Crustacean Biodiversity Research Articles

Characterizing spatial patterns among freshwater fishes and shrimps of the Poso River (Sulawesi, Indonesia) using DNA barcoding

Fish biodiversity assessments are vital for understanding threats and aquatic ecosystem health. In the Poso River, Central Sulawesi, changes in biodiversity are influenced by habitat alteration, non-native species, and overfishing. This study evaluates fish and crustacean biodiversity in the Poso River system to address these challenges for improving fisheries management, conservation, and fish passage integration into hydropower development. The present biodiversity study utilized a comprehensive methodology that encompassed both traditional taxonomic approaches and DNA barcoding, specifically targeting the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit-1 (COI) gene for accurate species identification and spatial boundary validation. The survey was conducted in the upstream, hydropower area and downstream areas of the river. We found 27 species of fish in the Poso River, including both native (e.g., Anguilla celebesensis, Oryzias nebulosus, Rhyacichthys aspro) and non-native species (e.g., Melanochromis auratus, Amphilophus trimaculatus, Oreochromis niloticus). Two International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red listed endangered species were also observed (e.g., Adrianichthys poptae and Mugilogobius sarasinorum). DNA barcoding was performed to examine species spatial boundaries. The fish population in the Poso River was dominated by non-native species, accounting for 85.70% of the total population. The upstream reaches had the highest fish abundance and diversity, while the downstream reaches had the lowest. There was, however, no significant difference in species richness and diversity across different locations and seasons. The dominance of non-native species in the Poso River necessitates the improvement of existing fishways within the hydropower dams potentially through the development of selective technology that can block the distribution of these non-native species. This research highlights the critical issue of non-native species proliferation and the potential threat they pose to native fish populations, providing valuable insights for conservation and management efforts in Indonesia and similar ecosystems worldwide.

Notes on the ecology and distribution of a water flea complex (Anomopoda, Daphniidae) revealed by new DNA barcodes in the Iberian Peninsula

AbstractAvailable DNA barcodes of freshwater zooplankton are scarce in regions like the Iberian Peninsula, which harbours many rare and endemic species and is considered a hotspot of crustacean biodiversity. Recently, a new species of Ceriodaphnia (Cladocera: Daphniidae) was described using morphological analysis of specimens in the Mediterranean region and molecular data on a single locality in southern Spain. In our study, we detected the presence of the newly discovered taxa and here, we provide new DNA sequences on the barcoding region mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I together with ecological information of the recently described Ceriodaphnia smirnovi. Additionally, we built a molecular phylogenetic tree and genetically compared these specimens with previously available mitochondrial DNA sequences and with new sequences of the genus recovered in Iberia. Our data suggest that this morphospecies might contain some cryptic taxa and might be more common than previously thought, occupying temporary to semi‐permanent ecosystems, with vegetation and highly variable pH and turbidity conditions. Moreover, the existence of a non‐identified clade within our phylogenetic tree requires additional morphological research. Our study highlights the need for further research on microcrustacean biota to better constrain its spatial boundaries, phylogenetic relationship and determine species hiding cryptic diversity.

NEW RECORDS OF BRACHYURAN CRABS SPECIES (CRUSTACEA-DECAPODA) IN GULF OF ADEN- YEMEN

The information on the biodiversity of crustaceans, especially brachyuran crabs on the northern shore of the Gulf of Aden is even more limited and almost completely unknown. The coasts in the south of the Arabian Peninsula at the Gulf of Aden have not received much attention, with few studies in the field of marine biodiversity in general and brachyuran crabs in particular. There is a large gap in knowledge on the fauna of brachyuran crabs inhabiting the coastline in this region, so; this study aims to fill the gap in the data in this part of the Arabian Peninsula. In this study, 1750 brachyuran crab specimens were collected from 36 sites along the Yemeni coastal waters in the Gulf of Aden. These specimens were collected by hand, hand nets, snorkeling up to 2 m depth, SCUBA diving. Moreover, trawl nets were used up to 300 meters and small fish traps. All these specimens were transferred to ZSM for identification (by morphological characteristics and morphological characteristics of the gonopods) and putting together all information such as sex, measurements, locations, collection dates, habitats, and collectors of the specimens. This study recorded 163 brachyuran crabs’ species belonging to 17 super families, 28 families and 110 genera. Of the 163 species, 53 species represent the first record for Yemeni coastal waters at the Gulf of Aden. Moreover, 8 species were considered the first recorded in the marine waters of the Arabian Peninsula is given.

