signal crayfish
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2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack A. Greenhalgh ◽  
Rupert A. Collins ◽  
Duncan E. Edgley ◽  
Martin J. Genner ◽  
Jan Hindle ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
T. J. Ruokonen ◽  
J. Karjalainen

AbstractTemperature is one of the most important factors governing the activity of ectothermic species, and it plays an important but less studied role in the manifestation of invasive species impacts. In this study, we investigated temperature-specific feeding and metabolic rates of invasive and native crayfish, and evaluated how temperature regulates their ecological impacts at present and in future according to different climatic scenarios by bioenergetics modelling. We conducted a series of maximum food consumption experiments and measured the metabolic rates of cold-adapted native noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) and invasive signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) originally from a warmer environment over a temperature gradient resembling natural temperatures in Finland. The maximum feeding rates and routine metabolic rates (RMR) of native noble crayfish were significantly higher at low temperatures (< 10 °C than the rates of invasive signal crayfish. The RMRs of the species crossed at 18 °C, and the RMRs of signal crayfish were higher at temperatures above 18 °C. These findings indicate that the invader’s thermal niche has remained stable, and the potential impacts per capita are lower at suboptimal cold temperatures than for the native species. Our bioenergetics modelling showed that the direct annual predation impact of noble and signal crayfish seem similar, although the seasonal dynamics of the predation differs considerably between species. Our results highlight that the temperature-specific metabolic and feeding rates of species need to be taken into account in the impact assessment instead of simple generalisations of the direction or magnitude of impacts.


Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2259
Author(s):  
Katarina Bačnik ◽  
Denis Kutnjak ◽  
Silvija Černi ◽  
Ana Bielen ◽  
Sandra Hudina

Crayfish are a keystone species of freshwater ecosystems and a successful invasive species. However, their pathogens, including viruses, remain understudied. The aim of this study was to analyze the virome of the invasive signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) and to elucidate the potential differences in viral composition and abundance along its invasion range in the Korana River, Croatia. By the high-throughput sequencing of ribosomal RNA, depleted total RNA isolated from the crayfish hepatopancreas, and subsequent sequence data analysis, we identified novel and divergent RNA viruses, including signal crayfish-associated reo-like, hepe-like, toti-like, and picorna-like viruses, phylogenetically related to viruses previously associated with crustacean hosts. The patterns of reads abundance and calculated nucleotide diversities of the detected viral sequences varied along the invasion range. This could indicate the possible influence of different factors and processes on signal crayfish virome composition: e.g., the differences in signal crayfish population density, the non-random dispersal of host individuals from the core to the invasion fronts, and the transfer of viruses from the native co-occurring and phylogenetically related crayfish species. The study reveals a high, previously undiscovered diversity of divergent RNA viruses associated with signal crayfish, and sets foundations for understanding the potential risk of virus transmissions as a result of this invader’s dispersal.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Bekavac ◽  
Ana Beck ◽  
Paula Dragičević ◽  
Zrinka Dragun ◽  
Ivana Maguire ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabio Ercoli ◽  
Daniela Ghia ◽  
Laura Gruppuso ◽  
Gianluca Fea ◽  
Tiziano Bo ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Paula Dragičević ◽  
Ana Bielen ◽  
Ines Petrić ◽  
Marija Vuk ◽  
Jurica Žučko ◽  
...  

Invasive species are among the major drivers of biodiversity loss and impairment of ecosystem services worldwide, but our understanding of their invasion success and dynamics still has many gaps. For instance, although it is known that host-associated microbial communities may significantly affect an individual’s health and fitness, the current studies on invasive species are mainly focused on pathogenic microbes, while the effects of the remaining majority of microbial communities on the invasion process are almost completely unexplored.


Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 422
Author(s):  
Antonín Kouba ◽  
Boris Lipták ◽  
Jan Kubec ◽  
Martin Bláha ◽  
Lukáš Veselý ◽  
...  

Biological invasions are increasingly recognized ecological and economic threats to biodiversity and are projected to increase in the future. Introduced freshwater crayfish in particular are protruding invaders, exerting tremendous impacts on native biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, as exemplified by the North American spiny-cheek, signal and red swamp crayfish as well as the Australian common yabby. The marbled crayfish is among the most outstanding freshwater crayfish invaders due to its parthenogenetic reproduction combined with early maturation and high fecundity. As their introduced ranges expand, their sympatric populations become more frequent. The question of which species and under what circumstances will dominate in their introduced communities is of great interest to biodiversity conservation as it can offer valuable insights for understanding and prioritization of management efforts. In order to examine which of the aforementioned species may be more successful as an invader, we conducted a set of independent trials evaluating survival, growth, claw injury, and reproduction using single-species stocks (intraspecific interactions) and mixed stocks (interspecific interactions) of marbled crayfish vs. other crayfish invaders since the onset of exogenous feeding. In both single and mixed stocks, red swamp crayfish and yabby grew faster than marbled crayfish, while marbled crayfish were superior to both spiny-cheek and signal crayfish in terms of growth. With the exception of signal crayfish, the faster-growing species consistently reached a higher survival rate. The faster-growing species tended to negatively impair smaller counterparts by greater claw injury, delayed maturation, and reduced fecundity. Only marbled crayfish laid eggs as early as 14 weeks in this study, which is earlier than previously reported in the literature. Thus, the success of marbled crayfish among invasive crayfish is significantly driven by relatively fast growth as well as an early and frequent reproduction. These results shed light on how interactions between invasive populations can unfold when their expansion ranges overlap in the wild, thereby contributing to the knowledge base on the complex population dynamics between existing and emerging invasive species.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabio Ercoli ◽  
Daniela Ghia ◽  
Laura Gruppuso ◽  
Gianluca Fea ◽  
Tiziano Bo ◽  
...  

