Mathers_s10530-017-1557-3.pdf (1.52 MB)
Temporal variability in lotic macroinvertebrate communities associated with invasive signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) activity levels and substrate character
journal contribution
posted on 2017-09-12, 12:22 authored by Kate Mathers, Stephen Rice, Paul WoodPaul WoodInvasive signal crayfish (Pacifastacus
leniusculus) are considered to be the most prevalent non-native crayfish species in Europe. Where large populations become established they have significant and long-term effects on benthic macroinvertebrate
communities. However, much less is known about how community effects associated with crayfish invasion change in the short-term as a function of varying activity levels during the summer months. We examined the macroinvertebrate community composition
of two lowland UK rivers, one which supported
a well-established non-native crayfish population (invaded) and one in which crayfish had not been recorded (control). Colonisation cylinders were deployed which recorded community composition over a 126-day time period. Results indicate that once the activity period commences, invasive crayfish
consistently altered macroinvertebrate community structure regardless of substrate character. Invaded communities displayed reduced beta-diversity compared to control sites. However, effects on the macroinvertebrate assemblage varied over the period when crayfish were active probably reflecting the behavioural activity of crayfish (which intensifies with increasing water temperature and during the spawning season) and life histories of other macroinvertebrates.
The results indicate that crayfish invasions modify macroinvertebrate community composition, but over shorter timescales, the effects vary associated with their activity levels.
Funding
KLM acknowledges the support of a Glendonbrook doctoral studentship and co-funding from the Environment Agency to undertake this study.
History
School
- Social Sciences
Department
- Geography and Environment
Published in
Biological InvasionsVolume
20Issue
3Pages
567–582Citation
MATHERS, K.L., RICE, S.P. and WOOD, P.J., 2017. Temporal variability in lotic macroinvertebrate communities associated with invasive signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) activity levels and substrate character. Biological Invasions, 20 (3), pp.567–582.Publisher
Springer Verlag (© The Authors)Version
- VoR (Version of Record)
Publisher statement
This work is made available according to the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. Full details of this licence are available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/4.0/Acceptance date
2017-08-31Publication date
2017-09-07Copyright date
2018Notes
This is an Open Access Article. It is published by Springer under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Unported Licence (CC BY). Full details of this licence are available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ISSN
1387-3547Publisher version
Language
- en