What Lies Inside a Dead Coral: Diversity of Reef-Associated Cryptic Crustacean (Crabs: Anomura and Brachyura) from Different Habitat Characteristics in Tidung Islands, Indonesia

Highlight Research The very first attempt to investigated and revealing biodiversity of crustacean crab in coral reef ecosystem at Tidung Island, Indonesia Conservation area (Tidung Kecil) has more abundant crab species than tourism area (Tidung Besar). A microhabitat that suffers anthropogenic pressure may alter the composition of crustacean biodiversity, especially in crab group. Different characteristics and complexity of coral habitat affect the dynamics of cryptic crustacean communities Abstract Recent studies have been widely carried out on the important role and ecological function of coral reefs. However, little attention has been given to small and cryptic crustaceans organisms living within different microhabitat in dead corals. This study aimed to reveal the diversity of crustaceans that inhabit dead corals in Tidung Islands, Indonesia. A total of 134 individuals from 41 species in 13 families were recorded within eight dead corals taken from two different sites. Furthermore, the species identified from Tidung Kecil were significantly different and more diverse than Tidung Besar. It was suggested that differences in anthropogenic pressure between Tidung Besar and Kecil might have an important role in the spread of crab crustaceans’ organisms. Xanthidae from infraorder Brachyura were observed to be the most dominant family, while Galatheidae and Porcellanidae from infraorder Anomura spread almost equally in both sites. Additionally, Psaumis cavipes and Chlorodiella nigra were species with the largest contribution of crab crustaceans’ communities in the death of coral’s ecosystem in the Tidung Islands. This result indicated that dead corals might play a key role in supporting and providing a habitat for crustacean cryptic.

Diversity of crustaceans in the euphrates River/Najaf province-Iraq

To study the biodiversity of crustaceans, five sites were taken with three replicates from each sample over a period of six months, from November 2021 to April 2022. Samples were also taken. Water is used to measure some chemical and physical properties. The density of crustaceans ranged from (4-773) individuals / liter, and the month of March recorded the highest density. The results of the isolation and identification of crustaceans showed the following species of cyclops, Diaptomidae, Acroperus harpae, Daphnia sp, Bosmina sp, Ceriodaphnia quadrangula, Daphnia galeata, A amphipod Hyallela, Diaphanosoma brachyurum, Simocephalus vetulus and Bosmina sp. According to the relative abundance index (Ra) of crustaceans, the first site throughout the research period had the highest density of cyclops, while the remaining sites had the highest density of Bosmina sp. It also showed The Crustacean Species constancy Index (S) also showed that among the species at the research sites, Cyclops, Diaptomidae, Daphnia sp. and Bosmina sp. The Ceriodaphnia quadrangula is the most persistent. The values of the species richness index (D*) ranged between 0.67-4.66. While the Shanon-Weiner index ranged between 0.346-2.76 bit/ind. While the values of the species homogeneity index (E) ranged between 0.499-1.256.

