Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction: Biodiversity in freshwater systems, and the key roles played by crayfish
- Part I The present situation of crayfish in world freshwater ecosystems
- 1 Crayfish in the decapod lineage, their natural distribution and their threatened status
- 2 Why are crayfish, among freshwater decapods, considered pivotal in freshwater ecosystems?
- 3 Crayfish as prime players in ecosystems
- 4 Human-mediated threats to crayfish survival
- 5 Crayfish exploitation systems
- Part II Applying science to conservation management
- Part III Knowledge transfer for successful crayfish management
- References
- Glossary
- Index
- Scientific and common English names of well-studied crayfish featured in this book
- Common English and scientific names of well-studied crayfish featured in this book
- Plate section
3 - Crayfish as prime players in ecosystems
life-history strategies
from Part I - The present situation of crayfish in world freshwater ecosystems
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 December 2011
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction: Biodiversity in freshwater systems, and the key roles played by crayfish
- Part I The present situation of crayfish in world freshwater ecosystems
- 1 Crayfish in the decapod lineage, their natural distribution and their threatened status
- 2 Why are crayfish, among freshwater decapods, considered pivotal in freshwater ecosystems?
- 3 Crayfish as prime players in ecosystems
- 4 Human-mediated threats to crayfish survival
- 5 Crayfish exploitation systems
- Part II Applying science to conservation management
- Part III Knowledge transfer for successful crayfish management
- References
- Glossary
- Index
- Scientific and common English names of well-studied crayfish featured in this book
- Common English and scientific names of well-studied crayfish featured in this book
- Plate section
Summary
Overview of life-history studies
In the previous chapter we saw that many crayfish are both long-lived and attain a very large size compared with other benthic freshwater invertebrates. Crayfish ecology is also individualistic – to some extent more like that of cold-blooded vertebrates than of most invertebrates. As the general ecology of crayfish has recently been comprehensively reviewed (Nyström, 2002), this chapter concentrates on those aspects of crayfish ecology with a direct bearing on management and conservation of biodiversity, such as life-history strategies as they relate to habitat, and roles in the community and ecosystem. The particular impacts of crayfish translocation and of the spread of non-indigenous crayfish species (NICS) into new habitats and their effects on indigenous crayfish species (ICS) are discussed in Chapter 4, and their economic importance through exploitation of both ICS and NICS in Chapter 5.
Most crayfish of streams and ponds are shallow-water dwellers, but juveniles and adults may play different roles in the littoral benthic community. By virtue of their size and cryptic nature, the ecological roles of juvenile crayfish resemble those of other benthic crustaceans, or of some insect larvae. However, adults of the larger species have more in common with benthic fish or reptiles than with other invertebrates, in their longevity and dominance over a patch of stream or wetland substrate.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Management of Freshwater BiodiversityCrayfish as Bioindicators, pp. 59 - 82Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2011