Abstract
Habitat expansion of the Harris mud crab Rhithropanopeus harrisii (Gould, 1841) in the northern Baltic Sea: potential consequences for the eelgrass food web
Highlights
Native to the eastern coast of North America, the Harris mud crab Rhithropanopeus harrisii (Gould, 1841) has successfully invaded fresh and brackish waters around the world including: the Baltic Sea; the Caspian Sea; estuaries in Italy, Japan and Brazil; freshwater lakes in Texas; and the Panama Canal (Grosholz and Ruiz 1996; Mizzan and Zanella 1996; Iseda et al 2007; Roche and Torchin 2007; Rodrigues and D’Incao 2015)
We document the first sighting and recruitment of mud crabs in an eelgrass Zostera marina Linnaeus, 1753 meadow - a critically important habitat for fish and invertebrate species. We found both adult and juvenile mud crabs in repeated sampling over the summer, suggesting continuous use of eelgrass as habitat for mud crabs and recruitment into the meadow
We report the first findings of mud crabs inhabiting and successfully recruiting into eelgrass meadows in the northern Baltic Sea (Archipelago Sea, Finland), and discuss potential consequences for the associated community
Summary
Native to the eastern coast of North America, the Harris mud crab Rhithropanopeus harrisii (Gould, 1841) has successfully invaded fresh and brackish waters around the world including: the Baltic Sea; the Caspian Sea; estuaries in Italy, Japan and Brazil; freshwater lakes in Texas; and the Panama Canal (Grosholz and Ruiz 1996; Mizzan and Zanella 1996; Iseda et al 2007; Roche and Torchin 2007; Rodrigues and D’Incao 2015). Since at least 2009, the Harris mud crab Rhithropanopeus harrisii (Gould, 1841) has been spreading in the northern Baltic Sea, an area with no native crab species.
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