Diversity of aquatic insects in the euphrates River/ Najaf province-Iraq

Five locations were sampled with three duplicates from each throughout the course of a six-month period, from November 2021 to April 2022, in order to assess the biodiversity of crustaceans. Water was also included in the samples. Certain chemical and physical characteristics of water are measured. the overall density of aquatic insects varied from (1–257) individuals/L, the month of April had the greatest density. According to the findings of the isolation and identification of water insects, Chironomidae larvae were the most numerous throughout the research period, followed by Chironomide pupa, Zygoptera nymph, Odonata larvae, and Belostoma corodofanum. According to the relative abundance index for aquatic insects, the Zygoptera nymph species was most prevalent in the first location, whereas Chironomidae larvae were more prevalent in the other sites. The constancy species index (S) of aquatic insects, Chironomidae larvae and Chironomide pupa, were the most constancy across all research locations and throughout the course of the study period. The values of the species richness index (D*) ranged from 0-3.84.While the Shanon-Weiner index ranged between 0-1.361 bit/ind. While the values of the species uniformity index (E) ranged between 0-0.845.

The morphological characters and DNA barcoding identification of sweet river prawn Macrobrachium esculentum (Thallwitz, 1891) from Rongkong watershed of South Sulawesi, Indonesia

Abstract. Jurniati, Arfiati D, Andriyono S, Hertika AMS, Kurniawan A, Tanod WA. 2021. The morphological characters and DNA Barcoding identification of sweet river prawn Macrobrachium esculentum (Thallwitz, 1891) from Rongkong watershed of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 113-121. Freshwater prawns of the genus Macrobrachium Bate, 1868 (Crustacea: Palaemonidae), play an essential role in freshwater ecosystems. Apart from being a crucial biotic component, freshwater prawns are also an important fishery commodity. The sweet river prawn Macrobrachium esculentum (Thallwitz, 1891) is a freshwater prawn that inhabits the Wallacea area and is a key constituent of crustacean biodiversity. However, morphological studies on Macrobrachium prawns that inhabit Sulawesi are still minimal. This study is the first report on the morphological and DNA barcoding identification of freshwater prawn M. esculentum downstream of the Rongkong watershed in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The morphological characterization includes morphometric and meristic characteristics and is complemented by the DNA barcoding of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) region. The analysis of the morphometric characteristics showed the formation of two population groups: the Waelawi River group and the Salujambu-Pombakka Rivers group. However, the meristic characteristics of M. esculentum from the three rivers were not significantly different. Meanwhile, the DNA barcoding analysis confirmed that the samples collected from the three rivers belong to the same species. This study provides information on the identification of M. esculentum inhabiting the Rongkong watershed and its population characters and grouping based on morphometric and meristic characteristics. This information can contribute to the management of fishery resources and the conservation of M. esculentum prawn resources in the Rongkong watershed, South Sulawesi, Indonesia.

The use of artificial substrate units to improve inventories of cryptic crustacean species on Caribbean coral reefs.

Motile cryptofauna inhabiting coral reefs are complex assemblages that utilize the space available among dead coral stands and the surrounding coral rubble substrate. They comprise a group of organisms largely overlooked in biodiversity estimates because they are hard to collect and identify, and their collection causes disturbance that is unsustainable in light of widespread reef degradation. Artificial substrate units (ASUs) provide a better sampling alternative and have the potential to enhance biodiversity estimates. The present study examines the effectiveness of ASUs made with defaunated coral rubble to estimate the diversity of motile cryptic crustaceans in the back-reef zone of the Puerto Morelos Reef National Park, Mexico. Species richness, Simpson’s diversity index, Shannon–Wiener index and the composition of assemblages were compared between ASUs and samples from the surrounding coral rubble substrate. A combined total of 2,740 specimens of 178 different species, belonging to five orders of Crustacea (Amphipoda, Cumacea, Isopoda, Tanaidacea and Decapoda) were collected. Species richness was higher in the surrounding coral rubble and Shannon–Wiener and Simpson indexes were higher in ASUs. Species composition differed between methods, with only 71 species being shared among sampling methods. Decapoda was more speciose in ASUs and Peracarids in the surrounding coral rubble. Combining the use of ASUs with surrounding rubble provided a better inventory of motile cryptic crustacean biodiversity, as 65% of the species were represented by one or two specimens.

