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James Welch

Adjunct Professor in the Division of Marine Science and Policy
Marine Science and Conservation

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Adjunct Professor in the Division of Marine Science and Policy · 2024 - Present Marine Science and Conservation, Nicholas School of the Environment

Recent Publications


The role of adult fiddler crab environmental acoustic cues and chemical cues in stimulating molting of field-caught megalopae

Journal Article Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology · April 1, 2021 In mid-Atlantic estuaries, three fiddler crab species, Uca pugilator, Uca pugnax and Uca minax, co-occur, with their adults occupying different habitat types distinguished by salinity and sediment size. Some evidence exists that selective settlement is res ... Full text Open Access Cite

Seasonal and latitudinal variations in the energy reserves of the mud fiddler crab Uca pugnax: Implications for the response to climate change

Journal Article Aquatic Biology · August 28, 2017 In 2014, the Atlantic mud fiddler crab Uca pugnax was found 80 km north of its previously known northern range limit. Two years before this shift was noted, we collected a total of 781 male and female specimens from 6 populations along a latitudinal transe ... Full text Cite

Chemical cues from adult fiddler crabs stimulate molting of conspecific megalopae: Evidence from field-caught individuals

Journal Article Marine Ecology Progress Series · July 14, 2016 In mid-Atlantic estuaries, 3 species of fiddler crabs (Uca pugilator, U. pugnax and U. minax) co-occur, with their adults occupying different habitat types separated by salinity and sediment size. There is evidence that selective settlement is responsible ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


REU Site: Undergraduate Research in Estuarine and Coastal Marine Systems

ResearchSenior Investigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2021 - 2025

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Education, Training & Certifications


Duke University · 1998 Ph.D.