Abstract
As the rate of biological invasions continues to increase, a growing number of aquatic introduced species are becoming globally widespread. Despite this ubiquitous phenomenon, rarely do we discover aquatic invaders early enough to allow the possibility of eradication. Recently, the North American Harris mud crab (Rhithropanopeus harrisii) was found in the waters adjacent to the Panama Canal and herein we provide an assessment of the crab’s distribution in Panama to evaluate the possibility of eradication. Using salinity tolerance experiments, we also evaluate the potential for further spread of this crab within the Canal. Our results suggest that populations of R. harrisii are currently limited to two manmade lagoons which are adjacent to the Panama Canal. Our experiments suggest that both juvenile and adult R. harrisii can survive in salinities found outside its current range in Panama. Although it is difficult to predict the potential for future spread and impacts in Panama, current management strategies could reduce the probability for spread locally as well as elsewhere in the world given the intensity of shipping in this region. The current containment of this invader suggests that a localized eradication may be possible.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Y. Kam and C. Schloeder who provided immense assistance with field and laboratory work. We are also grateful to the ACP for granting access to restricted sites and to M. Calderon, F. O. Guardia, H. Broce and D. Muschett for providing information, assistance in the field and suggestions throughout the study. We acknowledge the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the Secretaría Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación de Panamá for financial support and grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Fonds Québécois de Recherche sur la Nature et les Technologies, the Office Québec Amérique pour la Jeunesse, and McGill-STRI NEO to DGR.
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Appendix
Appendix
Measurements of surface salinity (parts per thousand) at different sites along the Panama Canal (modified from Cohen 2006)
Date | Pacific Approach | SL | NL | MF Spillway | MF Lower Locks | MF Upper Locks | MF Lake | Pedro Miguel Locks | Gatun Lake | Gatun Upper Locks | Gatun Lower Locks | Gatun TLL | Gatun Spillway | Atlantic Approach | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jun 1935 | 0 | 10–16 | 18–20 | 1 | |||||||||||
<1939 | 16–20 | 0.1–3.0 | ≤0.02 | 18–20 | 1 | ||||||||||
≤1968 | 30a | 26a | 1.0a | 0.0a | 0.0a | 24a | 28.5a | 2 | |||||||
Feb 1969 | 0.0–0.4 | 3 | |||||||||||||
Jan 1972 | 20b | 4 | |||||||||||||
Apr 1972 | 27 | 1–3a | 0a | 0a | 0a | 0.1a | 5–11a | 17a | 5 | ||||||
Nov 1972 | 23a | 14–15 | 3a | 0–1a | 0a | 0a | 0.2–0.3a | 6–8a | 10–17a | 5 | |||||
Mar 1974 | 0.2 | 0.02–0.8 | 6 | ||||||||||||
Jun 2007 | 4c | 0c | 7 | ||||||||||||
Jul 2007 | 3c | 0c | 7 | ||||||||||||
Aug 2007 | 3.3 | 0.4–0.6 | 0.1–3.4d | 0.3–0.4 | 7 | ||||||||||
Sep 2007 | 19.3–20.3 | 0.2–0.5 | 7 | ||||||||||||
Oct 2007 | 2.8–2.9 | 0.4 | 0.9–7.6d | 7 | |||||||||||
Nov 2007 | 2.3 | 0.4 | 0.2–0.4 | 0.1 | 7 | ||||||||||
Dec 2007 | 2.1–2.2 | 0.4 | 0.1–0.5 | 7 | |||||||||||
Jan 2008 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 0.4e | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.1–0.2d | 14.4–24.4 | 7 | |||||||
Feb 2008 | 14.1–20.0 | 2.5–2.6 | 0.5 | 0.5e | 0.2 | 1.5–10.5 | 23.3–24.5 | 7 | |||||||
Mar 2008 | 3.1–3.6 | 0.6 | 0.6–0.7e | 7 | |||||||||||
Apr 2008 | 4.1–4.3 | 0.6 | 0.6e | 7 |
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Roche, D.G., Torchin, M.E., Leung, B. et al. Localized invasion of the North American Harris mud crab, Rhithropanopeus harrisii, in the Panama Canal: implications for eradication and spread. Biol Invasions 11, 983–993 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-008-9310-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-008-9310-6