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Movements and site fidelity of grass shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio and P. vulgaris) in salt marsh intertidal creeks

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Abstract

Grass shrimp are abundant residents of shallow-water habitats in US Atlantic and Gulf coast estuaries. Mark-recapture events determined the extent and direction of their movements in meso-tidal salt marsh creeks at North Inlet, South Carolina. Microwire-tagged Palaemonetes vulgaris demonstrated high fidelity for a dock in a subtidal channel. In the 48 days following release, 11 % of the 422 tagged shrimp were recaptured and 99 % of all recaptures were made there an average of 14 days post-release. Palaemonetes pugio, which favored the use of shallow intertidal areas, exhibited moderate fidelity for pools within creek beds with 53 % of the recaptured shrimp collected at the release site. Higher fidelity was observed for confluences of intertidal creeks and the subtidal channels. Of the 5565 shrimp released with coded microwire tags, 7.5 % were recaptured and 98 % of those recaptures were at release sites up to 53 days later. During another event, P. pugio released 235 m from their origin demonstrated relatively low fidelity for the new site and a lack of homing behavior. Of the 544 tagged shrimp, 3 % were recaptured; only 40 % of those recaptured were from the release site. Site fidelity is a mechanism by which previously discovered large and consistent differences in grass shrimp use of neighboring intertidal creek basins can be sustained over weeks, seasons, and years. Spatial variations and the tendency of these keystone organisms to resist relocation by tidal currents and occupy certain areas for extended periods should be considered in decisions about proposed alterations to creeks and shorelines.

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Acknowledgments

We thank C. Mitchell (Rogers Undergraduate Fellow at Cornell College) for participation in the project. The Coastal Carolina University (CCU) Department of Marine Science (R. Young) supported K. Ludwig’s (Yozzo’s) undergraduate research. The CCU Honors Program (P. Whalen) and College of Sciences (M. Roberts) supported K. Stroud’s undergraduate Honors thesis. Additional field and laboratory assistance was provided by C.T. Armstrong, S. Dingley, V. Hartigan, P. Kenny, S. Krug, and R. Tremont. We also thank the staff of the Baruch Marine Field Laboratory of the University of South Carolina for support during all phases of the study. This is contribution number XXXX from the Belle W. Baruch Institute for Marine and Coastal Sciences.

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  1. Baruch Marine Field Laboratory, University of South Carolina, P.O. Box 1630, Georgetown, SC, 29440, USA

    D. M. Allen

  2. Department of Marine Science, Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC, 29526, USA

    J. M. Harding, K. B. Stroud & K. L. Yozzo

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  1. D. M. Allen
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  2. J. M. Harding
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Correspondence to D. M. Allen.

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Communicated by X. Irigoyen.

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Allen, D.M., Harding, J.M., Stroud, K.B. et al. Movements and site fidelity of grass shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio and P. vulgaris) in salt marsh intertidal creeks. Mar Biol 162, 1275–1285 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-015-2668-y

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