Influence of the Keystone Grazer, Sesarma reticulatum, on the Hydrology and Organic Matter Cycling in Salt Marshes of the Southeastern USA

In salt marshes of the Southeastern USA, purple marsh crabs (Sesarma reticulatum), hereafter Sesarma, aggregate in grazing and burrowing fronts at the heads of tidal creeks, accelerating creek incision into marsh platforms. We explored the effects of this keystone grazer and sediment engineer on salt marsh sediment accumulation, hydrology, and carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) turnover using radionuclides (²¹⁰Pb and ⁷Be), total hydrolyzable amino acids (THAA), and C and N stable isotopes (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) in sediment from paired Sesarma-grazed and un-grazed creeks. Sesarma-grazed-creek sediments exhibited greater bioturbation and tidal inundation compared to sediments in un-grazed creeks, as indicated by larger ²¹⁰Pb and ⁷Be inventories. Total organic carbon (TOC) to total nitrogen (TN) weight ratios (C:N) were higher and δ¹⁵N values were lower in grazed-creek sediments than in un-grazed-creek sediments, suggesting Sesarma remove and assimilate N in their tissues, and excrete N with lower δ¹⁵N values into sediments. In support of this inference, the percent total carbon (TC) and percent TOC declined by nearly half, percent TN decreased by ~ 80%, and the C:N ratio exhibited a ~ threefold increase between Sesarma fore-gut and hind-gut contents. An estimated 91% of Sesarma’s diet was derived from Spartina alterniflora, the region’s dominant salt marsh plant. We found that, as Sesarma grazing fronts progress across marsh landscapes, they enhance the decay of Spartina-derived organic matter and prolong marsh tidal inundation. These findings highlight the need to better account for the effects of keystone grazers and sediment engineers, like Sesarma, in estimates of the stability and size of blue C stores in coastal wetlands.