News All MBL News Newsletter Recent Grants Back to main menu Overview Grant Awards 2022-23 MBL Accolades MBL Publications Media Information Social Media Information Science Communication Resources for Scientists Obituaries Home All MBL News Crabs on the Move: Climate Migrants Fiddle with the Great Marsh | Science News Fiddler crab (Minuca pugnax). Credit: David Johnson By Science News August 20, 2024 Share Articles Share Marine Biological Laboratory | Crabs on the Move: Climate Migrants Fiddle with the Great Marsh | Science News on Facebook Share Marine Biological Laboratory | Crabs on the Move: Climate Migrants Fiddle with the Great Marsh | Science News on Twitter Share Marine Biological Laboratory | Crabs on the Move: Climate Migrants Fiddle with the Great Marsh | Science News on LinkedIn Related Scientists Full Name Anne Giblin Categories Ecosystems Center Media Mentions Since 2003, marine ecologist David Johnson has spent time doing field work in the Plum Island Ecosystem, a long-term ecological research station (LTER) managed by the MBL Ecosystems Center. This video from Science News highlights Johnson's work documenting fiddler crabs pushing northward into the ecosystem's Great Marsh. Anne Giblin, director of the Ecosystems Center, is also featured. Remote video URL Nearly a decade ago, researcher David Johnson found a type of crab never seen before in the Great Marsh, the largest remaining salt marsh left in New England. Johnson knew these fiddler crabs represented a marker of climate change pushing species north. What he wasn't sure of was whether the fiddler crabs would spell disaster or if the marsh could adapt to their invasion. His ongoing work is one example of researchers zooming in on how climate migrants could shift ecosystems as climate change continues. Source: Crabs on the Move: Climate Migrants Fiddle with the Great Marsh | Science News Share Articles Share Marine Biological Laboratory | Crabs on the Move: Climate Migrants Fiddle with the Great Marsh | Science News on Facebook Share Marine Biological Laboratory | Crabs on the Move: Climate Migrants Fiddle with the Great Marsh | Science News on Twitter Share Marine Biological Laboratory | Crabs on the Move: Climate Migrants Fiddle with the Great Marsh | Science News on LinkedIn