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Effects of the swimming crab Charybdis japonica on sea urchin Mesocentrotus nudus grazing: cage experiments in barren ground and land-based tanks

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Abstract

To examine the effects of the crab Charybdis japonica (72–96 mm in carapace width) on the grazing behavior of the sea urchin Mesocentrotus nudus, cage experiments were conducted in a sea urchin-dominated barren ground and in land-based tanks. In the field, one crab consumed almost all 10 sea urchins (20–40 mm in test diameter: TD) given in an unescapable small-mesh cage within 4–15 days. In a coarse-mesh cage experiment where smaller sea urchins (< 31 mm in TD) could pass through the mesh, a crab prevented intrusion and grazing on kelp blades (100 g per cage), while 4–50 sea urchins intruded and grazed on kelp blades in the control cage (no crabs inside). In the laboratory, different-sized coarse-mesh cage experiments showed that one crab could repel sea urchins and protect kelp blades even in the largest cage (6 m2). Furthermore, a year-round feeding experiment (14 months) revealed that three crabs consumed sea urchins from May to December (> 12 °C in water temperature), and that predation rates varied among the crabs, ranging from 1653 to 4777 g (124 to 312 sea urchins) per crab per year. These results suggest the importance of C. japonica in the control of grazing by M. nudus.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Messe. Y. Kohsaka, R. Sunago N. Kimura and T. Ushirokawa of Omoe Fisheries Cooperative for assistance in the field experiments; Mr. S. Yamane of Miyako Fisheries Cooperative and Dr. N. Shirafuji and Mr. K. Sasaki of Tohoku National Fisheries Research Institute for field assistance in collecting crabs. Mr. S. Saito contributed all the tank experiments. We also thank the editor and two reviewers for their helpful comments which greatly improved the manuscript. This work was partly supported by the research fund of Fisheries Infrastructure Improvement Project of Fisheries Agency of Japan.

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  1. Miyako Laboratory, Fisheries Research and Education Agency, Miyako, Iwate, 027-0097, Japan

    Kousuke Yatsuya & Yukio Matsumoto

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  1. Kousuke Yatsuya
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  2. Yukio Matsumoto
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Correspondence to Kousuke Yatsuya.

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Yatsuya, K., Matsumoto, Y. Effects of the swimming crab Charybdis japonica on sea urchin Mesocentrotus nudus grazing: cage experiments in barren ground and land-based tanks. Fish Sci 87, 817–826 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-021-01555-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-021-01555-0

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