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

沿海生态系统在不同的空间和时间尺度上容易受到不同形式的干扰。一种特殊的生物干扰形式--入侵物种的传播--日益频繁，这是生物学家和沿海管理人员主要关注的问题。有趣的是，这些入侵也可以被视为正在进行的自然实验，提供了测试关于沿海物种之间的建立和随后的相互作用的广泛假设的机会。入侵物种如青蟹(Carcinus Maenas)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(以及随后对水产养殖、渔业和本地生物多样性的影响)还远未被了解。因此，对这些最接近机制的分析对于了解这些物种如何在竞争中胜过本土螃蟹物种和耗尽猎物种群至关重要。目前爱德华王子岛东部绿蟹种群的建立以及它们在该岛西北部的消失，是研究这些直接原因的自然实验。归根结底，这场海岸入侵将成为更好地理解物种相互作用以及圣劳伦斯湾和其他地方沿海社区功能的模式。

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.