Abstract
The competitive displacement of native by introduced species has often been attributed to differences in growth and behavior of the invader with its competitors. However, is the contribution of these traits to invasion success due to different competitor species between the native and introduced ranges or to differences among populations of the invader? Here we compared the growth and foraging behavior of the rusty crayfish (Orconectes rusticus) from its native and introduced ranges when competing with congeners from both ranges (O. cristavarius and O. propinquus, respectively). Our results indicated that O. rusticus from the introduced range grew significantly more than native O. rusticus and that there was no effect of competitor species on the growth of O. rusticus. Thus, the contribution of higher growth rates to the invasion success of O. rusticus was a result of population differences of O. rusticus in contrast to differences between congeners across both ranges. Foraging activity and recruitment to bait were higher in introduced versus native populations of O. rusticus when competing with O. cristavarius, but, not when competing with O. propinquus. Rather, O. propinquus significantly recruited to bait first when competing with either population of O. rusticus. However, 57% of the time that O. propinquus was first to find the bait, introduced O. rusticus aggressively pirated the bait from O. propinquus. In contrast, native O. rusticus were never observed pirating bait from O. propinquus. We suggest that this behavior may, in part, explain the higher growth observed in introduced populations of O. rusticus. The differences in behavior between O. rusticus populations depending on the competitor species may be due to behavioral flexibility that may drive higher growth rates in introduced populations of this species.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Blossey B, Notzold R (1995) Evolution of Increased Competitive Ability in Invasive Nonindigenous Plants: A Hypothesis. J Ecol 83:887–889. doi:10.2307/2261425
Byers JE (2000) Competition between two estaurine snails: implications for invasions of non-native species. Ecology 81:1225–1239
Capelli GM (1975) Distribution, life history and ecology of crayfish in northern Wisconsin, with emphasis on Orconectes propinquus (Girard). University of Wisconsin. Madison, WI, USA
Capelli G, Hamilton PA (1984) Effects of food and shelter on aggressive activity in the crayfish Orconectes rusticus (Girard). J Crustac Biol 4:252–260. doi:10.2307/1548022
Capelli G, Munjal B (1982) Aggressive interactions and resource competition in relation to species displacement among crayfish of the genus Orcontectes. J Crustac Biol 2:486–492. doi:10.2307/1548090
Colautti RI, Ricciardi A, Grigorovich IA et al (2004) Is invasion success explained by the enemy release hypothesis? Ecol Lett 7:721–733. doi:10.1111/j.1461-0248.2004.00616.x
Gamradt SC, Kats LB, Anzalone CB (1997) Aggression by non-native crayfish deters breeding in California newts. Conserv Biol 11:793–796. doi:10.1046/j.1523-1739.1997.96230.x
Garvey JE, Stein RA, Thomas HM (1994) Assessing how fish predation and interspecific prey competition influence a crayfish assemblage. Ecology 75:532–547. doi:10.2307/1939556
Grosholz ED, Ruiz GM (1996) Predicting the impact of introduced marine species: Lessons from the multiple invasions of the European green crab (Carcinus maenas). Biol Conserv 78:59–66. doi:10.1016/0006-3207(94)00018-2
Grosholz ED, Ruiz GM (2003) Biological invasions drive size increases in marine and estuarine invertebrates. Ecol Lett 6:700–705. doi:10.1046/j.1461-0248.2003.00495.x
Gurevitch J, Padilla DK (2004) Are invasive species a major cause of extinctions? Trends Ecol Evol 19:470–474. doi:10.1016/j.tree.2004.07.005
Hierro JL, Maron JL, Callaway RM (2005) A biogeographical approach to plant invasions: the importance of studying non-natives in their introduced and native range. J Ecol 93:5–15. doi:10.1111/j.0022-0477.2004.00953.x
Hill AM, Lodge DM (1999) Replacement of resident crayfishes by an non-native crayfish: the roles of competition and predation. Ecol Appl 9:678–690. doi:10.1890/1051-0761(1999)009[0678:RORCBA]2.0.CO;2
Hill AM, Sinars DM, Lodge DM (1993) Invasion of an Occupied Niche by the Crayfish Orconectes-Rusticus - Potential Importance of Growth and Mortality. Oecologia 94:303–306. doi:10.1007/BF00317102
Holway DA, Suarez AV (1999) Animal behavior: an essential component of invasion biology. Trends Ecol Evol 14:328–330. doi:10.1016/S0169-5347(99)01741-3
Holway DA, Suarez AV, Case TJ (1998) Loss of intraspecific aggression in the success of a widespread invasive social insect. Science 282:949–952. doi:10.1126/science.282.5390.949
