RICE, A.*; BLUMENSHINE, S.; TSUKIMURA, B.; California State University, Fresno; California State University, Fresno; California State University, Fresno: The Influence of Environmental Parameters on the Invasive Chinese Mitten Crab, Eriocheir sinensis, Zoeae Recruitment Dynamics in San Francisco Bay, CA

The Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis (Crustacea: Decapoda: Grapsoidea), invaded San Francisco Bay, CA, in 1992. The mitten crab has become established in the San Francisco Bay ecosystem following more than a century of global dispersal, including invasive populations in temperate regions of several countries throughout western and central Europe. Mitten crab population dynamics are known to undergo dramatic oscillations, but the factors driving these dynamics are poorly understood. Exploring the link between environmental parameters and how each new cohort contributes to future populations of adult mitten crabs is crucial to understanding what drives the population dynamics of this species. We examined interrelationships of larval recruitment dynamics and environmental factors in the field, such as temperature or outflow. A 7-year data set of mitten crab adult and larval abundance from North San Francisco Bay was analyzed relative to long-term data sets for temperature, salinity, discharge, and abundance of planktivores that existed during the period that the crabs were in the larval stage. Our analysis suggests that temperature, freshwater discharge, and planktivore abundance are three variables that may play important roles in driving the population dynamics of the mitten crab.