@article{eggleston_reyns_etherington_plaia_xie_2010, title={Tropical storm and environmental forcing on regional blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) settlement}, volume={19}, ISSN={["1365-2419"]}, DOI={10.1111/j.1365-2419.2009.00530.x}, abstractNote={Abstract}, number={2}, journal={FISHERIES OCEANOGRAPHY}, author={Eggleston, David B. and Reyns, Nathalie B. and Etherington, Lisa L. and Plaia, Gayle R. and Xie, Lian}, year={2010}, pages={89–106} }
 @article{etherington_eggleston_2003, title={Spatial dynamics of large-scale, multistage crab (Callinectes sapidus) dispersal: determinants and consequences for recruitment}, volume={60}, ISSN={["0706-652X"]}, DOI={10.1139/F03-072}, abstractNote={ We assessed determinants and consequences of multistage dispersal on spatial recruitment of the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, within the Croatan, Albemarle, Pamlico Estuarine System (CAPES), North Carolina, U.S.A. Large-scale sampling of early juvenile crabs over 4 years indicated that spatial abundance patterns were size-dependent and resulted from primary post-larval dispersal (pre-settlement) and secondary juvenile dispersal (early post-settlement). In general, primary dispersal led to high abundances within more seaward habitats, whereas secondary dispersal (which was relatively consistent) expanded the distribution of juveniles, potentially increasing the estuarine nursery capacity. There were strong relationships between juvenile crab density and specific wind characteristics; however, these patterns were spatially explicit. Various physical processes (e.g., seasonal wind events, timing and magnitude of tropical cyclones) interacted to influence dispersal during multiple stages and determined crab recruitment patterns. Our results suggest that the nursery value of different habitats is highly dependent on the dispersal potential (primary and secondary dispersal) to and from these areas, which is largely determined by the relative position of habitats within the estuarine landscape. }, number={7}, journal={CANADIAN JOURNAL OF FISHERIES AND AQUATIC SCIENCES}, author={Etherington, LL and Eggleston, DB}, year={2003}, month={Jul}, pages={873–887} }
 @article{etherington_eggleston_2000, title={Large-scale blue crab recruitment: linking postlarval transport, post-settlement planktonic dispersal, and multiple nursery habitats}, volume={204}, ISSN={["1616-1599"]}, DOI={10.3354/meps204179}, abstractNote={A large-scale study of early juvenile blue crab Callinectes sapidus recruitment within a shallow, predominantly wind-driven estuarine system demonstrated that distribution and abundance patterns were jointly influenced by location from oceanic sources of postlarvae, time period, habitat type, and post-settlement planktonic dispersal. The Croatan-Albemarle-Pamlico Estuarine System (CAPES) in North Carolina, USA, is a lagoonal body of water that is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a chain of barrier islands, which are bisected by Oregon, Hatteras, and Ocracoke Inlets. For sampling purposes, the CAPES was divided into 4 regions that differed in distance and orientation from oceanic sources of postlarvae, as well as available complex benthic habitat types. The Eastern region was closest to oceanic waters, contained 3 major inlets, and harbored extensive seagrass beds. The Northern and Western regions were located along the inland boundary of the CAPES, and con- tained alternative habitat types including the submersed rooted vascular plant Myriophyllum spica- tum and shallow detrital habitats. The Southern region was inshore and contained patchy seagrass. During a period that lacked storm events, virtually all juvenile recruitment occurred within seagrass beds at the Eastern region. Conversely, early juvenile blue crabs were distributed widely throughout the CAPES after the passage of tropical cyclones. The Eastern region appears to act as a relatively consistent initial recruitment site, whereas Northern and Western regions of the CAPES may act as episodic recruitment areas after the passage of tropical cyclones. Similar densities of early juveniles were found in different complex benthic habitats (seagrass, shallow detrital habitat, M. spicatum). A comparison of site-specific, settler-recruit densities (which represent distinct cohorts) suggested that post-settlement juveniles dispersed planktonically throughout the CAPES, most likely due to storm- driven transport. Post-settlement, planktonic dispersal altered the settler-recruit relationship, by both masking and potentially enhancing a density-dependent relationship between settlers and recruits. This study illustrates that ecological processes influencing recruitment, such as post-settlement dis- persal, may be missed when studied at relatively small spatial scales, and that our interpretation of population regulation can vary depending on the scale of study. Studies conducted over broad spa- tial scales can provide a more complete understanding of recruitment dynamics and can elucidate the interconnectedness of subpopulations by identifying potential 'source' areas in species with open populations.}, number={2000}, journal={MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES}, author={Etherington, LL and Eggleston, DB}, year={2000}, pages={179–198} }
 @article{eggleston_elis_etherington_dahlgren_posey_1999, title={Organism responses to habitat fragmentation and diversity: Habitat colonization by estuarine macrofauna}, volume={236}, ISSN={["0022-0981"]}, DOI={10.1016/S0022-0981(98)00192-0}, abstractNote={Ecologists increasingly recognize that their choice of spatial scales may influence greatly their interpretation of ecological systems, and that small changes in the patchiness of habitat resources can produce abrupt, sometimes dramatic shifts in distribution and abundance patterns of a species. Moreover, identification of scale- and habitat-dependent ecological patterns are central to management efforts aimed at predicting the response of organisms to the increasing threat of habitat fragmentation. We used habitat plots containing artificial seagrass, oyster shell, and a mixture of seagrass and shell, placed on unstructured seafloor for 14 days in Back Sound, North Carolina, USA to examine the interactive effects of patch size, habitat diversity and experimental site on colonization by assemblages of estuarine macrofauna. We tested three a priori predictions of the general hypothesis that macrofaunal colonization is scale- and habitat-dependent: (1) colonization (per unit area) will be higher in small patches than in large ones; (2) small macrofauna will show a stronger response to habitat patchiness at a given scale than large macrofauna; and (3) colonization by estuarine macrofauna will be higher in habitat plots containing a mixture of seagrass and oyster shell compared to monotypic plots. Macrofauna responded to habitat patchiness in a complex manner that varied according to habitat type, experimental site, species, taxon, functional group, and animal body size (small: 500 μm–2 mm; large: >2 mm). Of the five out of seven response variables where we observed a significant patch size effect, grass shrimp (Palaemonidae sp.) and small, mobile crustaceans (i.e., amphipods and isopods) were the only taxonomic or functional groups whose densities were higher in small (0.25 m2) than large (1 m2) patches, as predicted. Moreover, there was a disproportionate reduction in macrofaunal abundance and diversity in small patches of oyster shell compared to seagrass and mixed habitat treatments; this pattern was significant for both the total density and numbers of small species but not for large macrofauna. The total density and number of macrofaunal species was not higher in the mixed habitat treatment compared to seagrass or oyster shell. Our study demonstrates that an organism's response to habitat patchiness is dependent upon species, taxa, functional group, and animal body size, and that an organism's response is further modified by habitat type. The patterns observed in this study highlight the importance of scale- and habitat-dependent responses by mobile organisms to complex benthic habitats, and, because of the disproportionate reduction in faunal density and diversity in small versus large patches of oyster shell, heightens concern over the negative impacts to biodiversity through large-scale fragmentation of subtidal oyster reefs in certain regions.}, number={1}, journal={JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MARINE BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY}, author={Eggleston, DB and Elis, WE and Etherington, LL and Dahlgren, CP and Posey, MH}, year={1999}, month={Mar}, pages={107–132} }