Fish and crustacean biodiversity in an outer maritime estuary of the Pearl River Delta revealed by environmental DNA

Understanding the faunal community structure in the estuary would be crucial in assessing the health of the ecosystem. The poor visibility in the estuarine area due to the outflow from the Pearl River hinders the conventional visual census in assessing the megafaunal biodiversity. In this study, the fish and crustacean biodiversity of Hong Kong's western waters, i.e. the outer maritime estuary of the PRD, were studied through the metabarcoding of environmental DNA (eDNA). eDNA from the seawater and sediment samples was extracted from five sites in the region. After testing the performance of two genetic markers, amplicons of the cytochrome oxidase I, amplified by polymerase chain reaction, were subjected to Illumina high-throughput sequencing (MiSeq) analysis. A total of 22 fish species from 17 families and 34 crustacean species from 27 families were identified by blasting the sequences against the NCBI GenBank database, demonstrating segregation between samples from different sites. This study provides insight on the detail distribution of fish assembly in PRD, when compared with a previous eDNA study in the inner brackish PRD.

On the Influence of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem Habitats on Peracarid Crustacean Assemblages in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation Regulatory Area

Vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) are considered hotspots of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in the deep sea, but are also characterised by a high vulnerability to disturbance and a low recovery potential. Since 2006, a series of United Nations General Assembly resolutions have been developed, attempting to ensure the protection of VMEs in international waters. In the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO) Regulatory Area, large areas of seabed have been closed to bottom-contact fishing to protect VMEs. However, knowledge of the influence of VME-indicator taxa on macrofaunal assemblages, and the appropriateness of current fishery closures for protecting macrofaunal biodiversity in this area is limited. Here we investigate relationships between the prevalence of VME-indicator taxa (poriferans [sponges], gorgonian corals and pennatulaceans [sea pens]) and an extensive suite of peracarid crustacean biodiversity metrics in the NAFO Regulatory Area. We also examine whether the current NAFO VME closures protect areas of significantly elevated peracarid diversity. Of the VME-indicator taxa analysed, poriferans were found to have by far the greatest influence over peracarid assemblages. Assemblage structure was altered, and peracarid abundance, biomass, richness, diversity, and variability were enhanced in areas of elevated poriferan biomass, whilst assemblage evenness was slightly depressed in these areas. These findings reaffirm the perception of poriferans as crucial components of VMEs. In contrast, gorgonian coral density had little influence over the faunal assemblages investigated, perhaps reflecting their relatively low prevalence in the study area. Similarly, pennatulaceans were found to influence peracarid assemblages only weakly. This too may reflect a moderately low density of Pennatulacea in the study area. Our results highlight that the application of taxon distribution model outputs to ecological investigations and management decisions in data-limited environments should be treated with caution. Finally, our results indicate that the current system of fishery closures in the NAFO Regulatory Area may not be optimal in terms of providing adequate protection to VMEs against the impacts of bottom trawling.

The use of groundwater crustacean communities as indicators for aquifers quality in the semi-arid region of north-central Chile

