PREDATOR-PREY RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CRASSOSTREA VIRGINICA AND SEVERAL SPECIES OF CRAB AFFECT OYSTER REEF FUNCTION ...
Direct and indirect effects resulting from predator-prey interactions can affect ecosystem function. Understanding these relationships has been a central focus of community ecology for more than 50 years. However, human impacts on ecosystems during this period may have altered these relationships. H...
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| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
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University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School
2015
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| Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.17615/e9rq-g322 https://cdr.lib.unc.edu/concern/dissertations/8s45q889n?locale=en |
| Summary: | Direct and indirect effects resulting from predator-prey interactions can affect ecosystem function. Understanding these relationships has been a central focus of community ecology for more than 50 years. However, human impacts on ecosystems during this period may have altered these relationships. Here I assess important impacts of ocean acidification, ocean warming, and land-use change on the predator-prey relationships between the oyster, Crassostrea virginica, and several species of crab. Calcifying marine taxa have been shown to respond differently to ocean acidification. Bivalves typically show more severe reductions in net calcification than the decapods that prey on them. This study found C. virginica and the crab, Panopeus herbstii, had generally reduced net calcification with decreasing calcite saturation states. However, both species maintained positive net calcification in undersaturated calcite conditions. In experiments, acidification significantly reduced the consumption rate of C. virginica by ... |
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