Horseshoe crabs are one of the iconic species of the Delaware Bay ecosystem. They are famous as a 450-million year-old “living fossil,” for their importance to the pharmaceutical industry, and for the crucial role horseshoe crab eggs play in providing essential food for the tens of thousands of migratory shorebirds passing through Delaware Bay each spring. In this presentation, Dr. Mark L. Botton will discuss the life history, ecology, and commercial uses of horseshoe crabs, and the reasons for concerns about the status of their populations, including overfishing and habitat loss. He also will cover the work of the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Horseshoe Crab Specialist Group to advocate for the science-based conservation of horseshoe crabs in North America and Southeast Asia.

Dr. Mark L. Botton is Professor of Biology (Emeritus) in the Department of Natural Sciences at Fordham University in New York City. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Stony Brook University, his Master’s degree in Biology from Brooklyn College, and his Ph.D. in Zoology from Rutgers University. Botton has published over 70 articles and book chapters on various aspects of horseshoe crab biology, including feeding ecology, mating behavior, the effects of pollution on developmental success, and population and conservation biology. He is Co-Editor of three books, Biology and Conservation of Horseshoe Crabs, Changing Global Perspectives on Horseshoe Crab Biology, Conservation and Management, and International Horseshoe Crab Conservation and Research Efforts: 2007- 2020. Botton is the Co-Chair of the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Horseshoe Crab Specialist Group, which advocates for the science-based conservation of horseshoe crabs and their essential spawning and nursery habitats.

The library's “Science and Society - Making Sense of the World Around Us” lecture series is co-organized and moderated by Fred Dylla, Executive Director Emeritus of the American Institute of Physics and author of Scientific Journeys, Linda Dylla, former public information officer at the Jefferson Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy, and Colin Norman, the former News Editor at Science.

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