Implications of Hybridization between Introduced and Resident Orconectes Crayfishes

By W. Perry, J. Feder, David M. Lodge. 2001

114 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Abstract: One of the most imperiled taxonomic groups in North American freshwaters is that of crayfish ( Decapoda: Astacoidea): over 30% of the 390 species are threatened or endangered. This situation is globally significant because 80% of the world's crayfish species are North American. Few studies have examined the environmental changes that most threaten crayfish biodiversity, but competition and hybridization with non‐native crayfishes appear to be among the most important threats to native crayfishes. The rusty crayfish, Orconectes rusticus, native to southwestern Ohio has been introduced widely throughout the United States and is displacing two resident taxa, O. propinquus and O. virilis, in northern Wisconsin. Using morphological and allozyme comparisons of crayfish from allopatric and sympatric populations, we tested whether O. rusticus is hybridizing with the resident crayfishes in northern Wisconsin. We found no evidence of hybridization between O. virilis and either O. rusticus or O. propinquus. In contrast, numerous morphologically intermediate crayfish between O. rusticus and O. propinquus occurred at sympatric sites, and many of these individuals possessed allozymes diagnostic for both species in allopatry. Over 6% of the crayfish at one sympatric site were putative F1 hybrids, 4% were putative F2 individuals ( hybrid × hybrid origin), and 13% were putative backcrosses ( product of hybrid × parental matings). This is the first genetic documentation of hybridization between a resident and invading crayfish. Our results suggest that genetic mechanisms play a role in the extirpation of O. propinquus by O. rusticus and are consistent with observations of other researchers suggesting that hybridization with non‐native species is common among crayfishes at many other locations. High rates of endemism and widespread introductions of non‐native crayfish suggest that invasions and hybridization are a major threat to crayfish biodiversity.

Subfields: Ecology, Global and Planetary Change, Oceanography

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/1a161eae820e92b16b1387815325cc98df7964fa

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Ecology

In Global and Planetary Change

In Oceanography

Citations in the corpus

Intensive trapping and increased fish predation cause massive population decline of an invasive crayfish (2007, unknown): “They also transform littoral zones by clipping macrophytes at the base of the stem (Lodge & Lorman, 1987) and displace native crayfishes through competition (Capelli & Munjal, 1982; Capelli, 1982), lower susceptibility to predation (Roth & Kitchell, 2005) and hybridisation with Orconectes propinquus”
The rapid spread of rusty crayfish (Orconectes rusticus) with observations on native crayfish declines in Wisconsin (U.S.A.) over the past 130 years (2006, background): “In fact, competition, predation and hybridization with crayfish invaders have been identified as a primary threat for the majority (>50%) of declining North American crayfishes (Lodge et al. 2000a; ABI 2001; Perry et al. 2001).”
A long-term rusty crayfish (Orconectes rusticus) invasion: dispersal patterns and community change in a north temperate lake (2004, background): “2001a) and composed at least 6% of the Trout Lake crayfish population (F1 hybrids) during the rusty crayfish invasion (Perry et al. 2001b).”
A Reassessment of the Conservation Status of Crayfishes of the United States and Canada after 10+ Years of Increased Awareness (2007, background): “Possible displacement mechanisms include faster individual growth rates (Hill et al. 1993), differential susceptibility to fish predation (DiDonato and Lodge 1993), and hybridization (Perry et al. 2001).”
Understanding the impact of invasive crayfish (2007, background): “Unique genetic documentation has been provided by Perry et al. (2001, 2002) for hybridization between indigenous and invading Orconectes species.”
The enigmatic Marmorkrebs (marbled crayfish) is the parthenogenetic form of Procambarus fallax (Hagen, 1870) (2010, background): “Since mitochondria are almost exclusively inherited from the maternal lineage (Perry et al. , 2001a), based on mitochondrial genes alone we cannot exclude the possibility that the Marmorkrebs and its parthenogenesis are the product of a hybridization event.”