Mentor/s
Jo Marie Kasinak
Participation Type
Paper Talk
Abstract
1.1 The American Horseshoe Crab (Limulus polyphemus) is an important species in the ecosystem on the Eastern coast of the United States. Horseshoe crabs in high densities serve as a foundational species, increasing local biodiversity by providing food to many other organisms. The population of horseshoe crabs in the Long Island Sound has been declining in recent decades due to overharvesting, pollution, and loss of shoreline habitat. Additionally, horseshoe crabs are susceptible to gill parasites such as the limulus leech (Bdelloura candida). Horseshoe crabs were studied between 2021 and 2023 along the Connecticut (CT) coast to determine what factors influence parasite loads over time and if parasites could be impacting the population overall. Gills were ranked based on percent covered in parasite eggs as well as the presence of adult parasites on a scale of 0-4. In addition to parasite load, sex, size and nesting beach were also recorded for each crab. The data are pending further analysis, but preliminary results indicate that larger crabs have more parasites. Limulus observed in 2023 seemed to have higher parasite loads compared to crabs observed in 2021. This data has meaningful implications for horseshoe crab conservation and management in CT.
College and Major available
College of Arts and Sciences, Biology
Academic Level
Undergraduate student
Location
Session 2: Digital Commons & Martire 251
Start Day/Time
4-23-2025 2:00 PM
End Day/Time
4-23-2025 3:15 PM
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Comparing temporal patterns of horseshoe crab parasite loads in Long Island Sound from 2021-2023
Session 2: Digital Commons & Martire 251
1.1 The American Horseshoe Crab (Limulus polyphemus) is an important species in the ecosystem on the Eastern coast of the United States. Horseshoe crabs in high densities serve as a foundational species, increasing local biodiversity by providing food to many other organisms. The population of horseshoe crabs in the Long Island Sound has been declining in recent decades due to overharvesting, pollution, and loss of shoreline habitat. Additionally, horseshoe crabs are susceptible to gill parasites such as the limulus leech (Bdelloura candida). Horseshoe crabs were studied between 2021 and 2023 along the Connecticut (CT) coast to determine what factors influence parasite loads over time and if parasites could be impacting the population overall. Gills were ranked based on percent covered in parasite eggs as well as the presence of adult parasites on a scale of 0-4. In addition to parasite load, sex, size and nesting beach were also recorded for each crab. The data are pending further analysis, but preliminary results indicate that larger crabs have more parasites. Limulus observed in 2023 seemed to have higher parasite loads compared to crabs observed in 2021. This data has meaningful implications for horseshoe crab conservation and management in CT.
Students' Information
Alyssa Mancini, Biology, Honors, Class of 2025