data Deficient highlighting the paucity of information for making such assessments. Of the invertebrate groups that could be assessed, those with poor dispersal abilities and high local endemism, such as many gastropods, crayfish and mussels, are the most threatened.3. Springs and subterranean hydrological systems support the highest proportions of threatened freshwater species, while in marine environments coral reefs, lagoons and anchialine systems are particularly vulnerable.4. Key agents of biodiversity decline in aquatic ecosystems are water pollution, overexploitation and harvesting, habitat degradation and destruction, alien invasive species, and climate change. Effects of dams and water management along with pollution from urban, agricultural and forestry sources are the main threats in freshwater ecosystems, whereas a broad range of factors have impacts on marine invertebrates, including biological resource use.5. Significant impediments facing conservation of aquatic invertebrates are limited knowledge of their diversity, the need for broadscale actions to account for connectivity within and across ecosystems, lack of political will and investment, and the prospect that conditions may get worse before they improve, possibly not in time to save some already highly imperilled invertebrate species from extinction.

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“…Studies of crustacean fidelity in salt marsh tidal creeks are uncommon. Johnson and Eggleston (2010) showed high fidelity for juvenile blue crab, Callinectes sapidus. Darcy and Eggleston (2005) indicated that grass shrimp had low fidelity for particular sites as they moved considerable distances across subtidal seagrass beds over short periods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%