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Accession: INV-GCES-1010 Research Theme: Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology (Directed Study)
Contributors: Brian R. Silliman, John Griffin, Nicole Soomdat, Zachary Chejanovski, Kamala Earl, Jack Butler
Title: Experimental manipulation of predatory crab species identity (Panopeus obesus vs. Eurytium limosum) and size-structure and assessment of effects on invertebrate densities, sediment properties and plant biomass.
Abstract: Predatory mud crabs (Panopeus obesus and Eurytium limosum) are two of the main resident infaunal predators in southeastern US salt marshes. Little is known, however, about their effects on important prey species, or their influences on sediment or plant properties. These influences are likely to be dependent on the identity of species and the size-stucture of the population. We therefore manipulated the species identity (Panopeus or Eurtium) and size-structure. The size-structure treatrment had four levels: small [9 individuals, each 18-22mm carapace diameter], medium [6 ind. 24 -28mm], large [3 ind. 32-36mm], mixed (3 small, 2 medium, 1 large, all within same cage). The numbers of crabs in each size-structure treatment were chosen to capture natural size-abundance relationships. The treatments were maintained in experimental cages (70 x 70 x 100 cm, length, width, height) in the mid-Spartina zone at Dean Creek, Sapelo Island, GA. We maintained the treatments over 4 months (July - October 2010), before assessing impacts on prey densitities (mud fiddler crabs, ribbed mussels and marsh periwinkles), and ecosystem properties (aboveground plant biomass, sediment redox potential, sediment water content).
DOI: 10.6073/pasta/fbedaf707052471e70682a1b51336236
Key Words: Aquatic Invertebrate Monitoring, Eurytium, Littoraria, organic, Panopeus, primary production, salt marshes, Spartina
LTER Core Area: Population Studies
Research Themes: Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology
Study Period: 01-Jul-2010 to 01-Oct-2010
Study Sites:
Sapelo -- Sapelo Island, Sapelo Island, Georgia
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Data Table: INV-GCES-1010 (Main data table for data set INV-GCES-1010, 79 records)

Access: Public (released 15-Oct-2012)

Metadata: Text (ESA FLED), XML (Ecological Metadata Language)

Data Formats: Spreadsheet (CSV) [7.26kb],  Text File [5.16kb],  MATLAB (GCE Toolbox) [162.87kb],  MATLAB (Variables) [NaNkb],  Text Report [22.95kb]

Column List:(hide)

Column Name Units Type Description
1 Species none string Species of mud crab
2 Size none string Size Structure of mud crabs within experimental plot (also includes two control treatments)
3 Snails count integer Final density of snails (Littoraria irrorata)
4 Flag_Snails none string QA/QC flags for Final density of snails (Littoraria irrorata) (flagging criteria, where "x" is Snails: x<0="I", x>175="Q")
5 Fiddlers count integer Final density of fiddler crabs (Uca pugnax)
6 Flag_Fiddlers none string QA/QC flags for Final density of fiddler crabs (Uca pugnax) (flagging criteria, where "x" is Fiddlers: x<0="I", x>200="Q")
7 Mussels count integer Final density of mussels (Geukensia demissa)
8 Flag_Mussels none string QA/QC flags for Final density of mussels (Geukensia demissa) (flagging criteria, where "x" is Mussels: x<0="I", x>100="Q")
9 Sediment_satuaration percent floating-point Percent water mass of sediment core
10 Flag_Sediment_satuaration none string QA/QC flags for Percent water mass of sediment core (flagging criteria, where "x" is Sediment_satuaration: x<0="I", x>100="I")
11 Sediment_redox_potential mV floating-point Redox of sediment (mean of 6 random samples/plot)
12 Flag_​Sediment_​redox_​potential none string QA/QC flags for Redox of sediment (mean of 6 random samples/plot) (flagging criteria, where "x" is Sediment_redox_potential: x<-100="Q", x>100="Q")
13 Leaf_scars_(radulations) cm floating-point Mean of all leaves of 10 plants
14 Flag_​Leaf_​scars_​(radulations) none string QA/QC flags for Mean of all leaves of 10 plants (flagging criteria, where "x" is Leaf_scars_(radulations): x<0="I", x>10="Q")
15 Abveground_​biomass_​of_​Spartina grams floating-point Total dried Spartina biomass per plot
16 Flag_​Abveground_​biomass_​of_​Spartina none string QA/QC flags for Total dried Spartina biomass per plot (flagging criteria, where "x" is Abveground_biomass_of_Spartina: x<0="I", x>300="Q")
Statistics: Generate script code to retrieve data tables for analysis in: MATLAB, R, SAS, SPSS
Citation: Silliman, Brian R. 2010. Experimental manipulation of predatory crab species identity (Panopeus obesus vs. Eurytium limosum) and size-structure and assessment of effects on invertebrate densities, sediment properties and plant biomass. Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER Project, University of Georgia, Long Term Ecological Research Network. http://dx.doi.org/10.6073/pasta/fbedaf707052471e70682a1b51336236

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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under grants OCE-9982133, OCE-0620959, OCE-1237140 and OCE-1832178. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.