Chile has large extensions of arid and semi-arid regions throughout the whole country, where the intensive demands and use of water resources, especially groundwater for irrigations and mining activities, increased dramatically over the last decades. The aquifer depletions due to water abstraction for irrigation and nutrient loads, exert major alterations of water quality, groundwater recharge and the natural renewal rate. All these factors diminish the aquifer value for the users and contribute to the degradation of groundwater as environment and habitat for fauna. This intensive use of groundwater resources in Chile brought to significant social and economic benefits, but their inadequate management resulted in negative environmental, legal and socioeconomic consequences. In this study, we aimed at providing a first assessment of environmental alterations of groundwater ecosystems from agricultural watersheds in northern Chile by specifically evaluating the effects of nitrogen and pesticide loads on groundwater communities and identifing the ecosystem service alterations due to agricultural activities. The study has been performed in a glacial aquifer from Coquimbo region; 250 km north of Santiago de Chile, the floodplain of which is dominated by agriculture (fruits tress, vineyards). Due to low regional precipitations (100-240 mm/year) the aquifer is primarily recharged by snowmelt from the Andean chain and surface runoff. The relative groundwater levels, groundwater temperature, chemical analysis of nitrogen and total phosphorus and pesticide concentrations were examined, along with the evaluation of crustacean biodiversity and spatial distribution pattern. Stygofauna taxonomic richness and the presence of stygobites have been related more to groundwater level stability than to chemical water parameters indicating that over-exploitation has a negative impact on habitat suitability for groundwater invertebrates. Groundwater biota assessment is essential in understanding the impact produced by agriculture activities on groundwater as a resource and as ecosystem, a nexus that becomes more and more widely recognized. The rationale and the preliminary results of this study are summarized in the Suppl. material 1.

Evolution of body size, vision, and biodiversity of coral-associated organisms: evidence from fossil crustaceans in cold-water coral and tropical coral ecosystems.

BackgroundModern cold-water coral and tropical coral environments harbor a highly diverse and ecologically important macrofauna of crustaceans that face elevated extinction risks due to reef decline. The effect of environmental conditions acting on decapod crustaceans comparing these two habitats is poorly understood today and in deep time. Here, we compare the biodiversity, eye socket height as a proxy for eye size, and body size of decapods in fossil cold-water and tropical reefs that formed prior to human disturbance.ResultsWe show that decapod biodiversity is higher in fossil tropical reefs from The Netherlands, Italy, and Spain compared to that of the exceptionally well-preserved Paleocene (Danian) cold-water reef/mound ecosystem from Faxe (Denmark), where decapod diversity is highest in a more heterogeneous, mixed bryozoan-coral habitat instead of in coral and bryozoan-dominated facies. The relatively low diversity at Faxe was not influenced substantially by the preceding Cretaceous/Paleogene extinction event that is not apparent in the standing diversity of decapods in our analyses, or by sampling, preservation, and/or a latitudinal diversity gradient. Instead, the lower availability of food and fewer hiding places for decapods may explain this low diversity. Furthermore, decapods from Faxe are larger than those from tropical waters for half of the comparisons, which may be caused by a lower number of predators, the delayed maturity, and the increased life span of crustaceans in deeper, colder waters. Finally, deep-water specimens of the benthic crab Caloxanthus from Faxe exhibit a larger eye socket size compared to congeneric specimens from tropical reefs, suggesting that dim light conditions favored the evolution of relatively large eyes.ConclusionsThe results suggest a strong habitat control on the biodiversity of crustaceans in coral-associated environments and that the diversity difference between deep, cold-water reefs and tropical reefs evolved at least ~63 million years ago. Futhermore, body size and vision in crustaceans evolved in response to environmental conditions in the deep sea. We highlight the usefulness of ancient reefs to study organismal evolution and ecology.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-016-0694-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Life in the Underworld: Anchialine cave biology in the era of speleogenomics

Anchialine caves contain haline bodies of water with underground connections to the ocean and limited exposure to open air. Despite being found on islands and peninsular coastlines around the world, the isolation of anchialine systems has facilitated the evolution of high levels of endemism among their inhabitants. The unique characteristics of anchialine caves and of their predominantly crustacean biodiversity nominate them as particularly interesting study subjects for evolutionary biology. However, there is presently a distinct scarcity of modern molecular methods being employed in the study of anchialine cave ecosystems. The use of current and emerging molecular techniques, e.g., next-generation sequencing (NGS), bestows an exceptional opportunity to answer a variety of long-standing questions pertaining to the realms of speciation, biogeography, population genetics, and evolution, as well as the emergence of extraordinary morphological and physiological adaptations to these unique environments. The integration of NGS methodologies with traditional taxonomic and ecological methods will help elucidate the unique characteristics and evolutionary history of anchialine cave fauna, and thus the significance of their conservation in face of current and future anthropogenic threats. Here we review previous contributions to our understanding of anchialine biodiversity and evolution, and discuss the potential of speleogenomic methods for future research in these threatened systems.

