1. Human activities have promoted the spread of species worldwide. Several crayfish species have been introduced into new areas, posing a threat to native crayfish and other biota. Invader success may depend on the ability to utilise a wide variety of habitats and resources. Successful invaders are generally expected to have broader niches and to be more plastic than non-invasive species. 2. Using stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen we compared the niche widths of native noble crayfish and introduced signal crayfish, a successful invader of Swedish streams. The calculation of niche width took account of between-site differences in basal resource isotope signature ranges. We also assessed whether population density, prey biomass or prey diversity affected niche width. 3. At the species level, signal crayfish had twice the niche width of noble crayfish. However, individual populations of noble crayfish and signal crayfish in Swedish streams had similar niche widths. This suggests that signal crayfish has greater plasticity with respect to habitat utilisation and feeding than noble crayfish. Niche width in both species correlated positively with benthic invertebrate biomass and diversity, indicating that animal food sources are important for crayfish. 4. We find that assessing niche width in relation to invader success can be a useful tool trying to predict the impact of invasions on different scales. The findings in this study suggest that invaders and natives will have a similar impact on the stream scale whereas the invader will have a larger impact on the regional scale due to the ability to utilise a wider range of streams.

SUMMARY 1. The impact of the introduced omnivorous signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) on trout fry, macroinvertebrates and algae was evaluated in a brown water stream in southern Sweden using in situ enclosures. We also examined the gut content of all surviving crayfish in the enclosures. Two crayfish densities in addition to a control without crayfish were used in replicate enclosures (1.26 m2) in a 1‐month experiment. Additionally, 20 trout fry (Salmo trutta) were stocked in each enclosure to assess the effects of crayfish on trout survival and growth. 2. Detritus was the most common food item in crayfish guts. Animal fragments were also frequent while algae and macrophytes were scarcer. Crayfish exuviae were found in crayfish guts, but the frequency of cannibalism was low. 3. Trout survival in enclosures was positively related to water velocity but was unaffected by crayfish. 4. Total invertebrate biomass and taxon richness were lower in crayfish treatments. The biomass of all predatory invertebrate taxa was reduced but only three of six non‐predatory taxa were reduced in the crayfish treatments. 5. Epiphytic algal biomass (measured as chlorophyll a, on plastic strips) was not related to crayfish density, whereas the biomass of epilithic algae (measured as chlorophyll a) was enhanced by high water velocity and high crayfish density. The latter was possibly mediated via improved light and nutrient conditions, as active crayfish re‐suspend and/or remove detritus and senescent algal cells during periods of low water velocity. 6. We conclude that the introduced signal crayfish may affect stream communities directly and indirectly. Invaded communities will have reduced macroinvertebrate taxon richness and the signal crayfish will replace vulnerable invertebrate predators such as leeches. In streams that transport large amounts of sediment or organic matter, a high density of crayfish is likely to enhance benthic algal production through physical activity rather than via trophic effects.

Spawning habitat of pike (Esox lucius) in the Baltic Sea include brackish water bays, brooks and rivers. Elevated salinity concentrations are one of several stressors that might increase the use and importance of freshwater habitats for spawning. In the Baltic Sea, one of the largest brackish seas in the world, freshwater species like pike, perch (Perca fluviatilis), whitefish (Coregonus sp), bream (Abramis brama), ide (Leuciscus idus), roach (Rutilus rutilus) and burbot (Lota lota) all undertake spawning migrations to freshwater. However, over the last decades populations densities of these species have declined, and recruitment failure has been argued to be at least part of the problem. The importance of brooks and rivers as spawning areas for these species have not been quantified and set in relation to spawning success in brackish bays. In this study, we collected 175 adult pike (Esox lucius) on their foraging grounds in the sea. Fish were collected in two regions on the Baltic coast, more than 600 km apart. Subsequently we determined their origin (freshwater or marine) using otolith chemistry. Sagittal otoliths were analysed for strontium using the PIXE-method. The results show that 80 of the 175 pike were recruited in freshwater, and several of the larger specimens showed reoccurring migration behaviour. Data show that freshwater is an important recruitment habitat for Baltic Sea pike, suggesting that habitat improvements in rivers entering the Baltic Sea might significantly contribute to population restoration.

Stable isotopes have been used to analyse food webs and (or) trace movements of animals for about 30 years. There has been some debate on the use of different tissues and treatments before isotope analysis, as well as on seasonal effects. We found different crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) tissues (muscle, hepatopancreas, exoskeleton, gill, and whole body) to have different isotope values. Lipid extraction made whole-body carbon isotope values higher but had no effect on nitrogen isotope values. Acidification made whole-body isotope values lower. For crayfish, there was no seasonal or interannual variation in isotope values. In contrast to studies based on gut content analysis, we found adult crayfish to be at least as carnivorous as young-of-the-year crayfish. Earlier studies often have assumed that each food source contributes both nitrogen and carbon in equal proportions. Omnivores do not fit easily into this view. We suggest that nitrogen and carbon in an organism could come from different sources. Adopting this view for a pond food web could render crayfish both predators and detritivores as crayfish prey on nitrogen sources (other invertebrates) and consume large amounts of detritus to satisfy their carbon demand.

Omnivory is common in many food webs. Omnivores in different habitats can potentially change their feeding behaviour and alter their trophic position and role according to habitat conditions. Here we examine the trophic level and diet of the omnivorous signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) in gradients of trophic status and lake size, both of which have been previously suggested to affect trophic position of predators separately or combined as productive space. We found the trophic position of omnivorous crayfish to be positively correlated with lake trophic status, but found no evidence for any influence of lake size or productive space on crayfish trophic position. The higher trophic position of crayfish in eutrophic lakes was largely caused by a shift in crayfish diet and not by an increase in trophic links in basal parts of the food web. Hence, our results support the "productivity hypothesis," suggesting that food chains can be longer in more productive systems. Furthermore, stable isotope data indicated that larger crayfish are more predatory than smaller crayfish in lakes with wider littoral zones. Wider littoral zones promoted the development of intrapopulation differences in trophic position whereas narrow littoral zones did not. Hence, differences in habitat quality between and within lakes seem to influence the trophic positions of omnivorous crayfish.