Community shelter use in response to two benthic decapod predators in the Long Island Sound

• Published in: PeerJ (San Francisco, CA) Vol. 4; p. e2265
• Main Authors: Hudson, David M, Reagan, Dugan, Crivello, Joseph F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States PeerJ. Ltd 27.07.2016; PeerJ, Inc; PeerJ Inc
• Subjects: Animal Behavior; Aquaculture, Fisheries and Fish Science; Aquatic sciences; Carcinus maenas; Coastal ecosystems; Community; Community effects; Competition; Conservation Biology; Crustacea; Crustacean; Crustaceans; Decapoda; Ecology; Fisheries; Hemigrapsus; Hemigrapsus sanguineus; Invasive; Long Island Sound; Marine Biology; Native species; Neurosciences; Nonnative species; Palinuridae; Predation; Predators; Salinity; Shelter choice; Shelter competition; Shelters; United States > US; Hemigrapsus sanguineus; Community effects; Carcinus maenas; Crustacean; Long Island Sound; Shelter choice; Shelter competition; Invasive
• ISSN: 2167-8359; 2167-8359
• DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2265

To investigate community shelter effects of two invasive decapod species, Hemigrapsus sanguineus and Carcinus maenas, in the Long Island Sound (LIS), we deployed artificial shelters in the intertidal and immediate subtidal zones. These consisted of five groups during the summer: a control, a resident H. sanguineus male or female group, and a resident C. maenas male or female group. We quantified utilization of the shelters at 24 h by counting crabs and fish present. We found significant avoidance of H. sanguineus in the field by benthic hermit crabs (Pagurus spp.) and significant avoidance of C. maenas by the seaboard goby (Gobiosoma ginsburgi). The grubby (Myoxocephalus aenaeus) avoided neither treatment, probably since it tends to be a predator of invertebrates. H. sanguineus avoided C. maenas treatments, whereas C. maenas did not avoid any treatment. Seasonal deployments in the subtidal indicated cohabitation of a number of benthic species in the LIS, with peak shelter use corresponding with increased predation and likely reproductive activity in spring and summer for green crabs (C. maenas), hermit crabs (Pagurus spp.), seaboard gobies (G. ginsburgi), and grubbies (Myoxocephalus aenaeus).