Periodic invasions during El Niño events by the predatory lined shore crab (Pachygrapsus crassipes): forecasted effects of its establishment on direct-developing indigenous prey species (Littorinaspp.)

Abstract

Coevolutionary arms races between shelled gastropods and their predators are more escalated near the equator. Therefore, temperate gastropods are predicted to be maladapted to highly specialized tropical shell-crushing crabs. The northern geographical limit of the lined shore crab (Pachygrapsus crassipes J.W. Randall, 1840) does not usually overlap with the southern limit of the Sitka periwinkle (Littorina sitkana Philippi, 1846), which lacks a pelagic larval stage. Large El Niño events increased the winter abundance and poleward transport of P. crassipes larvae from California (USA) in the Davidson Current. Temporary intertidal crab populations that included females with eggs were observed 1–4 years later, >1000 km north of its usual geographical range. Laboratory experiments showed that L. sitkana did not have a size refuge from adult P. crassipes. Moreover, consumption rates of adult L. sitkana by P. crassipes were 10-fold higher than those published for indigenous purple shore crabs (Hemigrapsus nudus (Dana, 1851)) with similar claw sizes. Additionally, the upper intertidal limit of invading P. crassipes was higher than that of H. nudus. Consequently, the invasion of P. crassipes reduced the width of L. sitkana‘s spatial refuge from predation. The permanent presence of this subtropical predator could reduce the intertidal distribution of this temperate gastropod, thereby causing contraction of its southern range limit.