Predation by Native Mediterranean Species on the Invasive Blue Crab: Experimental Evidence from the Common Octopus and the Loggerhead Sea Turtle
[EN] The blue crab is an invasive species that has rapidly spread along Mediterranean coasts, threatening marine ecosystems. Exploring natural ways to control its population could help reduce these impacts. In this study, we investigated the functional size preference and feeding rates of two native...
| Autores: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) |
| Repositorio: | RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:riunet.upv.es:10251/231542 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/231542 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Invasive species Callinectes sapidus Predation Loggerhead sea turtle Common octopus Biological control |
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oai:riunet.upv.es:10251/231542 |
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España |
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| dc.title.none.fl_str_mv |
Predation by Native Mediterranean Species on the Invasive Blue Crab: Experimental Evidence from the Common Octopus and the Loggerhead Sea Turtle |
| title |
Predation by Native Mediterranean Species on the Invasive Blue Crab: Experimental Evidence from the Common Octopus and the Loggerhead Sea Turtle |
| spellingShingle |
Predation by Native Mediterranean Species on the Invasive Blue Crab: Experimental Evidence from the Common Octopus and the Loggerhead Sea Turtle Falco, S.|||0000-0002-8679-9153 Invasive species Callinectes sapidus Predation Loggerhead sea turtle Common octopus Biological control |
| title_short |
Predation by Native Mediterranean Species on the Invasive Blue Crab: Experimental Evidence from the Common Octopus and the Loggerhead Sea Turtle |
| title_full |
Predation by Native Mediterranean Species on the Invasive Blue Crab: Experimental Evidence from the Common Octopus and the Loggerhead Sea Turtle |
| title_fullStr |
Predation by Native Mediterranean Species on the Invasive Blue Crab: Experimental Evidence from the Common Octopus and the Loggerhead Sea Turtle |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Predation by Native Mediterranean Species on the Invasive Blue Crab: Experimental Evidence from the Common Octopus and the Loggerhead Sea Turtle |
| title_sort |
Predation by Native Mediterranean Species on the Invasive Blue Crab: Experimental Evidence from the Common Octopus and the Loggerhead Sea Turtle |
| dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv |
Falco, S.|||0000-0002-8679-9153 Rodilla, M|||0000-0001-6767-5676 Crespo-Picazo, Jose Luis Garcia-Párraga, Daniel Gairin, Ignasi Prado, Patricia |
| author |
Falco, S.|||0000-0002-8679-9153 |
| author_facet |
Falco, S.|||0000-0002-8679-9153 Rodilla, M|||0000-0001-6767-5676 Crespo-Picazo, Jose Luis Garcia-Párraga, Daniel Gairin, Ignasi Prado, Patricia |
| author_role |
author |
| author2 |
Rodilla, M|||0000-0001-6767-5676 Crespo-Picazo, Jose Luis Garcia-Párraga, Daniel Gairin, Ignasi Prado, Patricia |
| author2_role |
author author author author author |
| dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv |
Departamento de Ingeniería Hidráulica y Medio Ambiente Escuela Politécnica Superior de Gandia Instituto de Investigación para la Gestión Integrada de Zonas Costeras Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria Universitat Politècnica de València Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politècnica de València Riunet |
| dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv |
Invasive species Callinectes sapidus Predation Loggerhead sea turtle Common octopus Biological control |
| topic |
Invasive species Callinectes sapidus Predation Loggerhead sea turtle Common octopus Biological control |
| description |
[EN] The blue crab is an invasive species that has rapidly spread along Mediterranean coasts, threatening marine ecosystems. Exploring natural ways to control its population could help reduce these impacts. In this study, we investigated the functional size preference and feeding rates of two native predators-the common octopus and the loggerhead sea turtle-when feeding on blue crabs. In aquarium experiments, predators were offered crabs of different sizes under controlled conditions to assess whether they preferred certain sizes and how much they could consume in a day. Both species consumed substantial amounts of blue crabs: octopuses fed only on soft tissues, whereas turtles ingested whole crabs, including the exoskeleton. Octopuses exhibited shorter handling times for small crabs, although neither predator showed a marked size preference. Our findings suggest that, particularly octopuses, thanks to their abundance and feeding efficiency, could contribute to limiting invasive crab populations and support ecosystem balance. The rapid spread of the invasive blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) in Mediterranean coastal ecosystems poses ecological and socio-economic challenges, highlighting the need to explore natural control mechanisms. We conducted controlled aquarium experiments to assess the functional size preference and feeding rates of two native Mediterranean predators: the common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) and the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta). Two sets of trials were performed: (1) size preference experiments, in which individual predators were simultaneously offered crabs of varying sizes; and (2) ad libitum feeding experiments to estimate daily consumption rates. Octopuses consumed only the soft tissues biomass (STB, similar to 54% of total crab biomass), reaching maximum intake rates of 454 +/- 71 gWW.d(-1) in adult individuals. Sea turtles ingested whole crabs, including the exoskeleton, with total consumption rates up to 815 +/- 592 gWW.d(-1) of total biomass (TB) in adults. Subadult octopuses exhibited shorter handling times for small crabs, although neither predator showed a statistically significant size preference. Our findings indicate that both predators can consume substantial amounts of blue crab biomass, but O. vulgaris-due to its higher feeding efficiency and ecological abundance-might play a more prominent role as a natural biocontrol agent. These results provide valuable insights for integrated management strategies aimed at mitigating the ecological impact of C. sapidus in the Mediterranean. |
| publishDate |
2025 |
| dc.date.none.fl_str_mv |
2025 2025-12-11 |
| dc.type.none.fl_str_mv |
journal article http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501 VoR http://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85 |
| dc.type.openaire.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/article |
| format |
article |
| dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv |
