@article{morgan_dibble_susner_wolcott_wolcott_largier_2021, title={Robotic biomimicry demonstrates behavioral control of planktonic dispersal in the sea}, volume={663}, ISSN={["1616-1599"]}, DOI={10.3354/meps13635}, abstractNote={Plankton are widely considered to be at the mercy of ocean currents, even after decades of research revealing that plankton regulate dispersal by positioning themselves in surface and bottom currents flowing in different directions. The degree of effectiveness of these behaviors remains controversial, because tiny plankters cannot be tracked at sea. Here, we experimentally tested the effectiveness of 3 vertical positioning behaviors in nature by developing a biomimetic robot that emulates them. We conducted a challenging test by deploying them in complex circulation during strong upwelling winds and wind relaxation and reversal events. Behavior alone dramatically affected transport. Transport trajectories of robots with 3 different behaviors diverged markedly while those sharing the same behavior were very similar. Moreover, all 3 behaviors produced trajectories that matched previously modeled projections during both upwelling and relaxation conditions at the study site: shallow plankton disperse far, deep plankton move little, and plankton migrating from depth during the day to the surface at night travel an intermediate distance. The ability of weakly swimming plankton to control their fate and replenish populations in a dynamic ocean is of central importance to the ecology and evolution of marine life and to the management of resources in a changing climate.}, journal={MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES}, author={Morgan, S. G. and Dibble, C. D. and Susner, M. G. and Wolcott, T. G. and Wolcott, D. L. and Largier, J. L.}, year={2021}, month={Mar}, pages={51–61} }
 @article{medici_wolcott_wolcott_2006, title={Scale-dependent movements and protection of female blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus)}, volume={63}, DOI={10.1103/F05-263}, number={4}, journal={Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences}, author={Medici, D. A. and Wolcott, T. G. and Wolcott, D. L.}, year={2006}, pages={858–871} }
 @article{wolcott_hopkins_wolcott_2005, title={Early events in seminal fluid and sperm storage in the female blue crab Callinectes sapidus Rathbun: Effects of male mating history, male size, and season}, volume={319}, ISSN={0022-0981}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2005.01.001}, DOI={10.1016/j.jembe.2005.01.001}, abstractNote={Male blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, transfer sperm and seminal fluid to their mates. The quantity of both of these components can vary, and may be particularly reduced in the ejaculate of males that have recently mated. While the potential consequences for fitness of receiving less sperm are obvious, the same is not true of seminal fluid; its role in the blue crab, other than as a sperm plug, is not known. We documented the changes in seminal fluid over time following controlled matings in the laboratory. By allowing males to mate repeatedly in quick succession, we were able to manipulate both the amount of sperm and of seminal fluid that females received. We measured the initial amount of seminal fluid and sperm transferred, and followed the number and viability of sperm, and condition of the spermathecal organs and ovaries, in cohorts of females held for various times post-mating. Females whose mates had mated recently received only about 33% as much ejaculate as those whose mates had full sperm stores. Sperm viability was unaffected, and regardless of male mating history, sperm number declined nearly 50% prior to brood production. We found that all seminal fluid is gone by 5 weeks post-mating, making it unlikely that it plays a role during long-term storage of sperm. The amount of ejaculate was independent of the size of the mate. The spermathecal organs themselves lose 86% of their mass prior to brood production, and this allowed us to develop a staging system for spermathecal condition that was useful for estimating reproductive timing in a field population in North Carolina. Essentially all field-caught females had mated, but sperm viability, sperm number, and ejaculate weight varied with season.}, number={1-2}, journal={Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Wolcott, Donna L. and Hopkins, C. Wynne Bost and Wolcott, Thomas G.}, year={2005}, month={Jun}, pages={43–55} }
 @article{aguilar_hines_wolcott_wolcott_kramer_lipcius_2005, title={The timing and route of movement and migration of post-copulatory female blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, from the upper Chesapeake Bay}, volume={319}, ISSN={0022-0981}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2004.08.030}, DOI={10.1016/j.jembe.2004.08.030}, abstractNote={The movement of mature female blue crabs Callinectes sapidus Rathbun from lower salinity areas to spawn near the mouths of estuaries is well documented, but specific details of the post-copulatory phase of their migratory behavior are poorly understood in Chesapeake Bay. To test the hypotheses about the timing and route of this migration, we conducted a mark–recapture study of mature females released in a mesohaline portion of the upper Chesapeake Bay. From June 1999 to October 2002, 1440 mature female blue crabs were obtained from fishers, tagged, and released in the vicinity of the Rhode River, Maryland, approximately 200 km distant from the mouth of the Bay. As of the end of 2002, 167 crabs were recaptured (11.6%), with considerable variation in recapture rates among years. All