Coexistence of Two Invasive Species, Procambarus clarkii and Aphanomyces astaci, in Brackish Waters of a Mediterranean Coastal Lagoon

Procambarus clarkii is a worldwide freshwater invasive crustacean from North America and was first introduced into Europe the 1970s. Along with P. clarkii, another invasive alien species was also spreading: Aphanomyces astaci. This pathogen is listed among the 100 World’s worst invasive species and involved in the European native crayfish decline. Although both species live in freshwater ecosystems, P. clarkii can withstand brackish waters and inhabit estuarine habitats. However, the presence of A. astaci associated to North American crayfishes has never been described in brackish waters. In this study, we have investigated the presence of A. astaci in a P. clarkii population of a Mediterranean coastal lagoon in the Albufera Natural Park, Valencia, Spain introduced in 1976. Our study confirmed the presence of this pathogen, and suggests that A. astaci has been spreading for more than four decades in the mentioned estuarine environment. Mitochondrial ribosomal rnnS and rnnL indicated that the isolated pathogen belongs to d1-haplotype (i.e., D-haplogroup) typically hosted by P. clarkii. The presence of this pathogen in a brackish environment may suggest a better adaptation than other A. astaci strains to adverse conditions, such as high salinity levels. This is a matter of concern for the conservation of European native freshwater crayfish and highlights once more the risk of introducing invasive alien crustaceans.

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Participatory mapping of aquatic invasive species: a demonstration in a coastal lagoon

10.32942/osf.io/4wz59 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jacopo Cerri ◽

Ernesto Azzurro

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Coastal Lagoon ◽

Coefficient Of Variation ◽

Procambarus Clarkii ◽

Freshwater Ecosystems ◽

Aquatic Invasive Species ◽

Spatial Gradient ◽

Participatory Mapping ◽

Ecological Requirements ◽

Management Actions

Aquatic Invasive species (AIS) are a growing driver of change across marine and freshwater ecosystems but spatially-explicit information is seldom available for supporting management actions and decision making. Here we conceived and tested a new participatory method to map the distribution of three invasive species (Callinectes sapidus, Procambarus clarkii and Oreochromis niloticus) in the coastal lagoon of Lesina (Italy). Local fishers were asked to draw the distribution of each species on pre-printed maps, indicating districts of the lagoon characterized by different abundance levels. Then, maps were converted to a lattice grid and a Bayesian hierarchical Generalized Additive Modeling was adopted to model species distribution in the lagoon, calculating the coefficient of variation for model fitted values to map fishers agreement about the distribution of each species.The spatial gradient in the abundance of the three species in the lagoon aligned with their ecological requirements. C. sapidus was abundant throughout the whole lagoon, peaking in correspondence of saltmarsh vegetation, while P. clarkii and O. niloticus, were much less abundant and remained distributed near to freshwater inputs. Experts agreed about the spatial distribution of C. sapidus in the lagoon, with a median coefficient of variation in model fitted values of 3.9%. On the other hand, the coefficient of variation was higher for P.clarkii (19.9%) O. niloticus (18.4%), indicating a higher level of uncertainty about their estimated distribution.With this example, we provided new metrics to evaluate the quality of LEK-based participatory mapping in terms of agreement and consistency among experts. The resulting information provides new insights for spatially informed management across aquatic realms in relation to the increasing ecological and socio-economical pressures posed by biological invaders.

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First Detection of the Crayfish Plague Pathogen Aphanomyces astaci in Costa Rica: European Mistakes Should Not Be Repeated

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.3389/fevo.2021.623814 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Laura Martín-Torrijos ◽

Angel Jose Correa-Villalona ◽

Juan Carlos Azofeifa-Solano ◽

Fresia Villalobos-Rojas ◽

Ingo S. Wehrtmann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Costa Rica ◽

