Stream and reservoir habitat effects on invasive crayfish behavior and injury
摘要
Invasive crayfish are common and impactful in freshwater ecosystems. Many invasive species are introduced into reservoirs, and these human-modified ecosystems may alter animals’ behavioral traits and impacts on native species. We collected invasive virile crayfish (Faxonius virilis) and invasive rusty crayfish (Faxonius rusticus) from streams and reservoirs in Vermont, USA, recorded injury rates, and conducted on-site behavioral assays to measure boldness and exploratory behavior. We wanted to know if habitat type was associated with behaviors that could influence crayfish invasion success or impacts on native species. Our findings did not indicate that behavior was influenced by habitat type (e.g., stream or reservoir), but did indicate behavioral differences across sites and correlations between boldness and exploratory behavior in individual crayfish. We found that injury rates were significantly higher in streams than in reservoirs, and that the types of injuries observed were consistent with those expected as a result of aggressive interactions. These findings support previous research on behavioral syndromes (correlated behaviors) in crayfish and raise questions regarding the drivers of intraspecific variation in crayfish behavior and how behavior influences invasive crayfish dispersal and impacts on native species.