Thermal Tolerance and Burrowing Behaviors of Red Swamp Crayfish (Procambarus clarkii)

Abstract

Red Swamp Crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) are a globally invasive species whose burrowing habits contribute to damn and levee failures, erosion, and resistance to control measures. I used artificial burrowing chambers to investigate the effects of groundwater drainage rates and soil type on burrow initiation and morphology. I also examined the relationship between caloric density of crayfish and burrowing. Burrowing was more strongly controlled by groundwater declines than by soil type. Crayfish that did not burrow had a significantly lower caloric density than crayfish that actively burrowed. In the thermal tolerance assays, I acclimated crayfish to two different temperatures (15 and 25℃) then tested response to acute thermal shock. Thermal tolerance was strongly affected by acclimation temperature, with crayfish acclimated to 25℃ having a higher thermal tolerance than those acclimated to 15℃. Results will help farmers and managers promote or discourage burrowing behavior based on drainage rates as well as develop non-chemical control techniques for crayfish in burrows based on application of hot water treatments across a range of latitudes.