Initial site assessment and exclosure installation We are also interested in conducting a diet study on Tupa (Cardisoma carnifex) by collecting their fecal material. These samples will provide us with a broader understanding of Tupa’s contribution to nutrient cycling. Further, this study will allow us to understand how Tupa might mediate nutrient movement from marine allochthonous sources to the terrestrial atoll ecosystem. Gaining this understanding will further inform decisions for maintaining ecosystem resilience. Crabs collected in and around exclosure sites will be placed overnight in individual buckets. Once the crab excretes, we will collect a sample for diet analysis. Crabs diets will be surveyed through the motus of Tetiaroa (primarily Tiaraunu, Taunini, Auroa, Hira Anae, and Oroatera) with a target of 100 unique samples. For each crab fecal sample, we will record the motu the crab was collected and forest canopy type. All samples will be dried at the Eco-station and will be processed via isotope analysis and eDNA analysis to quantify the marine and terrestrial signals from their diet and the species each Tupa is consuming.

Approved