AbstractThe occurrence of the signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus in the Valla Stream was the first established population of this invasive species recorded in an Italian stream ecosystem. We evaluated the seasonality of diet and trophic niche of invasive signal crayfish in order to estimate the ecological role and effects on native communities of the stream ecosystem. We studied the differences in food source use between sexes, life stages and seasons using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses. To supplement stable isotope analyses, we evaluated food source usage using traditional stomach content analysis. We tested the hypothesis that juveniles have a different diet, showing different trophic niches, compared to adults. Results indicated that signal crayfish adult and juvenile diets mainly rely on macroinvertebrates and periphyton in summer, shifting to mostly periphyton in autumn. Although the two age classes occupied an equivalent trophic niche, juveniles showed slightly different carbon isotope values, suggesting a somewhat ontogenetic shift consistent among seasons. No significant differences were found in adult and juvenile diets between summer and autumn seasons. Our findings suggest that signal crayfish juveniles and adults exhibited seasonal feeding habits, probably due to ecological behaviour rather than food resource availability, and that both are likely to impose similar effects on macroinvertebrate communities in this and similar stream ecosystems.


2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-68
Author(s):  
Jappo Jussila ◽  
Vesa Tiitinen ◽  
Jenny Makkonen ◽  
Harri Kokko ◽  
Patrik Bohman ◽  
...  

Abstract Eroded swimmeret syndrome (ESS) was first described in 2014 from Swedish signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus (Dana)), and later also from Finland, with gross symptoms and disease agent candidates identified and described by 2015. The ESS was first discovered affecting alien signal crayfish in Fennoscandia. The ESS is caused by a multiple infection involving Aphanomyces astaci (Schikora) and Fusarium species complex (SC). The ESS symptoms include first melanised spots in swimmerets, then partial swimmeret erosion and finally loss of a swimmeret. There could be a total loss of all swimmerets in the most severe cases. Both females and males can be affected by the ESS. In females, the ESS lowers reproductive success while in males the ESS often causes erosion of the gonopods and thus possible partial failure in mating. The ESS is more frequent among mature females that have reproduced once compared to immature females or those that are mature but have not yet reproduced. The proportion of females with ESS has ranged from 10 to 50% among Lake Saimaa signal crayfish in Finland and in a wider survey from Sweden the range was from 0 to 38%. Among Lake Saimaa male signal crayfish, the ESS proportion has been less than 10%, while it was only 0.6% in the Swedish data. The ESS has also been observed among alien signal crayfish in Switzerland. There are recent observations of ESS affecting narrow-clawed crayfish, Pontastacus leptodactylus (Eschscholtz), in Croatia and Romania (i.e., among native European crayfish stocks). Here, we summarise current knowledge about the ESS and speculate on a few potentially crucial impacts of this syndrome.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonin Kouba ◽  
Francisco J. Oficialdegui ◽  
Ross N. Cuthbert ◽  
Melina Kourantidou ◽  
Josie South ◽  
...  

Abstract Despite voluminous literature identifying invasive species impacts, understandings of monetary costs remain limited. Recently, profound impacts have been attributed to invasive crustaceans, but associated monetary costs lack synthesis. Here, we analyse globally reported costs of invasive freshwater crayfish across taxonomic, spatial and temporal descriptors. Moreover, we compare their cost magnitude to other invasive crustaceans — crabs, amphipods and lobsters. Between 2000 and 2020, crayfish caused US$ 1.28 billion in reported costs; the vast majority (95%) attributed to Astacidae (principally the signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus) and the remainder to Cambaridae. According to reports, crayfish costs mostly impacted European economies (US$ 1.23 billion), followed by costs reported for North America and Asia. Despite well-known damages caused by invasive crayfish, costs were unreported elsewhere, highlighting knowledge gaps and challenges in cost quantifications. Invasive crayfish costs increased exponentially in the last two decades, averaging at US$ 61 million per-annum. Invasive crabs caused costs of similar magnitude (US$ 1.25 billion; US$ 53 million per-annum) but were mostly confined to North America (95%). Damage-related costs dominated for both crayfish (83%) and crabs (99%), with management spending lacking. Reported economic impacts from amphipods (US$ 178.8 thousand) and lobsters (US$ 44.6 thousand) were considerably lower. We identify burgeoning economic costs from these invasive groups yet highlight pervasive knowledge gaps at multiple scales. Further cost reporting is required to better-ascertain the true scale of monetary costs caused by invasive aquatic crustaceans.


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