Data for: Invasive investigation: Uptake and transport of L-leucine in the gill epithelium of crustaceans

Many aquatic species are well-known as extremely successful invaders. The
green crab (Carcinus maenas) is an arthropod native to European waters;
however, it is now known to be a globally invasive species. Recently it
was discovered that C. maenas could transport nutrients in the form of
amino acids across their gill from the surrounding environment, a feat
previously thought to be impossible in arthropods. We compared the ability
for branchial amino acid transport of crustaceans native to Canadian
Pacific waters to that of the invasive C. maenas, determining if this was
a novel pathway in an extremely successful invasive species or a shared
trait among crustaceans. Active transport of L-leucine was exhibited in
Carcinus maenas, Metacarcinus gracilis, Metacarcinus magister, and Cancer
productus across their gill epithelia. C. maenas exhibited the highest
maximum rate of branchial L-leucine transport at 53.7 ± 6.24 nmolg-1h-1,
over twice the rate of two native Canadian crustaceans. We also examined
the influence of feeding, gill specificity, and organ accumulation of
L-leucine. Feeding events displayed a heavy influence on the branchial
transport rate of amino acids, increasing L-leucine transport rates by up
to 10-fold in C. maenas. L-leucine displayed a significantly higher
accumulation rate in the gills of C. maenas compared to the rest of the
body at 4.15 ± 0.78 nmolg-1h-1, with the stomach, hepatopancreas,
eyestalks, muscle tissue, carapace, and heart muscle exhibiting
accumulation under 0.15 nmolg-1h-1. For the first time, the novel
transport of amino acids in Canadian native arthropods is described,
suggesting that branchial amino acid transport is a shared trait among
arthropods, contrary to existing literature. Further investigation is
required to determine the influence of environmental temperature and
salinity on transport in each species to outline any competitive
advantages of the invasive C. maenas in a fluctuating estuarine
environment.