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<p>A potential response to climate warming in ecological systems is reduced body sizes of poikilotherms due to the widespread applicability of the temperature-size rule. Size shifts in response to temperature can occur over contemporary timescales and, in the absence of direct climate studies, projected morphological responses to climate warming may be mirrored by latitudinal clines in body size. The Atlantic blue crab <i>Callinectes sapidus</i> supports the largest crab fishery in the US that incorporates size-based management approaches. This study sampled a range of estuarine and marine environments from lower saline habitats to coastal spawning grounds to investigate spatial and temporal variation in the size of mature female <i>C. sapidus</i>. Long-term fishery-independent trawl surveys in estuarine waters of South Carolina (1979–2018) and nearshore waters of the southeastern US (1989–2018) were included. Mixed-effects modelling revealed that latitude, temperature, and salinity were significant predictors of mature female blue crab size in offshore environments with size decreasing with increasing latitude and a 74-mm difference in the size of the smallest females across offshore regions. Raleigh Bay, but no other region, showed a decrease in size trends over time. These results demonstrate that the temperature-size-rule does not appear to fit the spatial or geographic patterns of <i>C. sapidus</i> size in the southeastern US. A more comprehensive understanding of factors contributing to the large size variability of mature <i>C. sapidus</i> documented in this study, especially a better understanding of undersized mature female crabs, is needed.</p>

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Decadal-Scale Trends in Size of Mature Female Atlantic Blue Crab Callinectes sapidus in Estuarine and Nearshore Waters of the Southeastern US

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年2月19日

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  • Michael Thienes,
  • Tracey Smart,
  • Jeff F. Brunson,
  • Michael R. Kendrick

摘要

A potential response to climate warming in ecological systems is reduced body sizes of poikilotherms due to the widespread applicability of the temperature-size rule. Size shifts in response to temperature can occur over contemporary timescales and, in the absence of direct climate studies, projected morphological responses to climate warming may be mirrored by latitudinal clines in body size. The Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus supports the largest crab fishery in the US that incorporates size-based management approaches. This study sampled a range of estuarine and marine environments from lower saline habitats to coastal spawning grounds to investigate spatial and temporal variation in the size of mature female C. sapidus. Long-term fishery-independent trawl surveys in estuarine waters of South Carolina (1979–2018) and nearshore waters of the southeastern US (1989–2018) were included. Mixed-effects modelling revealed that latitude, temperature, and salinity were significant predictors of mature female blue crab size in offshore environments with size decreasing with increasing latitude and a 74-mm difference in the size of the smallest females across offshore regions. Raleigh Bay, but no other region, showed a decrease in size trends over time. These results demonstrate that the temperature-size-rule does not appear to fit the spatial or geographic patterns of C. sapidus size in the southeastern US. A more comprehensive understanding of factors contributing to the large size variability of mature C. sapidus documented in this study, especially a better understanding of undersized mature female crabs, is needed.