The influence of evolution and plasticity on the behavior of an invasive crayfish

Reisinger, Lindsey S.; Elgin, Ashley K.; Towle, Kevin M.; Chan, David J.; Lodge, David M.

doi:10.1007/s10530-016-1346-4

Cited by 22 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Changes in population structure, behaviour, morphology, and physiology have already been reported between core and edge populations in several ongoing river invasions by crayfish (Hudina, Zganec, & Hock, 2015;Hudina et al, 2012;Pârvulescu, Pîrvu, Moroşan, & Zaharia, 2015;Rebrina, Skejo, Lucić, & Hudina, 2015). At the biogeographical level, differences in growth, survival, feeding habits, and behaviour are also common among crayfish congeners between their native and non-native range, further demonstrating the potential phenotypic changes wrought by the invasion process (Glon, Reisinger, & Pintor, 2018;Pintor & Sih, 2009;Reisinger, Elgin, Towle, Chan, & Lodge, 2017;Sargent & Lodge, 2014). Even though the consequences of these changes on invaded ecosystems often remain unexplored, increased invasion rates alone could challenge our ability to respond to new and ongoing crayfish invasions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 69%

Phenotypic variability of rusty crayfish (Faxonius rusticus) at the leading edge of its riverine invasion

Messager

Olden

2019

Freshwater Biology

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Species around the globe are undergoing phenotypic shifts at ecologically relevant timescales as they invade new ecosystems and respond to changing environments. Disentangling the contribution of environmental gradients from the process of range expansion in shaping these changes, and identifying the specific traits undergoing selection, are both critical to anticipate the secondary spread and impact of invasive species. Here, we investigate phenotypic changes in rusty crayfish (Faxonius rusticus), a nuisance invasive species, through an extensive survey of their invasion gradient in multiple tributaries of the John Day River (JDR, Oregon, U.S.A.), a major tributary of the Columbia River. Rusty crayfish in the JDR have developed better physiological condition (intrinsic growth and/or reproductive potential measured as RNA/DNA ratio) but less competitive morphology (lighter body and smaller claws) as they spread upstream and downstream from their location of initial introduction. In addition, rusty crayfish in invasion front populations are at a lower trophic level than conspecifics closer to core areas. By accounting for variations in temperature, primary productivity, and prey (macroinvertebrates) biomass throughout the invasion extent of rusty crayfish, our findings suggest that low conspecific densities at the invasion edge and spatial sorting primarily drive these phenotypic changes. The trends observed here are thus likely to intensify over time as rusty crayfish continues to rapidly spread throughout the JDR and reach the mainstem Columbia River. Our study shows that phenotypic shifts can manifest rapidly over environmental gradients experienced during the range expansion of aquatic invasive species. Patterns in both morphological and functional traits documented in the JDR demonstrate the importance of both environmental factors and dispersal processes in shaping these responses in riverine networks.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 69%

Phenotypic variability of rusty crayfish (Faxonius rusticus) at the leading edge of its riverine invasion

Messager

Olden

2019

Freshwater Biology

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“…For example, European eels (Anguilla anguilla) reduced foraging activity in invasive red swamp crayfish (Aquiloni et al 2010). In a recent study on rusty crayfish, Reisinger et al (2017) found that prior experience had a strong effect on activity (i.e., time spent walking or feeding) in the presence of predatory smallmouth bass, but not when predators were absent (Micropterus dolomieu). However, they also found that crayfish raised with predatory fish exhibited reduced activity levels in general.…”

Section: Aquarium Vs Naturalized Populations Of Marbled Crayfishmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioral differences in an over‐invasion scenario: marbled vs. spiny‐cheek crayfish

et al. 2018

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New species often invade ecosystems already dominated by previous invaders. Ornamental freshwater crayfish, particularly parthenogenetic marbled crayfish (Procambarus virginalis), increasingly establish in European water bodies where they interact with resident native and non‐native species. Behavioral traits and behavioral syndromes can influence the outcome of these species interactions. The behavior of non‐native crayfish is often studied in notorious invaders but rarely in new and emerging species, although those provide the best opportunity for management. Activity, aggressiveness, and boldness have repeatedly been associated with invasion success and species displacement. Further, crayfish can adapt their behavior after they have established in the new range. We investigated whether marbled crayfish can displace the widely established spiny‐cheek crayfish (Orconectes limosus). Specifically, we compared their behavioral traits and evaluated whether these traits differ, using marbled crayfish populations from aquaria and the field and spiny‐cheek crayfish from the field. We staged agonistic encounters, measured activity levels, and recorded the response to a simulated threat of both species and both origins (field and aquarium) in laboratory trials. We found that in agonistic encounters, marbled crayfish were on average more aggressive than spiny‐cheek crayfish, even against larger opponents. Aggressiveness and activity were positively correlated, which is indicative for an aggression syndrome. Marbled crayfish from the field were less active than those from aquaria, but there was no difference in aggressiveness. Marbled crayfish often froze in response to a simulated threat, whereas spiny‐cheek crayfish reacted either offensively or defensively. These results from the laboratory illustrate potentially important behavioral mechanisms behind crayfish over‐invasions and show behavioral plasticity in a species where all known individuals are genetically identical. To better understand the invasion process in nature, the species’ reproductive biology and interactions with other members of the community should be considered. We conclude that the recent success of marbled crayfish in establishing new populations could be influenced by their behavioral flexibility and their potential to competitively persist in the presence of established invasive crayfish.

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“…Biological invasions are often characterized by contemporary evolution (Colautti and Lau 2015; Reisinger and others 2017). For example, common gardens experiments with the rusty crayfish ( Orconectes rusticus ) indicated trait divergence between native and invaded range populations (Sargent and Lodge 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are “early birds” bolder? Early daily activity is not correlated with risk-taking behaviour in a major invasive species

Sbragaglia

Breithaupt

2019

Preprint

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Daily behavioural rhythms provide ecological advantages with respect to exploitation of food resources and avoidance of predation and recent studies suggested that timing of activity could form a behavioural syndrome with risk-taking behavior. Behavioural syndromes are often displayed by invasive species but the role of activity rhythms in biological invasions is unknown. Here, we investigated whether early nocturnal activity (the relative amount of locomotor activity displayed early in the night) and risk-taking behaviour (i.e. response to a scare stimulus) form a behavioural syndrome in a major invasive species, the signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus). We first characterized daily rhythms of locomotor activity over five days under controlled laboratory conditions and then scored the response to a scare stimulus across two different contexts (neutral and food) two days apart within the following six days. Crayfish displayed overall daily activity rhythms peaking in the first four hours of darkness. Both early nocturnal activity and risk-taking behaviour showed consistent inter-individual differences with repeatability scores of 0.20 and 0.35, respectively. However, the two behavioural traits were not correlated as in a behavioural syndrome. We argue that in contrast to other behavioural syndromes, a link between early nocturnal activity and risk-taking tendency would not be evolutionary stable as it dramatically increases predictability and therefore predatory pressure to individuals. We suggest that daily activity rhythms and risk-taking behavior can be important traits in understanding the adaptations underlying biological invasions or other processes of contemporary evolution.

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The influence of evolution and plasticity on the behavior of an invasive crayfish

Cited by 22 publications

References 42 publications

Phenotypic variability of rusty crayfish (Faxonius rusticus) at the leading edge of its riverine invasion

Phenotypic variability of rusty crayfish (Faxonius rusticus) at the leading edge of its riverine invasion

Behavioral differences in an over‐invasion scenario: marbled vs. spiny‐cheek crayfish

Are “early birds” bolder? Early daily activity is not correlated with risk-taking behaviour in a major invasive species

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