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The role of foraging in the success of invasive Asian shore crabs in New England

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Abstract

Identifying the characteristics that determine the success of invasive species has been a major goal of ecology for many decades. Most efforts have focused on life history characteristics of introduced species, environmental tolerances, or on species interactions, such as enemy release. Many of these factors are themselves influenced by more fundamental characteristics such as physiological condition, which in turn is determined in large part by energy intake through foraging activities. Thus, foraging strategy may play a large role in determining the success of invaders. We investigate the contribution of foraging to the success of Hemigrapsus sanguineus, a crab that is native to Asia, but that has invaded the northwest Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. We demonstrate four individual foraging patterns of H. sanguineus in its northwest Atlantic invaded range: the presence of seasonal diet shifts, changes in diet with size, individual specialization in diet, and the allocation of current energy intake versus stored energy for reproductive efforts. We highlight how each of these foraging patterns may contribute to the success of this invasive species. Foraging plays a central role in nearly every ecological facet of a species’ ability to survive, reproduce, and thus succeed. We therefore suggest that understanding foraging patterns of introduced species in their new environment can enhance our ability to understand the success or failure of these invasions.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by NSF grant number OCE-1129166 and by the University of South Carolina.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Blaine D. Griffen

  2. Marine Science Program, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Blaine D. Griffen, Bree M. Bess & Joan Hurley

  3. Ocean Process Analysis Laboratory, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, 03824, USA

    Irit Altman

  4. College of Education, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Alicia Penfield

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  1. Blaine D. Griffen
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  2. Irit Altman
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Correspondence to Blaine D. Griffen.

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Griffen, B.D., Altman, I., Bess, B.M. et al. The role of foraging in the success of invasive Asian shore crabs in New England. Biol Invasions 14, 2545–2558 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-012-0251-8

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