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Changes in the species composition and structural characteristics of marine vegetated habitats in response to climate change or local anthropogenic impacts may alter their quality as habitat for associated fish and invertebrates. Summer densities and biomass of the eelgrass, Zostera marina, declined significantly between 1985 and 2004 in Bogue Sound, North Carolina, USA, within the present-day zone of biogeographic overlap in the distribution of this subtidal temperate species and the intertidal subtropical seagrass, Halodule wrightii. Zostera decline was associated with increased spring water temperatures and water nutrient concentrations. In contrast, Halodule did not exhibit a consistent trend of temporal change. Experimental seagrass transplants indicated that Halodule has the capacity to grow at depths greater than it currently occupies, suggesting that Halodule might, over time, replace Zostera. The abundance and diversity of infaunal invertebrates were lower in seagrass beds dominated by Halodule than in those dominated by Zostera or mixtures of the two species, suggesting that changing seagrass species composition affects associated faunal assemblages. Experimental deployment of artificial seagrass patches mimicking the structure of the two species showed that both depth and structural characteristics of seagrass explain differences in faunal assemblages. Epifaunal community structure differed significantly between structurally identical seagrass mimics deployed in intertidal and subtidal habitat, and invertebrates and fishes were significantly more abundant in artificial Zostera than Halodule patches at one of the two study sites. Synthesis of these results suggests that, in the event of continued Zostera loss, with or without replacement by Halodule, important habitat functions will be lost, and secondary productivity of these lagoonal ecosystems may significantly decrease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strategies for managing biological invasions are often based on the premise that characteristics of invading species and the invaded environment are key predictors of the invader's distribution. Yet, for either biological traits or environmental characteristics to explain distribution, adequate time must have elapsed for species to spread to all potential habitats. We compiled and analyzed a database of natural history and ecological traits of 138 coastal marine invertebrate species, the environmental conditions at sites to which they have been introduced, and their date of first introduction. We found that time since introduction explained the largest fraction (20%) of the variability in non-native range size, while traits of the species and environmental variables had significant, but minimal, influence on non-native range size. The positive relationship between time since introduction and range size indicates that non-native marine invertebrate species are not at equilibrium and are still spreading, posing a major challenge for management of coastal ecosystems.

Predicting outcomes of species introductions may be enhanced by integrating life-history theory with results of contained experiments that compare ecological responses of exotic and analogue native species to dominant features of the recipient environment. An Asian oyster under consideration for introduction to the Chesapeake Bay, USA, the rapidly growing Suminoe oyster (Crassostrea ariakensis), may not be as successful an invader as its r-selected life history suggests if the trade-off for rapid growth and maturation is lower investment in defenses against blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) predation than the native Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica). In laboratory trials, blue crabs simultaneously offered equal numbers of Suminoe and Eastern oysters consumed more nonnatives, irrespective of whether the crabs had previous experience with Suminoe oysters as prey. Satiated blue crabs consumed nearly three times as many Suminoe oysters as Eastern oysters of 25-mm shell height, and eight times as many of 35-mm shell height. Despite blue crabs consuming small (30 mm) Suminoe oysters at twice the rate of large (40 mm) Suminoe oysters, when 40-mm Suminoe were paired with 30-mm Eastern oysters, seven times as many of the larger (Suminoe) oysters were consumed. The greater susceptibility of C. ariakensis than C. virginica to blue crab predation appears to be based upon the biomechanics of shell strength rather than active selection of a more attractive food. Much less force was required to crush shells of Suminoe than Eastern oysters of similar shell height. Tissue transplant experiments demonstrated greater predation on oyster tissues in weaker C. ariakensis shells independent of tissue identity, and duration of handling time before rejection of C. virginica exceeded the time to crush C. ariakensis. These results, coupled with the present importance of blue crab predation in limiting recovery of native Eastern oysters, imply a role for blue crabs in inhibiting Suminoe oysters, if introduced, from attaining high adult densities required to restore a fishery, provide appreciable reef habitat, and reduce turbidity through filtration. Thus, in high-predation environments, allocation of resources to rapid growth and development rather than to predation defenses reflects a life-history trade-off that may promote early stages of invasion, yet prevent attainment of dense adult populations.