Cladocera biodiversity in La Tembladera Lake (Ecuador): a palaeolimnological approach

Cladocera (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) biodiversity was examined in sediment assemblages in La Tembladera Lake, on the southern coast of Ecuador. We found remains from 14 Cladocera taxa belonging to three families: Sididae, Daphnidae and Chydoridae. One taxon is planktonic (Ceriodaphniaspp.) and 13 taxa are littoral (Sarsilatonaserricauda,Chydorussp.,Dunheveniasp.,Leberissp.,Alonasp.,Magnospina dentifera,Kurziasp.,Acroperus tupinamba,Camptocercussp.,Oxyurella longicaudis,Leydigiopsissp.,Euryalonasp. andNotoalonacf.sculpta). Descriptions and pictures of the remains were included in this article to help palaeolimnologists identify tropical cladoceran remains in the sediment. These results enlarge the crustacean biodiversity data for dry tropical forests in South America and help to constrain our understanding of their geographical distribution. Further studies should focus on capturing living cladocerans to make identifications at the species level and to help interpret the sedimentary signal using ecological data.

Niphargus dancaui sp. nov. (Amphipoda, Niphargidae) – a new species thriving in sulfidic groundwaters in southeastern Romania

Niphargus dancaui sp. nov., previously referred to as Niphargus cf. stygius, was sampled from various groundwater sites in and near the town of Mangalia (SE Romania) and described with Movile Cave (a sulfidic, chemoautotrophically based ecosystem) as type locality. A short comparison with Niphargus stygius specimens from Slovenia was made, together with a morphological analysis of interpopulational variability. Males of N. dancaui sp. nov. were relatively large (17 mm), with long antennae, pereiopods and uropod III. Females were slightly smaller, with shorter antennae, pereiopods and uropod III. Interpopulational variability was noticed in the chaetotaxy of the telson lobes and uropod III. N. dancaui sp. nov. is morphologically very close to N. lessiniensis and N. tridentinus, two species present in northern Italy, but distinct genetically from them based on 28S rRNA sequences. Instead, the closest relative of N. dancaui sp. nov. sequenced so far for this marker is N. montanarius, which inhabits a sulfidic cave system in central Italy. The work presented here contributes to our knowledge of groundwater crustacean biodiversity in general and of the systematics of the genus Niphargus in particular.

Crustacean biodiversity as an important factor for mosquito larval control

Newly established ponds, which are highly dynamic systems with changing levels of biological interactions among species, are common larval mosquito habitats. We investigated the impact of crustacean abundance and taxa diversity on mosquito oviposition and larval development. The effects of the biological larvicide Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) on mosquito larvae were monitored according to fluctuations in crustacean communities. Populations of the mosquito Culex pipiens colonized artificial ponds that contained crustacean communities at different time points of colonization by crustaceans: 1) 'no colonization' (no crustaceans), 2) 'simultaneous colonization' by crustaceans and mosquitoes, and 3) 'head-start colonization' by crustaceans (preceding colonization by mosquitoes). All types of ponds were treated with three concentrations of Bti (10, 100, or 1,000 µg/liter). Colonization of all ponds by Cx. pipiens (in terms of oviposition, larval abundance, and larval development) decreased significantly with increasing diversity of crustacean taxa. The total abundance of crustaceans had a minor effect on colonization by Cx. pipiens. The presence of crustaceans increased the sensitivity of Cx. pipiens larvae to Bti treatment by a factor of 10 and delayed the time of recolonization. This effect of Bti was relevant in the short term. In the long term, the presence of Cx. pipiens was determined by crustacean biodiversity.

