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Influence of Environmental Factors on Spawning of the American Horseshoe Crab (Limulus polyphemus) in the Great Bay Estuary, New Hampshire, USA

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Abstract

The Great Bay Estuary, New Hampshire, USA is near the northern distribution limit of the American horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus). This estuary has few ideal beaches for spawning, yet it supports a modest population of horseshoe crabs. There is no organized monitoring program in the Great Bay Estuary, so it is unclear when and where spawning occurs. In this 2-year study (May through June, 2012 and 2013), >5,000 adult horseshoe crabs were counted at four sites in the estuary. The greatest densities of horseshoe crabs were observed at Great Bay sites in the upper, warmer reaches of the estuary. Peaks of spawning activity were not strongly correlated with the times of the new or full moons, and similar numbers of horseshoe crabs were observed mating during daytime and nighttime high tides. While many environmental factors are likely to influence the temporal and spatial patterns of spawning in this estuary, temperature appears to have the most profound impact.

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Acknowledgments

We thank all the volunteers who helped with the surveys, including Alicia Franklin, Mark Messina, Christopher Blackington, the New Hampshire Sea Grant Coastal Research Volunteers, and the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Great Bay Discovery Center. We also thank Raymond Grizzle, David Shay, Jessica Carloni, and Thomas Gregory for sharing their insights and knowledge of the Great Bay Estuary. We also would like to thank Judy Grassle, David R. Smith, and anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and suggestions. This research was funded by the New Hampshire Sea Grant, University of New Hampshire School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering, and a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF-IOS 0920342) to CCC and WHW III.

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  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, 03824, USA

    Helen Cheng & Winsor H. Watson III

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, Plymouth State University, Plymouth, NH, 03264, USA

    Christopher C. Chabot

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  1. Helen Cheng
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Cheng, H., Chabot, C.C. & Watson, W.H. Influence of Environmental Factors on Spawning of the American Horseshoe Crab (Limulus polyphemus) in the Great Bay Estuary, New Hampshire, USA. Estuaries and Coasts 39, 1142–1153 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-015-0044-2

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