Density of fiddler crab Minuca pugnax and other macroinvertebrates along transects in the Plum Island Ecosystems LTER.

Ocean warming is a consequence of climate change. As a result, warm-water species poleward are shifting or expanding their ranges toward the north and south poles. In 2014, the Atlantic mud fiddler crab, Minuca pugnax, was observed for the first time in the Plum Island Estuary, Massachusetts (42°43'31.7"N 70°51'18.1"W), which is north of its historical range (Cape Cod, Massachusetts). Beginning in 2014, density estimates or fiddler crabs and other macroinvertebrates were collected annually during the summer months using quadrat surveys at 6 sites in the Plum Island Ecosystems LTER, Massachusetts.