Re-examining the Importance of Fish in the Diets of Stream-dwelling Crayfishes: Implications for Food Web Analyses and Conservation

Taylor, Christopher A.; Soucek, David J.

doi:10.1674/0003-0031-163.2.280

Cited by 22 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Salamanders, such as the species we studied, do have small, stable home ranges (e.g., Kleeberger and Werner 1982;Camp and Lee 1996;Lowe 2003;Peterman et al 2008). However, since deciduous litter has a relatively consistent δ 13 C (δ 13 C ~ -27‰) signature across much of the eastern deciduous forest range of North America (e.g., Walters et al 2007;Taylor and Soucek 2010), we think that local spatial variation in the stable isotope levels of basal resources is unlikely to explain the individual variation we observed among salamanders. Third, individual salamanders may differ physiologically, affecting how stable isotopes fractionate within the individual or how isotopes are routed among tissues within the individual.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Realistic Fasting Does Not Affect Stable Isotope Levels of a Metabolically Efficient Salamander

Milanovich¹,

Maerz²

2013

Journal of Herpetology

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Abstract.-Stable isotopes are increasingly used in ecology to study the diets, trophic position, and migratory patterns of wildlife including herpetofauna. When using stable isotopes, it is important to consider which tissues can or should be sampled, and how selecting tissues may affect the inferences drawn from stable isotope data. Amphibians offer fewer tissues than other larger organisms that can be harvested in sufficient quantity without killing the animal; however, many salamanders have tails that readily autotomize and regenerate. We used three species of plethodontid salamander (Plethodon cinereus, P. metcalfi, and Desmognathus quadramaculatus) to determine whether distal tail tissue had carbon and nitrogen stable isotope values comparable to commonly used tissues (liver and whole carcass [minus the liver and gonads]) that must be collected lethally. We found that variation in carbon values (

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Realistic Fasting Does Not Affect Stable Isotope Levels of a Metabolically Efficient Salamander

Milanovich¹,

Maerz²

2013

Journal of Herpetology

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“…In general, soft bodied animals, including mayfly nymphs and fish, are more easily digested by crayfish. There were no food components in our specimens reliably identifiable as fish parts; however, Taylor and Soucek [39] point out that the presence of fish in crayfish stomachs is often underestimated. On the other hand, hard-shelled remains and particles may be present for a longer time in the cardiac stomach.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

“…Plants were the most common food item present in O. limosus stomachs, but the relative highest volume of stomach contents was composed of detritus, with plants second, and animal matter third. Plants have a lower nutritional value compared with animals [39,44,45]. Chucholl [26], as well as Hollows et al [46], identified detritus as the most important food component in stomachs of O. immunis and Paranephrops zealandicus (White, 1847), respectively.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The diet of the spiny-cheek crayfish Orconectes limosus in the Czech Republic

2013

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The composition of the diet of the invasive spiny-cheek crayfish Orconectes limosus was studied using qualitative and quantitative analyses of stomach contents. A total of 368 specimens collected in 2003–2005 and 2008 in Czech localities were examined, predominantly from the Labe (Elbe) and Vltava River basins. Food components were compared for three size classes of crayfish and both sexes. The following conclusions were reached: (1) the spiny-cheek crayfish is an omnivorous species consuming plants, animals and detritus; (2) quantitatively, the main food component of O. limosus is detritus, while the plant component was second; (3) O. limosus may swallow whole food particles up to 4 mm in size, and the bodies of small animals may sometimes be found undamaged in their stomachs.

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“…If there was no high-quality habitat within a segment, we sampled the fi rst 1-m 2 area at the downstream end of the segment. A seine net was placed perpendicular to the stream fl ow, and a 1-m 2 area of substrate upstream of the net was disturbed so that all crayfi sh were washed into the seine net (Mather and Stein 1993, Flinders and Magoulick 2003, Taylor and Soucek 2010. When necessary in low-fl ow areas, we dragged the seine net through the sampling area while disturbing the substrate to collect crayfi sh.…”

Section: Occupancy Surveys and Crayfi Sh Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat selection by American mink during Summer is related to hotspots of crayfish prey

et al. 2015

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Habitat selection by mammalian carnivores may be driven by prey availability, physical characteristics of the habitat, and landscape context. However, the cues used by carnivores to select habitat are often unclear. We examined the seasonal diet of American mink Neovison vison and determined if the abundance of a primary prey, crayfi sh, was an important driver of habitat use during summer in an agricultural landscape in Illinois. We also evaluated eff ects of stream size, water depth, riparian buff er width, and urbanization on occupancy of stream segments by mink. We collected mink scats during three seasons and tested for seasonal diff erences in the percentage of occurrence and volume percentage of prey classes in the diet of mink. Crayfi sh remains were the dominant component of mink scats during summer. In summer 2012, we performed occupancy surveys for mink and concurrently measured crayfi sh densities and habitat features in 59 stream segments. Site occupancy by mink was related positively to presence of local areas with high crayfi sh concentrations (hotspots) instead of local habitat characteristics that might indicate high prey densities. Mink also were associated negatively with degree of urbanization and stream size. Our study highlights the eff ectiveness of integrating data on diets and occupancy modeling to obtain insights on cues used by carnivores to select habitat.

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Re-examining the Importance of Fish in the Diets of Stream-dwelling Crayfishes: Implications for Food Web Analyses and Conservation

Cited by 22 publications

References 52 publications

Realistic Fasting Does Not Affect Stable Isotope Levels of a Metabolically Efficient Salamander

Realistic Fasting Does Not Affect Stable Isotope Levels of a Metabolically Efficient Salamander

The diet of the spiny-cheek crayfish Orconectes limosus in the Czech Republic

Habitat selection by American mink during Summer is related to hotspots of crayfish prey

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