Fouling community of the snow crab Chionoecetes opilio in Sydney Bight, Canada: preliminary observations in relation to sampling period and depth/geographical location ...

• Main Authors: SAVOIE, Luc, MIRON, Gilles, BIRON, Michel
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Station Biologique de Roscoff (SBR) 2007
• Subjects: Breton Island; Canada; artica; Chionoecetes opilio; Snow crab
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.21411/cbm.a.6825667; https://cbm.sb-roscoff.fr/cbm/doi/10.21411/cbm.a.6825667

We examined the foulers on the exoskeleton of 498 male snow crabs (Chionoecetes opilio) sampled off the eastern coast of Cape Breton Island (Sydney Bight). A total of sixteen sessile invertebrate families were identified. The most dominant families belonged to the bryozoans (Alcyonididae and Hippothoidae), the cirripeds (Balanidae) and the polychaetes (Spirorbidae). Crabs hosted different fouling communities in relation to depth/geographical locations and sampling periods. These differences were confirmed by multivariate analyses (e.g., MDS plot, ANOSIM and SIMPER analyses). The fouling communities observed on crabs sampled at depth > 150 m significantly differed from those from < 150 m. These differences were mainly caused by the presence of the bivalve Anomia sp. (Anomiidae) and cocoons from the Hirudinae Johanssonia artica (Piscicolidae) over 150 m. The fouling communities sampled in September 2001 and October 2002 were significantly different than those sampled during the other periods. The similar ...