Dispersal and species interactions in coastal habitats: using invasive species as a model system

沿海生态系统在不同时空尺度上容易受到不同形式的干扰。一种特殊形式的生物干扰，即入侵物种的扩散，日益频繁，引起了生物学家和沿海管理人员的主要关注。有趣的是，这些入侵也可以被视为正在进行的自然实验，为检验关于沿海物种建立和随后相互作用的广泛假设提供了机会。绿蟹（Carcinus maenas）等入侵物种的破坏性影响在北美东部和全世界都是众所周知的。然而，允许或促进该物种作为入侵者成功的机制（及其对水产养殖、渔业和本地生物多样性的后续影响）还远未被了解。因此，对这些近似机制的分析对于了解这些物种如何与本地螃蟹物种竞争并耗尽猎物种群至关重要。目前在爱德华王子岛东部建立的绿蟹种群和在该岛西北部的缺失可以作为研究这些近因的自然实验。最终，这种沿海入侵可以作为一个模型，更好地理解圣劳伦斯湾和其他地方的物种相互作用和沿海社区的功能。

Coastal ecosystems are vulnerable to different forms of disturbance acting at different spatial and temporal scales. The increasing frequency of one particular form of biological disturbance, the spread of invasive species, is cause for major concern among biologists and coastal managers. Interestingly, these invasions can also be seen as ongoing natural experiments that provide the opportunity to test broad hypotheses about establishment of and subsequent interactions among coastal species. The devastating effects of invasive species such as the green crab (Carcinus maenas) are well known on Eastern North America and worldwide. However, the mechanisms that allow or promote this species success as an invader (and its subsequent impact on aquaculture, fishery, and native biodiversity) are far from understood. The analysis of these proximate mechanisms is therefore critical in order to understand how these species out-compete native crab species and deplete prey populations. The current establishment of green crab populations in Eastern Prince Edward Island and their absence from the North-Western portion of the island serves as a natural experiment to study these proximate causes. Ultimately, this coastal invasion serves as a model to better understand species interactions and the functioning of coastal communities on the Gulf of St. Lawrence and elsewhere.