Reproductive periodicity and larval vertical migration behavior of European green crab Carcinus maenas in a non-native habitat

Abstract

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 536:123-134 (2015) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11422 Reproductive periodicity and larval vertical migration behavior of European green crab Carcinus maenas in a non-native habitat Claudio DiBacco1,*, Thomas W. Therriault2 1Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, B2Y 4A2, Canada 2Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Biological Station, Nanaimo, BC, V9T 6N7, Canada *Corresponding author: claudio.dibacco@dfo-mpo.gc.ca ABSTRACT: The reproductive periodicity and vertical migration behavior of the European green crab Carcinus maenas in a non-native environment were characterized and the implications for invasion dynamics highlighted. Biweekly to monthly trap surveys in Pipestem Inlet, British Columbia, revealed ovigerous crabs from mid-February to June 2007. Concurrent meroplankton surveys confirmed green crab zoeae by mid-April, about 1 mo following peak abundance of ovigerous crabs (March 2007). All 4 zoeal stages of development were sampled between March and December 2007, but >95% were Stage I zoeae sampled between April and August. Vertical meroplankton surveys conducted in 2008 revealed diel-mediated vertical migratory (DVM) behavior; however the majority of sampled zoeae were aggregated near the pycnocline in surface outflowing waters. Negligible densities of post-Stage I zoeae (<1%) support the observation of zoeal export from Pipestem Inlet. Tidal-mediated vertical migratory behavior, characteristic in native European populations, was not observed in Pipestem Inlet. In contrast, low larval densities were sampled in surface (<1 m) and deep (>8 m) sampling strata. We hypothesize that low surface salinity (17-19 psu) and cold temperature (<12°C below the pycnocline) in deep strata constrained DVM. Our results highlight a need for better characterization of reproductive periodicity and zoeal migratory behavior in non-native habitats, which has implications for improving predictions of secondary spread and range expansion rates mediated via larval dispersal dynamics. KEY WORDS: Invasive · Non-native · European green crab · Carcinus maenas · Larval abundance · Dispersal · Reproductive periodicity · Vertical migration behavior Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: DiBacco C, Therriault TW (2015) Reproductive periodicity and larval vertical migration behavior of European green crab Carcinus maenas in a non-native habitat. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 536:123-134. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11422 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 536. Online publication date: September 29, 2015 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2015 Inter-Research.