Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology最新文献

{"title":"Assessing the potential of eDNA analysis for spawning surveys in marine environments: A case study on Japanese jack mackerel","authors":"Satsuki Tsuji ,&nbsp;Hiroaki Murakami ,&nbsp;Reiji Masuda","doi":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152150","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152150","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding spawning ecology is important for species/population management and conservation. However, conventional surveys are often time- and labour-consuming and invasive. To address these challenges, environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis has emerged as a promising method for spawning surveys. This study investigated the spawning season and diurnal changes in eDNA concentrations targeting Japanese jack mackerel in Maizuru Bay, Japan, to assess the potential of eDNA-based spawning surveys in the marine environment. First, to estimate the spawning season, eDNA concentrations at sunset and sunrise were compared monthly for one year at three sites. As Japanese jack mackerel are nocturnal spawners, eDNA concentration will increase at night during the spawning season. A significant increase in eDNA concentration was observed between sunset and sunrise in July, suggesting that this period corresponded to the spawning season. This was confirmed by egg collection surveys using a plankton net. Second, to investigate diurnal changes in eDNA concentrations during the spawning season, time-series sampling was conducted every three hours for 24 h in July. The results indicated that eDNA concentration showed a significant diurnal change with a peak between 9 PM and midnight, which is suggested to be their spawning time window. This study successfully estimated the spawning season of Japanese jack mackerel and demonstrated the potential of eDNA-based spawning surveys for the first time in marine environments. Our findings are expected to facilitate the application of eDNA analysis as a new approach to overcome traditional challenges in marine spawning surveys and contribute to the development of the field.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50197,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology","volume":"594 ","pages":"Article 152150"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145580014","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of warming on European green crab (Carcinus maenas) populations from larvae to sexual maturity","authors":"João N. Monteiro ,&nbsp;Andreia Ovelheiro ,&nbsp;Laura Sordo ,&nbsp;Jorge Palma ,&nbsp;Miguel Pinto ,&nbsp;Maria Alexandra Teodósio ,&nbsp;Francisco Leitão","doi":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152160","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152160","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the effects of climate change on the physiology of marine species, particularly during their early life stages (larvae and juveniles), is essential for predicting population dynamics. <em>Carcinus maenas</em> is a widely distributed species of significant ecological and economic importance. This experimental study investigates the effects of warming on the early life stages of the European green crab, <em>C. maenas,</em> through two complementary experiments: (1) larval development and survival were assessed under three temperature regimes—approximately 18.5 °C (representing the annual average Portuguese seawater temperature between 1980 and 2020, used as the control), and two projected climate change scenarios: RCP 4.5 (+1.5 °C) and RCP 8.5 (+3.5 °C), and (2) juvenile survival and growth were monitored in mesocosms from early settlement to sexual maturity. Results indicated that larval mortality exceeded 90 % across all treatments, with 75 % occurring within the first 8 days (95 % CI: 7–8), and that warming enhanced larval survival, with the RCP 4.5 scenario yielding the highest survival rates compared with the control. Additionally, warming also reduced the pelagic larval duration, which declined from 27 (±2) days at 18.5 °C to 16 (±1) days at 22 °C. Similarly, the duration of the megalopa (settlement) stage decreased from 10 to 6 days. Therefore, despite high mortality, accelerated development under warming may enhance population resilience. Juvenile mortality was also high, with 50 % of settled individuals dying within the first 50 (95 % CI: 31–46) days, and differences in growth and survival between sexes were observed: females reached sexual maturity faster than males 83 ± 12 and 109 ± 20 days, respectively. Moreover, only 24 % (95 % CI: 16–34) of the settled females reached sexual maturity, compared to just 9 % of males (95 % CI: 5–18). These results indicate that <em>C. maenas</em> reach reproductive maturity within six months. The biological data reveal a fast growth increment, high larval and juvenile mortality, and suggest that projected climate change scenarios through the end of the century will have a limited impact on the species' population dynamics and recruitment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50197,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology","volume":"594 ","pages":"Article 152160"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145839747","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ripped and torn off: insights into autumn carbon loss in shallow subarctic sugar kelp","authors":"Stéphanie Roy ,&nbsp;Ladd E. Johnson ,&nbsp;Christian Nozais ,&nbsp;Fanny Noisette","doi":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152157","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152157","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Kelp forests, recently recognized for their potential to capture and store carbon, remain relatively underexplored in their actual contributions to carbon budgets. Here, we investigated the carbon release dynamics of the sugar kelp, <em>Saccharina latissima</em>, a dominant kelp species of shallow subarctic zones, which is seasonally impacted by ice scour. Our study focused