recaptures except one (in Flagler Beach, Florida) were caught within the Chesapeake Bay proper. Recaptures of female crabs released at monthly intervals from June–November indicated that migration occurred during a short fall period rather than over the prolonged period of summer to fall mating. The distances traveled by crabs before recapture differed significantly among release months. On average, crabs released in September and October traveled greater distances than crabs released in earlier months (June–August). Depths of recapture sites differed significantly among months, with shallow depths in June–August increasing in September to a maximum in November. The locations and bathymetry of recapture sites showed that female crabs used areas near the deep channel, especially the eastern shoulder, of the Bay as a migration corridor to the spawning areas of the lower estuary. The distinct fall season and route of migration should provide valuable management information for protecting the declining spawning stock of Chesapeake blue crabs.}, number={1-2}, journal={Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Aguilar, R. and Hines, A.H. and Wolcott, T.G. and Wolcott, D.L. and Kramer, M.A. and Lipcius, R.N.}, year={2005}, month={Jun}, pages={117–128} }
 @article{carver_wolcott_wolcott_hines_2005, title={Unnatural selection: Effects of a male-focused size-selective fishery on reproductive potential of a blue crab population}, volume={319}, ISSN={0022-0981}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2004.06.013}, DOI={10.1016/j.jembe.2004.06.013}, abstractNote={A male-focused size-selective fishery, like the one targeting the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus Rathbun) along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the U.S., has the potential to reduce the average size of the males in the population, reduce the density of males in the population, and/or raise the ratio of females to males. All of these may affect the mating dynamics of the population by reducing the amount of sperm that males provide to females and decreasing the number of males available for copulation. We investigated the effect of the fishery on a blue crab population in upper Chesapeake Bay by collecting crabs in areas of markedly different fishing pressure. Crabs were taken as individuals and as mating pairs, which permitted assessing the size of males currently mating in nature, and the seminal resources they possess and transfer to females. Average size of males in subpopulations that have been subjected to heavier fishing pressure is indeed smaller, and the smaller males pass less sperm and accessory fluid to females than would larger males if they were still present. Some males in pre-copulatory pairs are as sperm depleted as males that had just completed copulation, indicating that they are mating more frequently than they can replace their seminal resources. The most sperm-depleted males in the population are not even pairing or attempting to mate.}, number={1-2}, journal={Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology}, publisher={Elsevier BV}, author={Carver, Adina Motz and Wolcott, Thomas G. and Wolcott, Donna L. and Hines, Anson H.}, year={2005}, month={Jun}, pages={29–41} }
 @article{hines_jivoff_bushmann_van montfrans_reed_wolcott_wolcott_2003, title={Evidence for sperm limitation in the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus}, volume={72}, number={2}, journal={Bulletin of Marine Science}, author={Hines, A. H. and Jivoff, P. R. and Bushmann, P. J. and Van Montfrans, J. and Reed, S. A. and Wolcott, D. L. and Wolcott, T. G.}, year={2003}, pages={287–310} }
 @article{turner_wolcott_wolcott_hines_2003, title={Post-mating behavior, intramolt growth, and onset of migration to Chesapeake Bay spawning grounds by adult female blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus Rathbun}, volume={295}, ISSN={["0022-0981"]}, DOI={10.1016/S0022-0981(03)00290-9}, abstractNote={After molting to maturity, female blue crabs must rebuild muscles atrophied to permit molting and grow larger ones commensurate with the larger exoskeleton. They also must acquire energy for oogenesis and for migration to high-salinity spawning habitat, a distance of >150 km for females mating in the Upper Chesapeake Bay. Using telemetry and mark–recapture techniques, post-copulatory females in the upper bay were shown to forage at high rates, alternating between meandering and directed movement in the area of mating for weeks to months, and to begin migrating in October. Consequently, females from the Upper Chesapeake Bay probably do not spawn until the season after mating. Their priority seems to be to acquire energy before migrating. After molting, energy was allocated first into somatic tissue and eventually into hepatopancreas and gonads. Telemetry of feeding and movement showed that habitat utilization, traveling velocities, foraging patterns, and movements were similar to those already determined for males. However, females appeared to invest proportionally more energy (calories per gram dry weight) into their somatic and reproductive tissues than did males. A newly designed transmitter that telemetered depth showed that females moved during both ebbs and floods and remained at or near the bottom of the water column.}, number={1}, journal={JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MARINE BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY}, author={Turner, HV and Wolcott, DL and Wolcott, TG and Hines, AH}, year={2003}, month={Oct}, pages={107–130} }