https://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/231542 |
| url |
https://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/231542 |
| dc.language.none.fl_str_mv |
Inglés eng |
| language_invalid_str_mv |
Inglés |
| language |
eng |
| dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv |
Agencia Estatal de Investigación http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100011033 Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica y Técnica y de Innovación 2017-2020 PID2020-118476RR-C21 ENFOQUE EXPERIMENTAL DE LA ECOLOGIA TROFICA Y LOS IMPACTOS EN EL ECOSISTEMA DEL CANGREJO AZUL DEL ATLANTICO (CALLINECTES SAPIDUS): HERRAMIENTAS DE CONTROL Y EVALUACION SOCIOEC |
| dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv |
open access http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2 Reconocimiento (by) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| dc.rights.openaire.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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open access http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2 Reconocimiento (by) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
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openAccess |
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application/pdf |
| dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
MDPI AG |
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MDPI AG |
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reponame:RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia instname:Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) |
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Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) |
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RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia |
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RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia |
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1869411784865087489 |
| spelling |
Predation by Native Mediterranean Species on the Invasive Blue Crab: Experimental Evidence from the Common Octopus and the Loggerhead Sea TurtleFalco, S.|||0000-0002-8679-9153Rodilla, M|||0000-0001-6767-5676Crespo-Picazo, Jose LuisGarcia-Párraga, DanielGairin, IgnasiPrado, PatriciaInvasive speciesCallinectes sapidusPredationLoggerhead sea turtleCommon octopusBiological control[EN] The blue crab is an invasive species that has rapidly spread along Mediterranean coasts, threatening marine ecosystems. Exploring natural ways to control its population could help reduce these impacts. In this study, we investigated the functional size preference and feeding rates of two native predators-the common octopus and the loggerhead sea turtle-when feeding on blue crabs. In aquarium experiments, predators were offered crabs of different sizes under controlled conditions to assess whether they preferred certain sizes and how much they could consume in a day. Both species consumed substantial amounts of blue crabs: octopuses fed only on soft tissues, whereas turtles ingested whole crabs, including the exoskeleton. Octopuses exhibited shorter handling times for small crabs, although neither predator showed a marked size preference. Our findings suggest that, particularly octopuses, thanks to their abundance and feeding efficiency, could contribute to limiting invasive crab populations and support ecosystem balance. The rapid spread of the invasive blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) in Mediterranean coastal ecosystems poses ecological and socio-economic challenges, highlighting the need to explore natural control mechanisms. We conducted controlled aquarium experiments to assess the functional size preference and feeding rates of two native Mediterranean predators: the common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) and the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta). Two sets of trials were performed: (1) size preference experiments, in which individual predators were simultaneously offered crabs of varying sizes; and (2) ad libitum feeding experiments to estimate daily consumption rates. Octopuses consumed only the soft tissues biomass (STB, similar to 54% of total crab biomass), reaching maximum intake rates of 454 +/- 71 gWW.d(-1) in adult individuals. Sea turtles ingested whole crabs, including the exoskeleton, with total consumption rates up to 815 +/- 592 gWW.d(-1) of total biomass (TB) in adults. Subadult octopuses exhibited shorter handling times for small crabs, although neither predator showed a statistically significant size preference. Our findings indicate that both predators can consume substantial amounts of blue crab biomass, but O. vulgaris-due to its higher feeding efficiency and ecological abundance-might play a more prominent role as a natural biocontrol agent. These results provide valuable insights for integrated management strategies aimed at mitigating the ecological impact of C. sapidus in the Mediterranean.This research was funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation (Grant PID 2020-118476RR-C21 by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033). P. Prado was contracted under the INIA-CCAA cooperative research program for postdoctoral incorporation from the Spanish National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology (INIA).MDPI AGDepartamento de Ingeniería Hidráulica y Medio AmbienteEscuela Politécnica Superior de GandiaInstituto de Investigación para la Gestión Integrada de Zonas CosterasInstituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y AlimentariaUniversitat Politècnica de ValènciaRepositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politècnica de València Riunet20252025-12-11journal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501VoRhttp://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85info:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttps://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/231542reponame:RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valénciainstname:Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV)InglésengAgencia Estatal de Investigación http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100011033 Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica y Técnica y de Innovación 2017-2020 PID2020-118476RR-C21 ENFOQUE EXPERIMENTAL DE LA ECOLOGIA TROFICA Y LOS IMPACTOS EN EL ECOSISTEMA DEL CANGREJO AZUL DEL ATLANTICO (CALLINECTES SAPIDUS): HERRAMIENTAS DE CONTROL Y EVALUACION SOCIOECopen accesshttp://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2Reconocimiento (by)http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:riunet.upv.es:10251/2315422026-06-13T07:49:27Z |
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15,81155 |