on autumn and winter, combining field assessments with laboratory experiments to quantify and compare mechanisms of biomass and carbon loss, and thus contributing new insights into seasonal kelp-derived carbon flows in these environments. Daily dislodgement rates were comparable to temperate regions, with higher rates in autumn than winter, contrary to our initial hypothesis about ice scouring effects. Apical blade erosion rates aligned with previous regional studies but were lower than temperate sites, possibly due to reduced bryozoan encrustation and colder waters. Laboratory measurements revealed higher dissolved organic carbon (DOC) release compared to other kelp species, while particulate organic carbon (POC) loss was 8-fold higher than DOC release. This study underscores the need for comprehensive annual measurements to refine carbon budgets, especially in subarctic kelp forests, where carbon contributions are likely underestimated, particularly in shallow, seasonally dynamic environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50197,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology","volume":"594 ","pages":"Article 152157"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145839744","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Habitat determines predation effects on sessile marine invertebrate communities at a tropical and temperate site","authors":"Luis De Gracia-Núñez ,&nbsp;Carmen Schlöder ,&nbsp;Javier Pinochet ,&nbsp;Gregory M. Ruiz ,&nbsp;Antonio Brante ,&nbsp;Mark E. Torchin","doi":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152152","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152152","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Species interactions, such as predation, shape biological diversity by influencing community composition, species richness, and abundance. While predation is generally considered stronger in tropical than in temperate ecosystems, evidence from marine systems remains mixed. Many studies report stronger predation at lower latitudes, yet others show substantial predation at higher latitudes, likely due to variation in predator guilds. Studies reporting weaker predation in temperate marine invertebrate communities often focus on suspended substrates accessible to swimming predators like fish, whereas benthic habitats at higher latitudes reveal significant predation effects driven by invertebrate predators.</div><div>To help reconcile these apparent inconsistencies, we conducted simultaneous experiments in Panama (tropical) and Chile (temperate) to assess the effects of benthic and swimming predators on sessile marine communities at well-studied sites. We used three-month predator exclusion experiments to test predation effects on community assembly, and two-week reciprocal transplant experiments to evaluate predation impacts on established communities.</div><div>Our results show that benthic predation reduced biomass and altered species composition in both locations, whereas predation effects on suspended communities occurred only in Panama. Although our study focused on one tropical and one temperate location, it highlights the need to consider habitat and predator identity when comparing biogeographical patterns. While predation was generally stronger in Panama, our findings also demonstrate that benthic predators play a key role in structuring temperate marine invertebrate communities in Chile. These findings help reconcile conflicting results in the literature and underscore the importance of considering multiple predator guilds when examining latitudinal patterns of species interactions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50197,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology","volume":"594 ","pages":"Article 152152"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145624587","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Feeding behavior responses of Paracalanus parvus and Calanus sinicus to three typical HABs algae at different concentrations","authors":"Zixuan Ding ,&nbsp;Xiaohong Sun ,&nbsp;Xiangjing Kong ,&nbsp;Juntao Li ,&nbsp;Guang Gao","doi":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152155","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152155","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigated the feeding behaviors of two copepods, <em>Paracalanus parvus</em> and <em>Calanus sinicus</em> on three algae species (<em>Heterosigma akashiwo</em>, <em>Prorocentrum micans</em>, and <em>Skeletonema costatum</em>). High-speed cameras were used to record feeding behaviors and metrics including beating frequency (BF), beating time (BT), and rejection behavior. The results showed that the average BF and BT of <em>P. parvus</em> were significantly higher than those of <em>C. sinicus</em>, indicating that <em>P. parvus</em> displayed more active feeding behavior. In addition, the average BF of <em>P. parvus</em> fed diatoms was significantly higher than that of others, exhibiting a stronger top-down control of <em>P. parvus</em> over diatoms. Further analysis on the algae at different concentrations revealed that when <em>P. parvus</em> was fed on <em>H. akashiwo</em>, the average BT exhibited an initial increase followed by a decrease, and when fed <em>P. micans</em>, the average BF exhibited a significant decrease, however, when feeding on <em>S. costatum</em>, neither of two species of copepods showed a significant trend with increasing algal concentration. These results further verify that <em>P. parvus</em> exhibits stronger feeding control on diatom, comparatively, <em>C. sinicus</em> was not influenced by increasing algal concentration. This study clarifies the strong control ability of small copepods and provides evidence for the analysis of top-down control.