Differences in refuge function for prey and tolerance to crayfish among macrophyte species

Abstract

The invasive crayfish Procambarus clarkii is an omnivore and an ecosystem engineer whose feeding mechanism has reduced the abundance of many native invertebrates and macrophytes. Since macrophytes provide refuges for aquatic insects, macrophyte depletion by crayfish might have indirect negative effects on animal prey in aquatic habitats. We postulated that the prey refuges provided by macrophytes and macrophyte tolerance to crayfish cutting and feeding vary among macrophyte species. We conducted two experiments to (1) investigate differences in macrophyte refuge function for dragonfly larvae against crayfish, and (2) test the tolerance to crayfish cutting and feeding among macrophyte species. Elodea nuttallii (submerged plant), Potamogeton crispus (submerged plant), and Carex idzuroei (emergent plant) had greater refuge effects than Trapa japonica (floating-leaved plant), an effect that might result from the larger total cover of E. nuttallii, P. crispus, and C. idzuroei, and the hardness of C. idzuroei leaves. Tolerance to crayfish cutting and feeding was greater in C. idzuroei than in the other species. As the macro-invertebrate assemblages in submerged vegetation are more abundant and species-rich than those in emergent and floating-leaf vegetation, conservation of E. nuttallii and P. crispus should be prioritized for restoring native aquatic animals in ecosystems invaded by the introduced crayfish.