The positive effect of coexisting ecosystem engineers: a unique seaweed-mussel association provides refuge for native mud crabs against a non-indigenous predator.

ABSTRACT: In marine sedimentary bottoms, mussels and macroalgae have long been recognized as important autogenic engineers that create habitat and modify abiotic conditions. The structural complexity added by bivalves and macroalgae may also mediate intraguild predation amongst marine decapod crustaceans. While spatial distributions of these ecosystem engineers frequently overlap, there is limited understanding of compounded effects when more than one engineer is present. Here we demonstrate that the coexistence of two ecosystem engineers may create habitat valuable for the survival of a small native species, the Atlantic mud crab (Panopeus herbstii), in the presence of the invasive green crab (Carcinus maenas). Using laboratory and field habitat mimics, we measured mud crab survival r

SUBMITTER: Tummon Flynn P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7759126 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature