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Riascos JM, Obonaga LD, Ramos J. Is the threatened land crab Cardisoma guanhumi conquering human-dominated systems? Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e10737. [PMID: 38681183 PMCID: PMC11046080 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Land use changes are heralded as a major driver of biodiversity loss. However, recent findings show that cities, perhaps the most radical habitat transformation, sustain increasing numbers of threatened species. This emerging trend has been mostly chronicled for vertebrates from landlocked cities, although loss of biodiversity and rates or urbanization are higher in coastal marine systems. To advance our understanding on how threatened species may conquer human-dominated systems, we studied the threatened edible crab Cardisoma guanhumi and assessed how it is proliferating in croplands and urban systems at different spatial scales and whether populations show consequences of long-term exploitation. We gathered the data on crab populations covering the whole distribution range, including three countries reporting this as a threatened species. The abundance, distribution, and size structure of crab populations among different land uses at local scales were compared and published data for populations thriving in different habitats throughout their distribution range were compiled. We found that at local scale this species is able to thrive in natural and human-disturbed habitats, where food sources are heavily altered. At larger scales, the species showed no differences in abundance and size structure among natural and anthropogenic habitats. In areas near the southern distribution edge, crab populations were more abundant and composed of larger animals in urban areas and croplands than those in natural habitats, suggesting that human-disturbed systems are stepping stones to extend the geographic range. However, we found a long-term reduction in maximum body size, exacerbated by land use changes, that likely reflects exploitation regimes consistently targeting larger crabs. Despite its status as a threatened species, the long history of human exploitation combined with livestock farming practices may explain the proliferation of this crab in human-dominated systems, which emphasize the need to consider conservation in human-dominated systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- José M. Riascos
- Corporación Académica AmbientalUniversidad de Antioquia‐Sede Ciencias del MarTurboAntioquiaColombia
- Corporation Center of Excellence in Marine Sciences – CEMarinBogotáColombia
| | - Levy D. Obonaga
- Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias del MarUniversidad de AntioquiaTurboColombia
| | - Jhostin Ramos
- Programa de Ecología de Zonas CosterasUniversidad de Antioquia‐Sede Ciencias del MarTurboAntioquiaColombia
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2
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Quezada-Villa K, Cannizzo ZJ, Carver J, Dunn RP, Fletcher LS, Kimball ME, McMullin AL, Orocu B, Pfirrmann BW, Pinkston E, Reese TC, Smith N, Stancil C, Toscano BJ, Griffen BD. Predicting diet in brachyuran crabs using external morphology. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15224. [PMID: 37065690 PMCID: PMC10100828 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Morphological traits have often been used to predict diet and trophic position of species across many animal groups. Variation in gut size of closely related animals is known to be a good predictor of dietary habits. Species that are more herbivorous or that persist on low-quality diets often have larger stomachs than their carnivorous counterparts. This same pattern exists in crabs and in most species, individuals exhibit external markings on the dorsal side of their carapace that appear to align with the position and size of their gut. We hypothesized that these external markings could be used as an accurate estimate of the crab's cardiac stomach size, allowing an approximation of crab dietary strategies without the need to sacrifice and dissect individual animals. We used literature values for mean diet and standardized external gut size markings taken from crab photographs across 50 species to show that percent herbivory in the diet increases non-linearly across species of brachyuran crab with the external estimate of gut size. We also used data from dissections in four species to show that external gut markings were positively correlated with gut sizes, though the strength of this correlation differed across species. We conclude that when rough approximations of diet quality such as percent herbivory will suffice, measuring external carapace markings in crabs presents a quick, free, non-lethal alternative to dissections. Our results also provide important insights into tradeoffs that occur in crab morphology and have implications for crab evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zachary J. Cannizzo
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of National Marine Sanctuaries—National Marine Protected Areas Center, Washington DC, United States
| | - Jade Carver
- Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States
| | - Robert P. Dunn
- Baruch Marine Field Laboratory, University of South Carolina, Georgetown, South Carolina, United States
- North Inlet-Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Georgetown, South Carolina, United States
| | - Laura S. Fletcher
- Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States
| | - Matthew E. Kimball
- Baruch Marine Field Laboratory, University of South Carolina, Georgetown, South Carolina, United States
| | | | - Brenden Orocu
- Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States
| | - Bruce W. Pfirrmann
- Baruch Marine Field Laboratory, University of South Carolina, Georgetown, South Carolina, United States
| | - Emily Pinkston
- Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States
| | - Tanner C. Reese
- Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States
| | - Nanette Smith
- Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States
| | - Carter Stancil
- Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States
| | - Benjamin J. Toscano
- Department of Biology, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, United States
| | - Blaine D. Griffen
- Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, United States
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3
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Potter B, Cannizzo ZJ, Griffen BD. Morphometric correlations between dietary and reproductive traits of two brachyuran crabs, Hemigrapsus sanguineus and Aratus pisonii. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0267369. [PMID: 35925929 PMCID: PMC9352013 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Many animals have flexible morphological traits that allow them to succeed in differing circumstances with differing diets available to them. For brachyuran crabs, claw height and gut size are diet-specific and largely reflect foraging strategies, while abdomen width reflects relative levels of fecundity. However, the link between claw size and diet has largely been documented only for primarily carnivorous crabs, while the link between diet and fecundity is strong in herbivorous crabs. We sought to determine the nature of the intraspecific relationship between claw size, dietary habits, and fecundity for two primarily herbivorous crab species, Hemigrapsus sanguineus and Aratus pisonii. Specifically, we examined whether claw size and/or abdomen width can be used as reliable measures of individual diet strategy. To test these hypotheses, we collected crabs and measured the dimensions of their claws, abdomens, and guts. By comparing these dimensions for each individual, we found that strongly predictive relationships do not exist between these traits for the primarily herbivorous species in our study. Thus, identifying external morphological features that can be used to assess diets of primarily herbivorous crabs remains elusive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Potter
- Biology Department, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States of America
| | - Zachary J. Cannizzo
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of National Marine Sanctuaries − National Marine Protected Areas Center, Silver Spring, MD, United States of America
| | - Blaine D. Griffen
- Biology Department, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Osland MJ, Hughes AR, Armitage AR, Scyphers SB, Cebrian J, Swinea SH, Shepard CC, Allen MS, Feher LC, Nelson JA, O'Brien CL, Sanspree CR, Smee DL, Snyder CM, Stetter AP, Stevens PW, Swanson KM, Williams LH, Brush JM, Marchionno J, Bardou R. The impacts of mangrove range expansion on wetland ecosystem services in the southeastern United States: Current understanding, knowledge gaps, and emerging research needs. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:3163-3187. [PMID: 35100489 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is transforming ecosystems and affecting ecosystem goods and services. Along the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic coasts of the southeastern United States, the frequency and intensity of extreme freeze events greatly influence whether coastal wetlands are dominated by freeze-sensitive woody plants (mangrove forests) or freeze-tolerant grass-like plants (salt marshes). In response to warming winters, mangroves have been expanding and displacing salt marshes at varying degrees of severity in parts of north Florida, Louisiana, and Texas. As winter warming accelerates, mangrove range expansion is expected to increasingly modify wetland ecosystem structure and function. Because there are differences in the ecological and societal benefits that salt marshes and mangroves provide, coastal environmental managers are challenged to anticipate the effects of mangrove expansion on critical wetland ecosystem services, including those related to carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat, storm protection, erosion reduction, water purification, fisheries support, and recreation. Mangrove range expansion may also affect wetland stability in the face of extreme climatic events and rising sea levels. Here, we review the current understanding of the effects of mangrove range expansion and displacement of salt marshes on wetland ecosystem services in the southeastern United States. We also identify critical knowledge gaps and emerging research needs regarding the ecological and societal implications of salt marsh displacement by expanding mangrove forests. One consistent theme throughout our review is that there are ecological trade-offs for consideration by coastal managers. Mangrove expansion and marsh displacement can produce beneficial changes in some ecosystem services, while simultaneously producing detrimental changes in other services. Thus, there can be local-scale differences in perceptions of the impacts of mangrove expansion into salt marshes. For very specific local reasons, some individuals may see mangrove expansion as a positive change to be embraced, while others may see mangrove expansion as a negative change to be constrained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Osland
- Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Lafayette, Louisiana, USA
| | - A Randall Hughes
