Temperature and Salinity Preferences of Adult American Horseshoe Crabs (Limulus polyphemus) in the Great Bay Estuary, New Hampshire U.S.A

Cheng, Helen; Vaattovaara, Vilma; Connelly, Meghan; Looney, Brianna; Chabot, Christopher C.; Watson, Winsor H.

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-82315-3_33

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 34 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Changes in water temperature are expected to alter the location and phenology of spawning because the onset of spawning is influenced by photoperiod and temperature (Penn & Brockmann, 1994; Brockmann & Johnson, 2011). In the northern end of the range, studies by Cheng, Chabot & Watson (2016), Cheng et al, 2022 have demonstrated the thermosensitivity of horseshoe crabs and their tendency to seek warmer water in the spring. In doing so, they tend to migrate up into estuaries to their preferred spawning sites.…”

Section: Assessment Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of recovery potential for the American horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus): An application of the IUCN green status process

Smith

Brockmann

Carmichael

et al. 2023

Aquatic Conservation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

According to an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assessment (RLA), the American horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus), an iconic coastal species, is at risk of extirpation in some regions within its range where small and vulnerable populations occur. However, the RLA does not consider future status beyond viability and does not attempt to identify the conservation necessary to effectively mitigate threats and recover the species to full ecological functionality. To aid in conservation planning for vulnerable species, the IUCN developed the Green Status of Species assessment (GSA) process to complement the RLA. This paper describes the application of the GSA process to assess the recovery potential of the American horseshoe crab. First, specific Limulus populations within spatial units for conservation were delineated, and their statuses were defined based on viability and ecological functionality. Then conservation actions were identified that would promote recovery and affect their near‐ and long‐term population status under different conservation scenarios. Horseshoe crab conservation has relied on, and will continue to depend on, effective harvest regulation. However, as currently conceived, conservation is not expected to mitigate habitat loss at the scale required to restore range‐wide ecological functionality, primarily because habitat loss is widespread and affected by climate change. Thus, the GSA results, while indicating that there is potential for near‐term recovery gains, reveal that long‐term recovery is in doubt owing to expected loss of habitat. To conserve critical habitats for spawning and early life stages and achieve ecological functionality, it is imperative to identify and develop conservation plans at appropriate spatial scales. Unfortunately, such plans do not currently exist and need to be established. The GSA Green Score can then serve as a metric for monitoring recovery and gauging the effectiveness of conservation implementation.

show abstract