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Abstract

In a WWF reserve of south-western Sicily (Italy), a population of Procambarus clarkii has colonized the important protected areas of Preola Lake and the Gorghi Tondi Nature Reserve.Surveys were conducted in four lakes to investigate the structure and dynamics of the population inhabiting these lakes, and the life history patterns of this crayfish in this characteristic habitat are presented. Significant differences between sex ratio and cephalothorax mean measurements) were not evidenced. The population's parameters were estimated using the Von Bertalanffy growth function and the Bhattacharya method. Similarly to previous work, this study it was found that this species has a lower growth rate and longevity in comparison with other populations living in the Mediterranean region (approximately 4 years old). The spatial analysis evidences a strong heterogeneity and large movement range of the specimens during the study period. The results indicate the high ecological plasticity of Procambarus clarkii, suggesting the importance of monitoring this bio-invader to plan appropriate actions for the control of this population in protected areas where it occurs to preserve the local biodiversity.

Population Ecology and Genetic Diversity of the Invasive Alien Species Procambarus clarkii in Lake Trasimeno (Italy)

“…In this study, conducted 10 years after the last study of Dörr and Scalici [4], a male/female ratio of 1:1 was recorded only in May, June and July 2019, while in the remaining period males were more abundant than females (60-80% of the entire monthly sample), in particular in August and December 2018 and February 2019. Moreover, the abundance of males has also been reported by other authors who have monitored the population of P. clarkii in Italian freshwater ecosystems [47][48][49].…”

Reproductive pattern and population dynamics of commercial red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) from China: implications for sustainable aquaculture management

“…Comparing with previous studies on Von Bertalanffy’s growth parameters of P. clarkii showed that the L inf in our study was smaller than others (Table 1, Scalici et al, 2010; Chucholl, 2011; Dörr & Scalici, 2013; Maccarrone et al, 2016). We speculated that it could be related to density-dependent growth.…”

“…In some places, different recruitment events were found per year. For instance, there were two-yearly distinct recruitments in Italy (Scalici & Gherardi, 2007; Maccarrone et al, 2016), southern Portugal (Adao & Marques, 1993), Spain (Cano & Ocete, 1997; Alcorlo, Geiger & Otero, 2008), America (Sommer, 1984) and Japan (Suko, 1958), while one main recruitment occurred in central Portugal (Anastácio & Marques, 1995) and Germany (Chucholl, 2011). The differences in plastic recruitment patterns were difficult to explain, because gonad development and eggs incubation depended on different environmental features, such as water temperature, habitat uses, and food resources (Sastry, 1983; Harlioğlu & Farhadi, 2017).…”

“…Up to date, characteristics of those population parameters have been extensively studied on P. clarkii wild populations from Europe, with great emphasis on the prevention of further invasions in Italy (Scalici & Gherardi, 2007; Scalici et al, 2010; Dörr & Scalici, 2013; Maccarrone et al, 2016; Donato et al, 2018), France (Coignet, Pinet & Souty-Grosset, 2012; Meineri et al, 2014), Germany (Chucholl, 2011), Portugal (Anastácio et al, 2009), and Spain (Alcorlo, Geiger & Otero, 2008). Nevertheless, few studies have been conducted on commercially cultured P. clarkii populations.…”

Tracking the invasion of the red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii (Girard, 1852) (Decapoda Cambaridae) in Sicily: a “citizen science” approach

“…Attempts aimed at controlling and eradicating the P. clarkii populations occurring in the "R.N.I. Lago Preola e Gorghi Tondi" (D'Angelo et al 2008) were unsuccessful, and the known populations are nowadays thriving in both the known sites (Maccarrone et al 2016, Ottonello et al 2017.…”