Procambarus Clarkii ◽

Freshwater Ecosystems ◽

Future Research ◽

Warning Sign ◽

Aphanomyces Astaci ◽

Molecular Approaches ◽

Research Activities ◽

Invasive Crayfish ◽

Crayfish Species

The crayfish plague pathogen Aphanomyces astaci is one of the main factors responsible for the decline in European and Asian native crayfish species. This pathogen was transported to these regions through its natural carriers, North American crayfish species, which were introduced during the last century. Since then, the carrier species and the pathogen have spread worldwide due to globalization and the highly invasive nature of these species. In Europe, five carrier species have been categorized as high-risk as they are responsible for the loss of provisioning services, which endangers freshwater ecosystems. The red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii, in particular, is currently one of the most concerning species as its spread threatens crayfish biodiversity and freshwater ecosystems worldwide. In this study, we describe the first detection of A. astaci in an introduced population of P. clarkii in Central America, specifically in Costa Rica. Using molecular approaches, we analyzed 48 crayfish samples collected from Reservoir Cachí and detected the presence of A. astaci in four of these samples. The introduction of P. clarkii and the incorrect management of the species (related to its fishery and the commercialization of live specimens) over the past decades in Europe are mistakes that should not be repeated elsewhere. The detection of the pathogen is a warning sign about the dangerous impact that the introduction of this invasive crayfish may have, not only as a carrier of an emerging disease but also as a direct risk to the invaded ecosystems. Our results may serve to (1) assess current and future consequences, and (2) direct future research activities, such as determining the potential impacts of A. astaci on native decapod species, or on other introduced crayfish species that are used for aquaculture purposes, such as Cherax quadricarinatus.

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The current distribution of the freshwater crayfish (Decapoda: Astacidae, Cambaridae) in the Neman river basin in Belarus

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Biological Series ◽

10.29235/1029-8940-2020-65-2-182-190 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 65 (2) ◽

pp. 182-190

Author(s):

A. V. Alekhnovich ◽

D. V. Molotkov ◽

K. Śliwińska

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Alien Species ◽

River Basin ◽

Current Distribution ◽

Native Species ◽

Local Community ◽

Freshwater Crayfish ◽

Gravel Pits ◽

Native Crayfish ◽

Crayfish Species

The trends in the distribution and occurrence of the freshwater crayfish in the water bodies of the Neman River basin are presents. It has been shown that both native species: the noble and the narrow-clawed crayfish are declined and/or are displaced with rapidly expanding its range the invasive spiny-cheek crayfish. In recent years the alien species was found in isolated gravel pits and lakes, where it could be transferred only by the human activity. These findings confirm the need of the education about the threats posed by the invasive species on the native biodiversity especially with the local community, which is an obligatory practice for protection the native species in the area expanded with non-native crayfish species. Further, to increase the likelihood of the local biodiversity conservation it is highly needed to undertake targeted actions aimed at resettling endangered populations into waterbodies unavailable for the invasive spiny-cheek crayfish expansion.

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The Combined Effects of Multiple Invasive Species on the Persistence of Experimental Populations of Imperiled Pahrump Poolfish

10.21203/rs.3.rs-238574/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Brandon L. Paulson ◽

Craig A. Stockwell

Keyword(s):

Invasive Species ◽

Native Species ◽

Procambarus Clarkii ◽

Active Management ◽

Adult Survival ◽

Combined Effects ◽

Experimental Mesocosms ◽

Multiple Species ◽

Southwest Usa ◽

Native Crayfish

Abstract Many ecosystems have been invaded by more than one non-native species, but research evaluating the combined effects of multiple invasive species has been limited. In the southwest USA, many aquatic systems have been invaded by multiple species such as non-native crayfish and non-native fishes. We used experimental mesocosms to test individual and combined effects of invasive Red Swamp Crayfish, Procambarus clarkii , and Western Mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis , on endangered Pahrump Poolfish, Empetrichthys latos. We found that crayfish alone reduced adult poolfish survival, however crayfish did not limit production of poolfish juveniles. By contrast, mosquitofish had no effect on survival of poolfish adults, but significantly reduced recruitment of juveniles. When both crayfish and mosquitofish were present, both adult survival and juvenile production were significantly decreased. These findings were consistent with the recent decline of a wild poolfish population from over 10,000 fish to less than 1,000 poolfish following the establishment of crayfish and mosquitofish. This study demonstrates that conservation management of the Pahrump Poolfish must have active management and removal of invasive species, otherwise extirpation and eventually extinction will likely occur and provides an example for the compounding effects of multiple invasive species for other study systems.

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May atyid shrimps act as potential vectors of crayfish plague?

