Immune Response in Crayfish Is Species-Specific and Exhibits Changes along Invasion Range of a Successful Invader

Abstract

Immunity is an important component of invasion success since it enables invaders’ adaptation to conditions of the novel environment as they expand their range. Immune response of invaders may vary along the invasion range due to encountered parasites/microbial communities, conditions of the local environment, and ecological processes that arise during the range expansion. Here, we analyzed changes in the immune response along the invasion range of one of the most successful aquatic invaders, the signal crayfish, in the recently invaded Korana River, Croatia. We used several standard immune parameters (encapsulation response, hemocyte count, phenoloxidaze activity, and total prophenoloxidaze) to: i) compare immune response of the signal crayfish along its invasion range, and between species (comparison with co-occurring native narrow-clawed crayfish), and ii) analyze effects of specific predictors (water temperature, crayfish abundance, and body condition) on crayfish immune response changes. Immune response displayed species-specificity, differed significantly along the signal crayfish invasion range, and was mostly affected by water temperature and population abundance. Specific immune parameters showed density-dependent variation corresponding to increased investment in them during range expansion. Obtained results offer baseline insights for elucidating the role of immunocompetence in the invasion success of an invertebrate freshwater invader.

Characterization of Two Novel Toti-Like Viruses Co-infecting the Atlantic Blue Crab, Callinectes sapidus, in Its Northern Range of the United States

“…It is notable that the virus is present in crabs at the northern edge of their geographic range. Microbiome community changes and emergence of novel pathogens have been widely reported during the dispersal of host invasion and extension range (Engering et al, 2013;Dragičević et al, 2021). The extensive poleward expansion of C. sapidus in its native range along the western Atlantic and its successful invasion to European waters (Johnson, 2015;Mancinelli et al, 2021), made C. sapidus a well-suited model to study virus evolution, diversity, and viral ecology of marine animals during host habitat expansion and invasion.…”

Changes in the Immunity, Histopathology, and Metabolism of Crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) in Response to Drought

“…This is favorable behavior that is conducive to the invasion of crayfish [ 62 ]. Successful invasion by crayfish has been reported to be influenced by their immunity [ 63 ]. Although we found that their immunity reduced under drought conduction, there was no significant influence on their survival ( Figure S3 ).…”

The mycobiome of a successful crayfish invader and its changes along the environmental gradient

“…The upstream section of the studied river segment passes through a sparsely populated rural region, while the downstream section flows through the industrial zone of the city of Karlovac. Additionally, differences in water temperature were recorded along this part of the watercourse: in a previous study by [ 38 ], the water temperature at the upstream river segment was 5.6 °C lower than at the downstream segment. Apart from the different environmental conditions, the study area also includes sites that differ in crayfish community composition: dense intraspecific populations of signal crayfish (located in the center of the studied area, U2 and D1; Table 1 ), and less abundant heterospecific populations of signal crayfish and narrow-clawed crayfish (located at the edges of the studied area; U1 and D2; Table 1 ) [ 36 ].…”