The impact of barnacle epibionts on the condition of the shore crab Carcinus maenas was studied for the western Wadden Sea population. Approximately 39% of the crabs were fouled with the barnacle Balanus crenatus. Although the morphological Fulton's K condition decreased by 5.8% in fouled crabs, Linear Mixed-Effects Models (LMM) showed that only the energetic condition of the crabs was significantly affected by fouling. The energy density of fouled crabs was consistently poorer (4.1% in AFDW; 8.7% in dry weight) than that of non-fouled crabs, especially in females and green forms in dry weight (12.8% and 11.4% reduction, respectively). Cumulative infection with Sacculina carcini, detected in 4.5% of the fouled crabs, additionally reduced by 14.3% the energy density in dry weight and almost to half of the total energy of the fouled crabs. Impacts of energy density reduction on crabs' growth and reproduction are discussed.
Keywords: Balanus crenatus; Carcinus maenas; Wadden Sea; energy density; fitness; fouling.