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50197,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology","volume":"594 ","pages":"Article 152155"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145736898","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Polar Micro- and Meiobentos is resistant to prolonged light limitation: Mesocosm shading experiment in the white sea intertidal","authors":"Andrey I. Azovsky ,&nbsp;Anton S. Esaulov ,&nbsp;Maria A. Saburova ,&nbsp;Lesya A. Garlitska ,&nbsp;Darya A. Portnova ,&nbsp;Kristina I. Prokina ,&nbsp;Dmitri G. Zagumyonnyi ,&nbsp;Denis V. Tikhonenkov ,&nbsp;Natalia G. Mazei ,&nbsp;Alexey A. Udalov ,&nbsp;Margarita V. Chikina ,&nbsp;Vadim O. Mokievsky ,&nbsp;Xiaolei Li ,&nbsp;Wenjing Zhang ,&nbsp;Andrey F. Medvedev ,&nbsp;Olga A. Grum-Grzhimaylo ,&nbsp;Ekaterina N. Bubnova ,&nbsp;Andrey O. Plotnikov ,&nbsp;Alexander A. Ivanovskii ,&nbsp;Andrey N. Tsyganov ,&nbsp;Yuri A. Mazei","doi":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152149","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152149","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A natural micro- (ciliates, diatoms, flagellates) and meiobenthic (nematodes, harpacticoids) assemblage from the White Sea intertidal was used to study the effect of irradiance on the sustainability and species composition. Four treatments were maintained for two months: unshaded (control), lightly shaded (90 % light flux), semi-shaded (50 %), and completely shaded (darkness). Different groups of organisms displayed a variety of responses to the light conditions. Abundance and diversity of diatoms were not significantly affected by the light regime, except for the largest size class (&gt;1000 μm³), which decreased in abundance fourfold. At the same time, redox potential and nitrate content decreased in the dark treated sediments, and the ratio of reduced (<span><math><msubsup><mi>NH</mi><mn>4</mn><mo>+</mo></msubsup><mo>)</mo></math></span> to oxidized (<span><math><msubsup><mi>NO</mi><mn>3</mn><mo>−</mo></msubsup><mo>+</mo><msubsup><mi>NO</mi><mn>2</mn><mo>−</mo></msubsup><mo>)</mo></math></span> forms of nitrogen increased consistently, as the phaeopigments to chlorophyll <em>a</em> ratio. These results are consistent with the survival of small-to-medium-sized diatoms under dark and hypoxic conditions owing to switch their metabolic pathway from photosynthesis to dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA). Evidence was provided in support of less ability of large diatoms to stock nitrates intracellularly and employ DNRA. Other groups, both autotrophs (phytoflagellates) and heterotrophs (flagellates, ciliates, nematodes and harpacticoids) decreased in abundance under fully shaded conditions, whereas diversity and assemblage structure were less affected by shading. These changes, however, did not exceed the range of natural spatiotemporal variability observed at the site, indicating a pronounced resistance of the polar benthic community to two-month light limitation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50197,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology","volume":"594 ","pages":"Article 152149"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145532981","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Substrate selectivity in the byssal attachment behavior of Ruditapes philippinarum (Bivalvia: Veneridae)","authors":"Seiji Takeuchi ,&nbsp;Momoka Nakachi ,&nbsp;Mizuki Matsubara ,&nbsp;Sho Sankoda","doi":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152158","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152158","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Ruditapes philippinarum</em> is an infaunal adult-byssate bivalve. In byssal attachment behavior, <em>R. philippinarum</em> clams can use various types (e.g., shell debris, mineral grain, and metallic, glass, ceramic, and plastic pieces) and sizes (e.g., sand grain, granule, pebble, and cobble) of substrates as objects for adhesion. Substrate selectivity in byssal attachment behavior has been well studied in mytilid bivalves, whereas it remains undescribed for <em>R. philippinarum</em>. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that <em>R. philippinarum</em> clams select substrates for byssal attachment, like mytilid bivalves. For this purpose, a combination of a field survey and laboratory experiments was conducted. The field survey was conducted at three intertidal sedimentary sites with different ratios of shell debris and mineral grain, and the proportional availability and use of the two substrate types were compared. A similar comparison was made in the laboratory experiments using substrates of three different sizes (i.e., sand grain, small pebble, and large pebble), whose availability was evaluated based on the total surface area. Our results indicated that substrate selectivity for byssal attachment of <em>R. philippinarum</em> was confirmed only for the size of substrate and that the type of substrate was not significant. In this selectivity, clams preferentially selected substrates larger than a threshold grain size that varied with given clam size and substrate availability. In addition, the position and inclination of substrates also seemed important. Suitable substrates for byssal attachment are often rapidly buried by sedimentation in nature, to deeper sediment layers that are inaccessible for juvenile clams. Therefore, a steady supply of riverine gravel and/or continuous dead-shell deposition from dense adult populations into surficial sediments is considered to be essential natural components to facilitate clam recruitment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50197,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology","volume":"594 ","pages":"Article 152158"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145839745","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Deeply diverged ITS lineages and polyploid hybrids in the beadlet anemone Actinia equina suggest a ploidy-based barrier to gene flow between cryptic morphotypes","authors":"C.S. Wilding ,&nbsp;N. Sims ,&nbsp;T. Biswell-Izzard ,&nbsp;B. Raymond","doi":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152142","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152142","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pedal disc (PD) colour morphotypes (grey/green vs red/pink) of <em>A. equina</em> differ in ecology, distribution, behaviour, allozyme frequencies, and mtDNA haplotype, but DNA-level analyses of differentiation remain limited. Here, sequencing of rDNA (including ITS) from 235 <em>A. equina</em> and 12 <em>A. fragacea</em> from the UK and Ireland identified 18 haplotypes—13 in <em>A. equina</em> and 5 in <em>A. fragacea</em>. <em>A. equina</em> haplotypes formed two deeply divergent clades (A and B) which in a haplotype network were separated by a minimum of 107 mutational steps over a 750-character alignment. Group A haplotypes were closely related (1–2 mutational steps) to <em>A. bermudensis</em> (western Atlantic distribution) and <em>A. tenebrosa</em> (Australasian distribution), suggesting either a pan-global lineage or a recent introduction. Strong association exists between rDNA haplotype and PD colour (Χ² = 146.92, <em>p</em> &lt; 0.0001), with A/B heterozygotes more common in red PD (43.2 %) than green PD (8.8 %) individuals and on mid- to upper-shores. Flow cytometric analysis of ploidy showed all <em>A. fragacea</em> and 58 % of <em>A. equina</em> were diploid, while 42 % of <em>A. equina</em> were putatively triploid. All putative triploids were A/B diplotype heterozygotes, suggesting differences in ploidy between ITS homozygotes and heterozygotes in the wider sample set. These findings reveal deep genetic divergence within <em>A. equina</em>, associated with PD colouration, and suggest that although interbreeding between lineages may occur, the prevalence of triploid heterozygotes indicates partial reproductive isolation. High ITS sequence similarity across <em>Actinia</em> species further suggests that broader genomic analysis is needed to inform potential taxonomic revision.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50197,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology","volume":"593 ","pages":"Article 152142"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145416543","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Diatom defense strategies: Impact of predation on DAB and BMAA production in Phaeodactylum tricornutum","authors":"Sea-Yong Kim ,&nbsp;Per Hedberg ,&nbsp;Ulla Rasmussen ,&nbsp;Sara Rydberg","doi":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152134","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152134","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>2, 4-diaminobutryic acid (DAB) and its structural isomer β-<em>N</em>-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) are environmental agents associated with neurotoxicity. A variety of aquatic microorganisms, including diatoms, have the capability to produce DAB and BMAA. Previous research has demonstrated an increase in DAB production in the diatom <em>Thalassiosira pseudonana</em> as a result of predation. Therefore, in this study, we investigated whether the production of DAB as a defensive metabolite is a species-specific strategy or a general approach employed by diatoms to counter predation. The diatom species <em>Phaeodactylum tricornutum</em> and <em>Chaetoceros socialis</em>, along with the copepod <em>Tigriopus</em> sp. were used for the experiment. The copepod did not consume <em>C. socialis</em>, and no specific regulation of DAB and BMAA productions was observed in any of the diatom species. The findings show that the production of DAB and BMAA does not contribute to the defense mechanisms of the diatom <em>P. tricornutum</em>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50197,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology","volume":"593 ","pages":"Article 152134"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145107495","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mark-recapture reveals differential survival based on harvest method in a claw-only stone crab fishery, with notes on identifying harvest method used and improving autotomy efficiency","authors":"Eric V.C. Schneider ,&nbsp;Travis E. Van Leeuwen ,&nbsp;Erin N. Parker ,&nbsp;E. Chris Symonette ,&nbsp;Julia K. Kichorowsky ,&nbsp;Candice Brittain ,&nbsp;Iain J. McGaw","doi":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152140","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jembe.2025.152140","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Stone crab is the target of a substantial and growing claw-only fishery in the Caribbean, Central America, and the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the southeastern US. The most widely used technique to harvest claws is the forced break method, and while this method can induce autotomy, there is increasing evidence that this may not always occur and can result in a break-type injury and subsequent death of the crab. In this study, a combination of experiments were used to 1) compare recapture rates of stone crab that had one or both claws removed using a puncture-induced autotomy method or a forced break method, 2) assess whether removed claws could be visually distinguished by removal method, and 3) compare survival rates and claw removal times using various tools for inducing autotomy in harvest scenarios. Crabs that had claws removed using the puncture method were recaptured on average 14.1 % more often than crabs that had claws removed using the forced break method. All claws removed using the puncture method were observed to have a distinct triangle pattern remaining on the proximal end of the harvested claw. There was no significant difference in survival among tools used to induce autotomy or whether the implement was inserted into the proximal or distal arthrodial membrane of the claw. Puncture methods conducted in the proximal membrane took significantly less time for the crab to release the claw. These investigations provide additional support for the adoption of the puncture method as the optimal harvest method for stone crab survival.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50197,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology","volume":"593 ","pages":"Article 152140"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145320791","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}