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

沿海生态系统易受在不同空间和时间尺度上发生的不同形式的干扰。一种特殊形式的生物干扰，即入侵物种的传播，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，这些入侵也可以被看作是正在进行的自然实验，提供了机会来测试广泛的假设建立和随后的沿海物种之间的相互作用。入侵物种如绿色蟹（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，允许或促进该物种成功入侵的机制（及其对水产养殖，渔业和本地生物多样性的后续影响）远未被理解。因此，为了了解这些物种如何在竞争中击败本地螃蟹物种并耗尽猎物种群，对这些近似机制的分析至关重要。目前在爱德华王子岛东部建立了绿色螃蟹种群，而在该岛西北部却没有，这是研究这些近因的自然实验。最终，这种沿海入侵作为一个模型，以更好地了解物种的相互作用和沿海社区在圣劳伦斯湾和其他地方的功能。

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.