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<p>As non-indigenous species continue to invade new coastal areas, there is a growing incidence of spatial overlaps with native species exhibiting similar ecologies. This is the case for the European green crab (<i>Carcinus maenas</i>) a species that in Atlantic Canada has increasingly overlapped with the native rock crab (<i>Cancer irroratus</i>). This study quantified one of the mechanisms by which these species interact, direct adult-juvenile predation, and followed the behavior of juvenile crabs in the absence or presence of large conspecific or heterospecific predators. The assessment of adult-juvenile interactions showed that adult stages of both species actively predate upon juvenile crabs. While adult green crabs consumed proportionally more juvenile rock crabs than juvenile green crabs, rock crab predation and cannibalism rates were lower and more similar between prey. For juveniles of both species, active (searching and feeding) behaviors were highest in the absence of a predator, whereas hiding was lowest. However, the presence of an adult green crab elicited a stronger hiding response. These results suggest that green crabs are more effective predators and represent a more serious threat for juvenile rock crabs, lending little support to the idea that native rock crabs may represent a form of biotic resistance to green crabs.</p>

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Adult-juvenile interactions between decapod crustaceans in Atlantic Canada: Native rock crabs offer little biotic resistance against non-indigenous green crabs

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年2月26日

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  • William G. Bisset,
  • Brandon J. Vriends,
  • Paula Tummon Flynn,
  • Diego Quintanilla-Ahumada,
  • K. Devon Lynn,
  • Pedro A. Quijón

摘要

As non-indigenous species continue to invade new coastal areas, there is a growing incidence of spatial overlaps with native species exhibiting similar ecologies. This is the case for the European green crab (Carcinus maenas) a species that in Atlantic Canada has increasingly overlapped with the native rock crab (Cancer irroratus). This study quantified one of the mechanisms by which these species interact, direct adult-juvenile predation, and followed the behavior of juvenile crabs in the absence or presence of large conspecific or heterospecific predators. The assessment of adult-juvenile interactions showed that adult stages of both species actively predate upon juvenile crabs. While adult green crabs consumed proportionally more juvenile rock crabs than juvenile green crabs, rock crab predation and cannibalism rates were lower and more similar between prey. For juveniles of both species, active (searching and feeding) behaviors were highest in the absence of a predator, whereas hiding was lowest. However, the presence of an adult green crab elicited a stronger hiding response. These results suggest that green crabs are more effective predators and represent a more serious threat for juvenile rock crabs, lending little support to the idea that native rock crabs may represent a form of biotic resistance to green crabs.