Keane RM, Crawley MJ (2002) Non-native plant invasions and the enemy release hypothesis. Trends Ecol Evol 16:199–204
Kohler CS, Lodge DM (2001) Progress in invasion biology:predicting invaders. Trends Ecol Evol 16:199–204. doi:10.1016/S0169-5347(01)02101-2
Lodge DM, Hill AM (1994) Factors governing species composition, population size and productivity of cool-water crayfish. Nord J Freshw Res 69:111–136
Lodge DM, Taylor CA, Holdrich DM et al (2000) Nonindigenous crayfishes threaten North American freshwater biodiversity: Lessons from Europe. Fisheries 25:7–17. doi:10.1577/1548-8446(2000)025<0007:NCTNAF>2.0.CO;2
Mather ME, Stein RA (1993) Using growth/mortality trade-offs to explore a crayfish species replacement in stream riffles and pools. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 50:88–96
Nyström P (2002) Ecology. In: Holdich DM (ed) Biology of freshwater crayfish, pp 192–235. Blackwell Science, Oxford
Perry WL, Feder JL, Dwyer G et al (2001) Hybrid zone dynamics and species replacement between Orcontectes crayfishes in a northern Wisconsin lake. Evolution Int J Org Evolution 55:1153–1166
Petren K, Case TJ (1996) An experimental demonstration of exploitation competition in an ongoing invasion. Ecology 77:118–132. doi:10.2307/2265661
Pintor LM (2007) The influence of invader traits and community characteristics on the invasion success of an non-native crayfish, Graduate Group in Ecology, PhD Thesis, University of California-Davis, Davis
Rehage JS, Barnett BK, Sih A (2005) Foraging behaviour and invasiveness: do invasive Gambusia exhibit higher feeding rates and broader diets than their noninvasive relatives? Ecol Freshwat Fish 14:352–360. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0633.2005.00109.x
Ricciardi A (2004) Assessing species invasions as a cause of extinction. Trends Ecol Evol 19:619. doi:10.1016/j.tree.2004.09.021
Ricciardi A, Atkinson SK (2004) Distinctiveness magnifies the impact of biological invaders in aquatic ecosystems. Ecol Lett 7:781–784. doi:10.1111/j.1461-0248.2004.00642.x
Roth BM, Kitchell JF (2005) The role of size-selective predation in the displacement of Orconectes crayfishes following rusty crayfish invasion. Crustaceana 78:297–310. doi:10.1163/1568540054286583
Snyder WE, Evans EW (2006) Ecological effects of invasive arthropod generalists predators. Annu Rev Ecol Evol Syst 37:95–122. doi:10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.37.091305.110107
Sol D, Lefebvre L (2000) Behavioural flexibility predicts invasion success in birds introduced to New Zealand. Oikos 90:599–605. doi:10.1034/j.1600-0706.2000.900317.x
Sol D, Timmermans S, Lefebvre L (2002) Behavioural flexibility and invasion success in birds. Anim Behav 63:495–502. doi:10.1006/anbe.2001.1953
Stein RA (1977) Selective predation, optimal foraging, and the predator-prey interaction between fish and crayfish. Ecology 58:1237–1253. doi:10.2307/1935078
Suarez AV, Tsutsui ND, Holway DA et al (1999) Behavioral and genetic differentiation between native and introduced populations of the Argentine ant. Biol Invasions 1:43–53. doi:10.1023/A:1010038413690
Taylor CA (2000) Systematic studies of the Orconectes Juvenilis complex (Decapoda: Cambaridae), with descriptions of two new species. J Crustac Biol 20:132–152. doi:10.1651/0278-0372(2000)020[0132:SSOTOJ]2.0.CO;2
Taylor CA, Redmer M (1996) Dispersal of the crayfish Orconectes rusticus in Illinois, with notes on species displacement and habitat preference. J Crustac Biol 16:547–551. doi:10.2307/1548745
Therbaud CA, Simberloff D (2001) Are plants really larger in their introduced ranges? Am Nat 157:231–236. doi:10.1086/318635
Tierney AJ, Godleski MS, Massanari JR (2000) Comparative analysis of agonistic behavior in four crayfish species. J Crustac Biol 20:54–66. doi:10.1651/0278-0372(2000)020[0054:CAOABI]2.0.CO;2
Acknowledgements
We thank Joel Brown, Francesca Gherardi, Jake Kerby, Jennifer Rehage, Chris Taylor and two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments and discussion of the manuscript, and Michael Hardman, John Hammond and Chris Taylor for their assistance with crayfish collections. This work was supported by a grant from the Ribble Enhancement Funds at the University of Kentucky awarded to L.M. Pintor.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pintor, L.M., Sih, A. Differences in growth and foraging behavior of native and introduced populations of an invasive crayfish. Biol Invasions 11, 1895–1902 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-008-9367-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-008-9367-2