- Northeastern University Marine Science Center, Nahant, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Anna R Armitage
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - Steven B Scyphers
- Northeastern University Marine Science Center, Nahant, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Just Cebrian
- Northern Gulf Institute, Mississippi State University, Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, USA
| | - Savannah H Swinea
- Northeastern University Marine Science Center, Nahant, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | | | - Laura C Feher
- Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Lafayette, Louisiana, USA
| | - James A Nelson
- University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, Louisiana, USA
| | | | | | | | - Caitlin M Snyder
- Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve, Eastpoint, Florida, USA
| | | | - Philip W Stevens
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
| | - Kathleen M Swanson
- Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve, Port Aransas, Texas, USA
| | | | - Janell M Brush
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Joseph Marchionno
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Rémi Bardou
- Northeastern University Marine Science Center, Nahant, Massachusetts, USA
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Range expansion decreases the reproductive fitness of Gentiana officinalis (Gentianaceae). Sci Rep 2022; 12:2461. [PMID: 35165323 PMCID: PMC8844042 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-06406-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Plants living at the edge of their range boundary tend to suffer an overall decline in their fitness, including growth and reproduction. However, the reproductive performance of plants in artificially expanded habitats is rarely investigated, although this type of study would provide a better understanding of range limitations and improved conservation of ex situ plants. In the current study, we transplanted a narrowly dispersed species of Gentiana officinalis H. Smith (Gentianaceae) from its natural area of distribution to two different elevations and natural elevation to comprehensively study its pollination biology, including flowering phenology and duration, floral display, reproductive allocation, pollinator activity, and seed production. The findings indicated that the starting point and endpoint of the flowering phenology of G. officinalis were earlier at the low elevation, but the peak flowering periods did not differ significantly between any of the experimental plots. When transplanted, the flowering duration, especially the female phase, was reduced; the floral display, including spray numbers, flower numbers, and flower size (length and width), decreased, especially at high elevations. Moreover, the pollen numbers and pollen-ovule ratio were decreased at both high and low elevations, although the ovule numbers showed no change, and aboveground reproductive allocation was decreased. Furthermore, pollinator richness and activity were significantly decreased, and the seed-set ratio decreased under both natural conditions and with supplemental pollination. Finally, more severe pollen limitation was found in transplanted individuals. These results indicated an overall decrease in reproductive fitness in plants living outside their original area of distribution when the geographical range of G. officinalis was expanded.
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Carver J, Meidell M, Cannizzo ZJ, Griffen BD. Evidence for use of both capital and income breeding strategies in the mangrove tree crab, Aratus pisonii. Sci Rep 2021; 11:14576. [PMID: 34272445 PMCID: PMC8285475 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-94008-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Two common strategies organisms use to finance reproduction are capital breeding (using energy stored prior to reproduction) and income breeding (using energy gathered during the reproductive period). Understanding which of these two strategies a species uses can help in predicting its population dynamics and how it will respond to environmental change. Brachyuran crabs have historically been considered capital breeders as a group, but recent evidence has challenged this assumption. Here, we focus on the mangrove tree crab, Aratus pisonii, and examine its breeding strategy on the Atlantic Florida coast. We collected crabs during and after their breeding season (March-October) and dissected them to discern how energy was stored and utilized for reproduction. We found patterns of reproduction and energy storage that are consistent with both the use of stored energy (capital) and energy acquired (income) during the breeding season. We also found that energy acquisition and storage patterns that supported reproduction were influenced by unequal tidal patterns associated with the syzygy tide inequality cycle. Contrary to previous assumptions for crabs, we suggest that species of crab that produce multiple clutches of eggs during long breeding seasons (many tropical and subtropical species) may commonly use income breeding strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jade Carver
- Biology Department, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA
| | - Morgan Meidell
- Biology Department, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA
| | - Zachary J Cannizzo
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Office of National Marine Sanctuaries - National Marine Protected Areas Center, Silver Spring, MD, 20910, USA
| | - Blaine D Griffen
- Biology Department, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA.