 @article{kendall_wolcott_wolcott_hines_2002, title={Influence of male size and mating history on sperm content of ejaculates of the blue crab Callinectes sapidus}, volume={230}, ISSN={["0171-8630"]}, DOI={10.3354/meps230235}, abstractNote={Laboratory experiments were used to determine the influence of male Callinectes sapidus (Rathburn) size (larger vs smaller than the size limit of the hard crab fishery in Chesapeake Bay, which is 127 mm carapace width) and mating history (recently mated males with depleted seminal stores vs those with fully recovered resources) on number of sperm transferred to females. Females mated by males with fully recovered seminal resources received significantly more sperm than those mated with males that had mated once previously, regardless of male size. No significant difference was found between the number of sperm delivered by small and large males with similar mating history. The sperm content of ejaculates from these laboratory experiments was compared to sperm received by females collected in the field. Only 11 % of field-collected females received an amount of sperm as large as that delivered by the fully recovered males in our laboratory experiments. Of the field collected females, 77 % received much less sperm, similar to or below the number delivered by depleted males in our laboratory experiments.}, journal={MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES}, author={Kendall, MS and Wolcott, DL and Wolcott, TG and Hines, AH}, year={2002}, pages={235–240} }
 @inproceedings{wolcott_wolcott_hines_medici_2002, title={Migration of adult female blue crabs from mating areas to the maternity suite: When, where, and who cares?}, volume={42}, number={6}, booktitle={Integrative and Comparative Biology}, author={Wolcott, T. G. and Wolcott, D. L. and Hines, A. H. and Medici, D. A.}, year={2002}, pages={1337} }
 @article{charmantier_wolcott_2001, title={Introduction to the symposium: Ontogenetic strategies of invertebrates in aquatic environments}, volume={41}, ISSN={["0003-1569"]}, DOI={10.1668/0003-1569(2001)041[1053:ITTSOS]2.0.CO;2}, abstractNote={Abstract This symposium presents different ecological and physiological strategies used by invertebrates to successfully adapt to aquatic environments. Adaptation has been studied mainly in adult animals, but the papers comprising the symposium emphasize ontogenetic strategies, starting from the principle that natural selection acts on all stages of development. Adaptive strategies may thus differ strikingly between developmental stages of the same organism. Invertebrates offer a wide array of ecophysiological models for study, and these are exemplified by the contributions to the symposium, which are briefly summarized. Future research in the field will 1, expand the number of models for comparative purposes; 2, examine the strategies, not only of larvae and juveniles, but also of embryos, eggs and reproductive cells; and 3, investigate the genetic basis of ontogenetic strategies.}, number={5}, journal={AMERICAN ZOOLOGIST}, author={Charmantier, G and Wolcott, DL}, year={2001}, month={Nov}, pages={1053–1056} }
 @article{kendall_wolcott_wolcott_hines_2001, title={Reproductive potential of individual male blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus, in a fished population: depletion and recovery of sperm number and seminal fluid}, volume={58}, ISSN={["1205-7533"]}, DOI={10.1139/cjfas-58-6-1168}, abstractNote={We evaluated the depletion and recovery rates of sperm number and vas deferens weight following mating for male Callinectes sapidus both below (<127 mm carapace width) and well above (>140 mm) the fishery size limit for hard crabs in Chesapeake Bay (127 mm). Large males had low sperm count and vas deferens weight immediately after mating and required approximately 9–20 days to fully recover. After mating, small males had significant reduction in sperm number despite no significant change in vas deferens weight. Furthermore, small males with completely recovered seminal stores had significantly lower vas deferens weight than fully recovered large males but did not differ significantly from large males in number of sperm. The changes in vas deferens weight and sperm count following experimental mating suggest that large males delivered 21 times as much seminal fluid and 2.25 times as much sperm as small males. Field collections in a subestuary of Chesapeake Bay revealed that the majority (50–90%) of males had extremely low vas deferens weight relative to males with fully recovered sperm volume. Since the fishery targets males primarily, reducing both the number and average size of males in the population, many females may be mated with small or recently mated males that transfer less seminal material.}, number={6}, journal={CANADIAN JOURNAL OF FISHERIES AND AQUATIC SCIENCES}, author={Kendall, MS and Wolcott, DL and Wolcott, TG and Hines, AH}, year={2001}, month={Jun}, pages={1168–1177} }
 @article{wolcott_wolcott_2001, title={Role of Behavior in meeting osmotic challenges}, volume={41}, ISSN={["0003-1569"]}, DOI={10.1668/0003-1569(2001)041[0795:ROBIMO]2.0.CO;2}, abstractNote={Abstract Biologists must remember that physiology is the product of natural selection on organisms interacting with heterogeneous environments. “Behaving” organisms may alter the osmotic conditions they experience and achieve results unexpected from laboratory studies. Their ability to exploit environmental heterogeneity depends on its temporal/spatial scale relative to that of the organism, and the correspondence between the osmotic differences and the organism's sensory and osmoregulatory physiology. “Behaviors” include evasion of stressful habitats, selection among differing microenvironments, changing body characteristics that affect salt/water uptake/loss, manipulating fluids differing in osmolytes, and modification of osmotic microenvironments (especially for vulnerable offspring). To draw “comparative and integrative” inferences, investigators must strive to understand an organism's actual challenges by “seeing” the world from its perspective, and then making observations and performing experiments in the context of the “real world” experienced by that organism.}, number={4}, journal={AMERICAN ZOOLOGIST}, author={Wolcott, TG and Wolcott, DL}, year={2001}, month={Sep}, pages={795–805} }
