Migrations of adult horseshoe crabs,Limulus polyphemus, in the Middle Atlantic Bight: A 17-year tagging study

Swan, Benjie L.

doi:10.1007/bf02732751

Cited by 53 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…There is significantly more male migration between these two bays than female gene flow (King et al 2005). This sex-biased dispersal implies that should a population become extirpated, gene flow alone may not be sufficient to repopulate an area due to limited larval dispersal potential (Botton and Loveland 2003) and female migration (Swan 2005) between embayments (King et al 2005). Any further quantification of the degree of migration between Delaware and Chesapeake Bays is difficult due the absence of genetic structure between sample collections from the two bays.…”

Section: Population Genetic Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Abbreviations for spawning site collections are found in Table 1 Bay crabs. Swan (2005) found that among the 14 horseshoe crabs that were tagged in DE Bay and observed to have traveled [100 km, one was recovered in the Chesapeake Bay, but not during spawning season.…”

Section: Population Genetic Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cheng et al (2015) found that males matured after about 17 molts (approximately 9 years), and females matured after about 18 molts (approximately 10 years). Marked adults have been observed over 6-10 years, which means that some individuals may reach at least 20 years of age (Shuster 1958;Ropes 1961;Botton and Ropes 1988;Grady et al 2001;Swan 2005;Brockmann and Johnson 2011;Beekey and Mattei 2015). Horseshoe crabs attain largest average size at the central portion of their range (Delaware Bay) and are significantly smaller north of Long Island Sound and in the Gulf of México (Shuster 1979;Graham et al 2009;Smith and Brockmann 2014) and México.…”

Section: Development and Growthmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Along the Mid-Altantic coast, many populations migrate to the ocean. While the greatest proportion of the Delaware Bay horseshoe crabs appear to migrate to the continental shelf (Botton and Ropes 1987;Hata and Hallerman 2008), tagging data indicate that some Delaware Bay crabs and most crabs across the New England States remain within local regions and overwinter in local embayments (Botton and Ropes 1987;James-Pirri et al 2005;Swan 2005;Moore and Perrin 2007;Beekey and Mattei 2009;Schaller et al 2010;Beekey and Mattei 2015). Landi et al (2015) found that spawning beach locations within Long Island Sound tended to be those closer to offshore locations where adults were caught in trawl surveys.…”

Section: Migration and Dispersalmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Conservation status of the American horseshoe crab, (Limulus polyphemus): a regional assessment

Smith

Brockmann

Beekey³

et al. 2016

Rev Fish Biol Fisheries

110

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Section: Population Genetic Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Population Genetic Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Development and Growthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Migration and Dispersalmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Conservation status of the American horseshoe crab, (Limulus polyphemus): a regional assessment

Smith

Brockmann

Beekey³

et al. 2016

Rev Fish Biol Fisheries

110

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Because of the lack of information about horseshoe crab biology, this plan required states to develop monitoring programs. Subsequently, a number of studies have increased our understanding of the population biology and spawning habits of horseshoe crabs in DE Bay (Smith et al 2002a, b;Swan 2005), New York (Hanna 2001), Massachusetts (Carmichael et al 2003;James-Pirri et al 2005;Leschen et al 2006), and Maine (Moore and Perrin 2007). Recently, a male-only harvest was instituted in DE Bay (ASMFC 2008), but little information is available on natural breeding sex ratios (operational sex ratio or OSR) or the likely effect of sex-biased harvesting on horseshoe crab populations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Long-Term Study of Spawning Activity in a Florida Gulf Coast Population of Horseshoe Crabs (Limulus polyphemus)

Brockmann

Johnson

2011

Estuaries and Coasts

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Populations of the American horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) differ in broad areas of their biology. We observed a non-harvested, marked Florida Gulf coast population during their spring spawning (March-May) in 11 years across a 17-year period (1992)(1993)(1994)(1995)(1996)(1997)(1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)). Long-term changes occurred in the number of spawning pairs: the population was stable from 1992 to 2000 but increased markedly after 2000. Short-term variation in numbers of spawning pairs, unpaired females, unpaired males, and operational sex ratios was explained by changes over the season and during each week of spring tides and by differences in actual (not predicted) maximum high tide height. Wind direction strongly affected tidal inundation and the number of spawning horseshoe crabs. Tagging individuals revealed that females returned to the nesting beach less often than males and most females were resighted only within 1 week of spring tides. No animals were seen across more than 6 years. Implications for management are discussed.

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Telemetry reveals migratory drivers and disparate space use across seasons and age‐groups in American horseshoe crabs

et al. 2021

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Identifying mechanisms that underpin animal migration patterns and examining variability in space use within populations is crucial for understanding population dynamics and management implications. In this study, we quantified the migration rates, seasonal changes in migratory connectivity, and residency across population demographics (age and sex) to understand the proximate cues of migration timing in American horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus). Juvenile (n = 25) and adult (n = 70) horseshoe crabs were tracked with acoustic telemetry techniques for a 3‐yr period in Moriches Bay, NY. Connectivity metrics and residency probability were quantified through spatial network analysis and empirically derived Markov Chain models (EDMC), respectively. The migratory probability of adult horseshoe crabs between Moriches Bay and the Atlantic Ocean was estimated to be 41.0% (95% CI: 34.0–59.8); in contrast, only 8% (95% CI: 1.2–31.6) of juveniles migrated into the ocean. Migration timing was influenced by the interaction of photoperiod and temperature, revealing seasonal differences in migration timing and a 50% narrower range of photoperiod and temperature over which fall migrations occurred compared to spring. Sex‐specific differences in space use and connectivity within each season were largely absent; however, centralized habitats were important for maintaining connectivity across all seasons. EDMC results revealed that when standardized to the number of horseshoe crab detections on each receiver, the centrally located habitats in Moriches Bay and Inlet accounted for >50% of the total relative residency probability within most seasons, indicating these areas may be preferred by adult horseshoe crabs. Ontogenetic differences in maximum spatial extent, space use, and connectivity were observed in the bay, as juveniles exhibited lower linkages between locations (n = 4) relative to adults (n = 13) during the same temporal period. Our work highlights the application of novel quantitative approaches for addressing the movement dynamics of horseshoe crabs that can be readily applied to other taxa in the context of wildlife conservation.

show abstract

Migrations of adult horseshoe crabs,Limulus polyphemus, in the Middle Atlantic Bight: A 17-year tagging study

Cited by 53 publications

References 12 publications

Conservation status of the American horseshoe crab, (Limulus polyphemus): a regional assessment

Conservation status of the American horseshoe crab, (Limulus polyphemus): a regional assessment

A Long-Term Study of Spawning Activity in a Florida Gulf Coast Population of Horseshoe Crabs (Limulus polyphemus)

Telemetry reveals migratory drivers and disparate space use across seasons and age‐groups in American horseshoe crabs

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