NeoBiota ◽

10.3897/neobiota.51.37718 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 51 ◽

pp. 65-80 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Agata Mrugała ◽

Miloš Buřič ◽

Adam Petrusek ◽

Antonín Kouba

Keyword(s):

Procambarus Clarkii ◽

Freshwater Crayfish ◽

Transmission Experiment ◽

Shrimp Species ◽

Aphanomyces Astaci ◽

Freshwater Shrimps ◽

Successful Infection ◽

In The Wild ◽

Species Specific ◽

Crayfish Species

The causative agent of crayfish plague, Aphanomyces astaci Schikora, was long considered to be a specialist pathogen whose host range is limited to freshwater crayfish. Recent studies, however, provided evidence that this parasite does not only grow within the tissues of freshwater-inhabiting crabs but can also be successfully transmitted by them to European crayfish species. The potential to act as alternative A. astaci hosts was also indicated for freshwater shrimps. We experimentally tested resistance of two freshwater atyid shrimps: Atyopsis moluccensis (De Haan, 1849) and Atya gabonensis Giebel, 1875. They were infected with the A. astaci strain associated with the globally widespread North American red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii (Girard, 1852), the typical host of the A. astaci genotype group D. As popular ornamental species, both shrimps may get in contact with infected P. clarkii not only in the wild but also in the aquarium trade. We assessed the potential of shrimps to transmit A. astaci to susceptible crayfish by cohabiting A. gabonensis previously exposed to A. astaci zoospores with the European noble crayfish, Astacus astacus (Linnaeus, 1758). In both experiments, the presence of A. astaci infection was analysed with species-specific quantitative PCR. We detected A. astaci in bodies and exuviae of both shrimp species exposed to A. astaci zoospores, however, the intensity of infection differed between the species and analysed samples; it was higher in A. moluccensis and the exuviae of both species. A. astaci was also detected in one A. astacus individual in the transmission experiment. This finding reveals that freshwater shrimps may be able to transmit A. astaci to crayfish hosts; this is particularly important as even a single successful infection contributes to the spread of the disease. Moreover, our results indicate that the tested shrimp species may be capable of resisting A. astaci infection and reducing its intensity through moulting. Although their potential to act as prominent A. astaci vectors requires further research, it should not be ignored as these freshwater animals may then facilitate A. astaci spread to susceptible crayfish species in aquarium and aquaculture facilities as well as in the wild.

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Money Kills Native Ecosystems: European Crayfish as an Example

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.3389/fevo.2021.648495 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Japo Jussila ◽

Lennart Edsman ◽

Ivana Maguire ◽

Javier Diéguez-Uribeondo ◽

Kathrin Theissinger

Keyword(s):

Alien Species ◽

Aquatic Ecosystems ◽

Significant Proportion ◽

Suitable Habitat ◽

Freshwater Crayfish ◽

Aphanomyces Astaci ◽

Commercial Activities ◽

Disease Agent ◽

Native Crayfish ◽

Crayfish Species

Native European crayfish conservation was triggered by invasion of crayfish plague disease agent, Aphanomyces astaci, starting 1860s in Northern Italy. Resulting crayfish plague epidemics quickly spread over Continental Europe, then to Finland, Sweden and finally, after running amok around Europe, A. astaci was discovered also in Iberian Peninsula, Norway, Ireland, and United Kingdom in 1970s and 1980s. By that time significant proportion of native crayfish stocks had been lost, and while crayfish plague epidemics were still recorded, also industrialization and waterways construction were causing damage to remaining native crayfish stocks. While alien crayfish introductions, at least Faxonius limosus, already gave rise to first wave of crayfish plague epidemics in late 19th century, later in 1960s it was decided that introductions of alien Pacifastacus leniusculus should be initiated to replace native European crayfish populations. Decisions were based on presumed advantages for fishery, suitable habitat requirements and supposed immunity against A. astaci. Furthermore, conservation of native European crayfish species was sidelined and focus shifted toward alien crayfish stocking routine and consumption. Alien crayfish species introductions resulted in repeated waves of crayfish plague epidemics among remaining native crayfish stocks. It was soon discovered that alien crayfish of North American origin were, as suspected, permanent reservoirs for A. astaci, that some of those alien species were losing their resistance against selected strains of A. astaci and struggled in European aquatic ecosystems. In this article, we introduce numerous motives behind grand mistake of introducing alien crayfish species to Europe and then promoting their stocks instead of focusing on conservation of native crayfish species. We outline how false economical, biological and ecologic assumptions were used to justify a hasty introduction of alien crayfish, which has further devastated native crayfish and also permanently changed European aquatic ecosystems, both with disastrous consequences. Lesson to be learnt is that science-based warnings about alien species damage to native ecosystems and native crayfish must be taken with utmost caution. Protection of native European crayfish should be core issue, not commercial activities. Finally, we summarize main threats and actions needed to protect remaining native freshwater crayfish fauna in Europe.

