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An invasive species facilitates the recovery of salt marsh ecosystems on Cape Cod
Author(s) -
Bertness Mark D.,
Coverdale Tyler C.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.1890/12-2150.1
Subject(s) - salt marsh , carcinus maenas , ecology , ecosystem , invasive species , biology , marsh , herbivore , introduced species , restoration ecology , ecosystem engineer , predation , decapoda , wetland , crustacean
With global increases in human impacts, invasive species have become a major threat to ecosystems worldwide. While they have been traditionally viewed as harmful, invasive species may facilitate the restoration of degraded ecosystems outside their native ranges. In New England (USA) overfishing has depleted salt marsh predators, allowing the herbivorous crab Sesarma reticulatum to denude hundreds of hectares of low marsh. Here, using multiple site surveys and field caging experiments, we show that the subsequent invasion of green crabs, Carcinus maenas , into heavily burrowed marshes partially reverses decades of cordgrass die‐off. By consuming Sesarma , eliciting a nonlethal escape response, and evicting Sesarma from burrows, Carcinus reduces Sesarma herbivory and promotes cordgrass recovery. These results suggest that invasive species can contribute to restoring degraded ecosystems and underscores the potential for invasive species to return ecological functions lost to human impacts.