TY - JOUR

T1 - Trends in Early Larval Traits of a Global Invader at Home Across a Latitudinal Gradient: The European Shore Crab Carcinus maenas

AU - Geißel, Jan Phillipp

AU - Espinosa-Novo, Noe

AU - Gimenez Noya, Luis

AU - Aberle, Nicole

AU - van der Meeren, Gro

AU - Rautenberger, Ralf

AU - Harzsch, Steffen

AU - Torres, Gabriela

PY - 2025/4/18

Y1 - 2025/4/18

N2 - Aim: This study sets out to understand the variability in larval traits of dispersive life stages of a famous invader, the Europeanshore crab Carcinus maenas, in its native distribution range.Location: North East Atlantic coast from the Norwegian Arctic to the southern European distribution limit of C. maenas inSouthern Spain.Taxon: European shore crab Carcinus maenas (Crustacea, Decapoda).Methods: We quantified latitudinal patterns in larval body mass, elemental composition (C and N content), and thermal toler-ance of the first larval stage. We collected crabs from four populations spanning 25° of latitude (Vigo in Northern Spain; Bergen,Trondheim, and Bodø in Norway) and reanalysed published and unpublished data of body mass and elemental composition ofadditional populations from Germany, Wales, France, and Southern Spain. Furthermore, we used two laboratory experimentsto test the thermal tolerance limits of the first larval stage from Vigo and the Norwegian populations. In the first experiment,we reared larvae from hatching to Zoea II at seven temperatures (9°C–27°C) and from hatching to LT50 at 6°C. In the secondexperiment, we exposed freshly hatched larvae acutely to increasing or decreasing temperatures (up to 40°C and down to 3°C).Results: Across the entire European range, we found a substantial increase in dry mass and carbon and nitrogen contentof freshly hatched larvae with latitude. Norwegian populations exhibited higher survival at 9°C than the Vigo population.Furthermore, LT50 at 6°C increased from South to North. All populations showed high survival in the range 12°C–24°C but lowsurvival at 27°C.Main Conclusions: Larval tolerance quantified by using survival to Zoea II is not clearly related to the tolerance quantified withthe acute experiments, indicating that each method assesses different aspects of thermal tolerance. Tolerance to low temperaturecorrelated positively to tolerance to high temperature, suggesting that variation among females in larval responses reflects ageneral physiological quality rather than trade-offs. We provide evidence for potentially adaptive variations in larval body massand thermal tolerance across a latitudinal gradient for C. maenas.

AB - Aim: This study sets out to understand the variability in larval traits of dispersive life stages of a famous invader, the Europeanshore crab Carcinus maenas, in its native distribution range.Location: North East Atlantic coast from the Norwegian Arctic to the southern European distribution limit of C. maenas inSouthern Spain.Taxon: European shore crab Carcinus maenas (Crustacea, Decapoda).Methods: We quantified latitudinal patterns in larval body mass, elemental composition (C and N content), and thermal toler-ance of the first larval stage. We collected crabs from four populations spanning 25° of latitude (Vigo in Northern Spain; Bergen,Trondheim, and Bodø in Norway) and reanalysed published and unpublished data of body mass and elemental composition ofadditional populations from Germany, Wales, France, and Southern Spain. Furthermore, we used two laboratory experimentsto test the thermal tolerance limits of the first larval stage from Vigo and the Norwegian populations. In the first experiment,we reared larvae from hatching to Zoea II at seven temperatures (9°C–27°C) and from hatching to LT50 at 6°C. In the secondexperiment, we exposed freshly hatched larvae acutely to increasing or decreasing temperatures (up to 40°C and down to 3°C).Results: Across the entire European range, we found a substantial increase in dry mass and carbon and nitrogen contentof freshly hatched larvae with latitude. Norwegian populations exhibited higher survival at 9°C than the Vigo population.Furthermore, LT50 at 6°C increased from South to North. All populations showed high survival in the range 12°C–24°C but lowsurvival at 27°C.Main Conclusions: Larval tolerance quantified by using survival to Zoea II is not clearly related to the tolerance quantified withthe acute experiments, indicating that each method assesses different aspects of thermal tolerance. Tolerance to low temperaturecorrelated positively to tolerance to high temperature, suggesting that variation among females in larval responses reflects ageneral physiological quality rather than trade-offs. We provide evidence for potentially adaptive variations in larval body massand thermal tolerance across a latitudinal gradient for C. maenas.

U2 - 10.1111/jbi.15143

DO - 10.1111/jbi.15143

M3 - Article

JO - Journal of Biogeography

JF - Journal of Biogeography

SN - 1365-2699

M1 - e15143

ER -