Picky Pugettia: a tale of two kelps
2017
Dobkowski, Katie A. | Kobelt, Julia | Brentin, Sabrina | Van Alstyne, Kathryn L. | Dethier, Megan N.
Herbivores strongly influence macroalgal community structure. Crustacean herbivores may be important in some systems; the Northern Kelp crab (Pugettia producta) is a common sub-tidal species with reported feeding preferences for kelp. In the Salish Sea, standing beds of Macrocystis pyrifera, a highly preferred food of Pugettia in California, do not occur; instead, the dominant canopy-forming kelp is Nereocystis luetkeana. However, drift Macrocystis occasionally washes up following autumn storms. This study used laboratory feeding trials to address whether Pugettia that live where Macrocystis beds do not occur will consume it and how their consumption of this less-familiar kelp compares to their feeding on the locally abundant Nereocystis. We found that Pugettia consumed much greater quantities of drift Nereocystis than drift Macrocystis in both choice and no-choice feeding experiments. Chemical analyses suggest no difference in phlorotannin levels between Nereocystis and Macrocystis, although Nereocystis had a slightly more favorable C:N than Macrocystis. The observed preference for bull kelp exhibited by Pugettia in the Salish Sea may be explained by the fact that only bull kelp is familiar, locally abundant, nutritious, and provides suitable crab habitat.
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