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MtDNA allows the sensitive detection and haplotyping of the crayfish plague disease agent Aphanomyces astaci showing clues about its origin and migration

Parasitology ◽

10.1017/s0031182018000227 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 145 (9) ◽

pp. 1210-1218 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Jenny Makkonen ◽

Japo Jussila ◽

Jörn Panteleit ◽

Nina Sophie Keller ◽

Anne Schrimpf ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Procambarus Clarkii ◽

Disease Outbreaks ◽

Tissue Samples ◽

Orconectes Limosus ◽

Aphanomyces Astaci ◽

In The Wild ◽

Disease Agent ◽

And Migration ◽

Native Crayfish

AbstractThe oomycete Aphanomyces astaci, the causative agent of crayfish plague, is listed as one of the 100 worst invasive species in the world, destroying the native crayfish populations throughout Eurasia. The aim of this study was to examine the potential of selected mitochondrial (mt) genes to track the diversity of the crayfish plague pathogen A. astaci. Two sets of primers were developed to amplify the mtDNA of ribosomal rnnS and rnnL subunits. We confirmed two main lineages, with four different haplogroups and five haplotypes among 27 studied A. astaci strains. The haplogroups detected were (1) the A-haplogroup with the a-haplotype strains originating from Orconectes sp., Pacifastacus leniusculus and Astacus astacus; (2) the B-haplogroup with the b-haplotype strains originating from the P. leniusculus; (3) the D-haplogroup with the d1 and d2-haplotypes strains originating from Procambarus clarkii; and (4) the E-haplogroup with the e-haplotype strains originating from the Orconectes limosus. The described markers are stable and reliable and the results are easily repeatable in different laboratories. The present method has high applicability as it allows the detection and characterization of the A. astaci haplotype in acute disease outbreaks in the wild, directly from the infected crayfish tissue samples.

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Physiological adaptation of an Aphanomyces astaci strain isolated from the freshwater crayfish Procambarus clarkii

Mycological Research ◽

10.1016/s0953-7562(09)80716-8 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 99 (5) ◽

pp. 574-578 ◽

Cited By ~ 87

Author(s):

Javier Diéguez-Uribeondo ◽

Tien-Sheng Huang ◽

Lage Cerenius ◽

Kenneth Söderhäll

Keyword(s):

Procambarus Clarkii ◽

Physiological Adaptation ◽

Freshwater Crayfish ◽

Aphanomyces Astaci

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An integrated risk-assessment framework for multiple threats to floodplain values in the Kakadu Region, Australia, under a changing climate

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf17043 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 69 (7) ◽

pp. 1159 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

P. Bayliss ◽

C. M. Finlayson ◽

J. Innes ◽

A. Norman-López ◽

R. Bartolo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Assessment ◽

At Risk ◽

Invasive Species ◽

Freshwater Ecosystems ◽

Sensitivity Analyses ◽

Assessment Framework ◽

Integrated Risk Assessment ◽

Invasive Species Control ◽

Integrated Risk ◽

Time Frames

The internationally important river–floodplains of the Kakadu Region in northern Australia are at risk from invasive species and future sea-level rise–saltwater inundation (SLR–SWI), requiring assessments of multiple cumulative risks over different time frames. An integrated risk-assessment framework was developed to assess threats from feral animals and aquatic weeds at three SLR-scenario time frames (present-day, 2070 and 2100) to natural (magpie goose habitats), cultural (indigenous hunting–fishing sites) and economic (tourism revenue less invasive species control costs) values. Probability density functions (pdfs) were fitted to spatial data to characterise values and threats, and combined with Monte Carlo simulation and sensitivity analyses to account for uncertainties. All risks were integrated in a Bayesian belief network to undertake ‘what if’ management-scenario analyses, and incorporated known ecological interactions and uncertainties. Coastal landscapes and socio-ecological systems in the region will be very different by 2100 as a result of SLR; freshwater ecosystems will transform to marine-dominated ecosystems and cannot be managed back to analogue conditions. In this context, future invasive-species risks will decrease, reflecting substantial loss of freshwater habitats previously at risk and a reduction in the extent of invasive species, highlighting the importance of freshwater refugia for the survival of iconic species.

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