 @article{clark_wolcott_wolcott_hines_2000, title={Foraging behavior of an estuarine predator, the blue crab Callinectes sapidus in a patchy environment}, volume={23}, ISSN={["1600-0587"]}, DOI={10.1034/j.1600-0587.2000.230103.x}, number={1}, journal={ECOGRAPHY}, author={Clark, ME and Wolcott, TG and Wolcott, DL and Hines, AH}, year={2000}, month={Feb}, pages={21–31} }
 @article{clark_wolcott_wolcott_hines_1999, title={Foraging and agonistic activity co-occur in free-ranging blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus): observation of animals by ultrasonic telemetry}, volume={233}, ISSN={["0022-0981"]}, DOI={10.1016/S0022-0981(98)00129-4}, abstractNote={To define the temporal and spatial patterns of agonism and foraging activity in blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus), we monitored five free-ranging animals in the Rhode River subestuary of the central Chesapeake Bay by ultrasonic telemetry during the summers of 1991–93. The interdependence between the two activities was of special interest. High crab densities have been associated with more frequent aggressive interactions and decreased foraging success in previous laboratory studies. High crab population density is correlated with increased frequency of aggression-related injury (autotomy) and cannibalism in the field. Consequently, we predicted that as crabs aggregate to clam patches during feeding periods in the field, the level of aggressive interactions would increase. In early trials, we collected data on location and agonistic activity (the stereotypical spreading of the chelae in the `meral spread' threat display) of crabs moving freely in the estuary by using single-channel telemetry transmitters. With subsequent technological advancements, we received simultaneous data on agonism and feeding. Crabs exhibited a diel pattern of agonism with peaks in threat display occurring in mornings and sometimes in evenings. Crabs fitted with single-channel telemetry transmitters were observed interacting aggressively most often at times previously identified as feeding periods, although the highest levels of agonism came slightly later than periods associated with the highest levels of feeding. Simultaneous telemetry of the two behaviors indicated that periods of increased agonism and feeding overlapped. Feeding activity tended to wane as threat activity increased, consistent with the hypothesis that aggressive interference impairs foraging.}, number={1}, journal={JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MARINE BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY}, author={Clark, ME and Wolcott, TG and Wolcott, DL and Hines, AH}, year={1999}, month={Jan}, pages={143–160} }
 @article{wolcott_wolcott_1999, title={High mortality of piping plovers on beaches with abundant ghost crabs: Correlation, not causation}, volume={111}, number={3}, journal={Wilson Bulletin}, author={Wolcott, D. L. and Wolcott, T. G.}, year={1999}, pages={321–329} }
 @article{clark_wolcott_wolcott_hines_1999, title={Intraspecific interference among foraging blue crabs Callinectes sapidus: interactive effects of predator density and prey patch distribution}, volume={178}, ISSN={["0171-8630"]}, DOI={10.3354/meps178069}, abstractNote={The interactive effects of predator density and prey distribution on the foraging behavior of an important estuarine predator were studied, at a fine temporal scale, using ultrasonic telemetry. The movement and agonistic activity of individual blue crabs Callinectes sapidus were monitored in large field enclosures, in which the density of crabs and the distribution of patches of bivalve prey Macoma balthica were varied. Agonism-related injury in blue crabs is common and may be quite costly. On a scale of days, blue crabs have been shown in previous studies to disperse, sometimes into prey-impoverished areas, in response to conspecific interference. On the scale of minutes to hours addressed in the present study, the density of predators and the distribution of their prey interacted to affect the foraging behavior and success of blue crabs. When only a single clam patch was available, blue crabs at high density interfered with each other's foraging by direct agonistic encounters, shown by an inverse correlation between agonistic activity and foraging success. Conversely, when prey were partitioned into 2 patches, blue crabs at high density apparently dispersed among the patches, thus minimizing direct agonistic clashes. Although crabs reduced the occurrence of agonistic encounters further than the 50 % attributable to their effectively halving their densities on each patch, they did not take refuge in the prey-impoverished areas between experimental patches for significant periods. Instead, they seemed to respond instantaneously to changing degree of risk by moving off the clam patch when another conspecific approached.}, journal={MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES}, author={Clark, ME and Wolcott, TG and Wolcott, DL and Hines, AH}, year={1999}, pages={69–78} }