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7
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Osland MJ, Stevens PW, Lamont MM, Brusca RC, Hart KM, Waddle JH, Langtimm CA, Williams CM, Keim BD, Terando AJ, Reyier EA, Marshall KE, Loik ME, Boucek RE, Lewis AB, Seminoff JA. Tropicalization of temperate ecosystems in North America: The northward range expansion of tropical organisms in response to warming winter temperatures. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:3009-3034. [PMID: 33605004 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Tropicalization is a term used to describe the transformation of temperate ecosystems by poleward-moving tropical organisms in response to warming temperatures. In North America, decreases in the frequency and intensity of extreme winter cold events are expected to allow the poleward range expansion of many cold-sensitive tropical organisms, sometimes at the expense of temperate organisms. Although ecologists have long noted the critical ecological role of winter cold temperature extremes in tropical-temperate transition zones, the ecological effects of extreme cold events have been understudied, and the influence of warming winter temperatures has too often been left out of climate change vulnerability assessments. Here, we examine the influence of extreme cold events on the northward range limits of a diverse group of tropical organisms, including terrestrial plants, coastal wetland plants, coastal fishes, sea turtles, terrestrial reptiles, amphibians, manatees, and insects. For these organisms, extreme cold events can lead to major physiological damage or landscape-scale mass mortality. Conversely, the absence of extreme cold events can foster population growth, range expansion, and ecological regime shifts. We discuss the effects of warming winters on species and ecosystems in tropical-temperate transition zones. In the 21st century, climate change-induced decreases in the frequency and intensity of extreme cold events are expected to facilitate the poleward range expansion of many tropical species. Our review highlights critical knowledge gaps for advancing understanding of the ecological implications of the tropicalization of temperate ecosystems in North America.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Philip W Stevens
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, St. Petersburg, FL, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Barry D Keim
- Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | | | - Eric A Reyier
- Herndon Solutions Group, LLC, NASA Environmental and Medical Contract, Mail Code: NEM-022, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
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Griffen BD, Bailey J, Carver J, Vernier A, DiNuzzo ER, Anderson L, Meidell M, Potter B. Mechanisms of possible self-limitation in the invasive Asian shore crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus. Sci Rep 2020; 10:16908. [PMID: 33037256 PMCID: PMC7547685 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-74053-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Population sizes of invasive species are commonly characterized by boom-bust dynamics, and self-limitation via resource depletion is posited as one factor leading to these boom-bust changes in population size. Yet, while this phenomenon is well-documented in plants, few studies have demonstrated that self-limitation is possible for invasive animal species, especially those that are mobile. Here we examined the invasive Asian shore crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus, a species that reached very high abundances throughout invaded regions of North America, but has recently declined in many of these same regions. We examined the relationship between diet, energy storage, reproduction, and growth in crabs collected from the New Hampshire coast. We show that energy storage and reproduction both increase with diet quality, while growth declines with diet quality. These results suggest that self-limitation may be a contributing factor to the recent declines of H. sanguineus at sites where this invader was once much more abundant. Further, these results suggest a diet-associated tradeoff in energy allocation to different vital rates, with a focus on reproduction when high quality resources are consumed, and a focus instead on growth when poor quality resources are consumed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blaine D Griffen
- Biology Department, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84662, USA.
| | - James Bailey
- Biology Department, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84662, USA
| | - Jade Carver
- Biology Department, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84662, USA
| | - Ashley Vernier
- Biology Department, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84662, USA
| | | | - Lars Anderson
- Biology Department, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84662, USA
| | - Morgan Meidell
- Biology Department, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84662, USA
| | - Ben Potter
- Biology Department, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84662, USA
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