Population dynamics of Limnoithona sineseis and its effects on crustaceans in a pumped storage reservoir, South China

中华窄腹剑水蚤是中国河流中发现的上著种类,具有较强的生态入侵能力,通过从西江抽水进入大镜山水库,成为该水库的优势浮游甲壳类.通过2005-2006两年的采样监测,初步分析了该水库中中华窄腹剑水蚤的种群特征及其对浮游甲壳类的群落动态和结构的影响.两年共检出浮游甲壳类13种,其中,桡足类4科7属9种,枝角类3科4属4种,中华窄腹剑水蚤是水库的优势种.两年浮游甲壳类丰度的范围是3.82-364.85ind./L,峰值出现在春季、两年变化趋势相似.水库浮游甲壳类的体长分布范围为0.07-1.25mm,主要由小个体的类群(体长在0.07-0.4mm之间)组成,个体较大(大于0.5mm)的枝角类和桡足类数量很低.中华窄腹剑水蚤和其无节幼体的丰度占甲壳类总丰度的50%以上,其丰度的动态分布与浮游甲壳类的总体丰度的动态分布一致.中华窄腹剑水蚤主要以三种形式(无节幼体Ⅰ期,桡足幼体后期和成体)存在于水体中,存活曲线呈Ⅲ型,无节幼体的丰度远高于后两者之和.该种类能成为水库优势种主要是南水库咸度变化剧烈水环境特征和其自身的生态学特点决定的.中华窄腹剑水蚤丰度与叶绿素a浓度具有显著正相关性,与抽水入库量具有极显著的负相关性.作为一个生态入侵种类,中华窄腹剑水蚤降低水体中浮游甲壳类生物多样性,并替代了原来的土著优势种.;Limnoithona sineseis is considered as an endemic species in rivers of China with strong invasive ability. It was introduced to some reservoirs by pumping water and becomes the dominant species in the new water bodies. To understand the population dynamics of Limnoithona sineseis and its effects on the pelagic crustaceans, we investigated Dajingshan reservoir, a typical pumped storage reservoir located in Zhuhai City, South China in 2005 and 2006. In total, 13 species of crustaceans including 9 copepods(4 family 7 genera) and 4 cladocerans (3 family 4 genera) were identified. Limnoithona sineseis was dominant over the sampling periods. The abundance of the crustaceans ranged from 3.82ind./L to 364.85ind./L, with high abundance in spring. Limnoithona sineseis and its nauplius covered more than 50% of the total abundance. The body size of crustacean community in the reservoir had a range from 0.07mm to 1.25mm, and small-size species (within 0.07-0.4mm) was dominant. Population of Limnoithona sineseis was mainly composed of stageI nauplii, copepodite stage and adults. Nauplii had a much higher abundance than copepodites and adults. The abundance of Limnoithona sineseis was positively related to chlorophyll-a concentration, and negatively related to the pumped water volume. It meant that food was the principle factor affecting the animal population, and the animal had adapted well to its new habitat with relatively unconstant salinity, and its abundance was reduced by flushing of pumped water. As an invasive species, Limnoithona sineseis had become the dominant species by replacing the former ones (Mesocyclops), and its high abundance reduced biodiversity of crustaceans.

Comparative biodiversity of crustaceans and aquatic insects from various water body types in coastal Mediterranean wetlands

Comparative biodiversity of crustaceans and aquatic insects from various water body types in coastal Mediterranean wetlands

Macrocrustaceans of non-consolidated sublittoral of the São Vicente Estuarine Bay Complex, São Paulo state, Brazil

Despite the economic importance of the carcinofauna which inhabits the estuarine regions of São Vicente, state of São Paulo, Brazil, there are few studies of the biology, distribution and biodiversity of crustaceans. The aim of this work was to list the species of macrocrustaceans that inhabit the non-consolidated substrates of Estuarine Bay Complex in São Vicente. After two years of monthly collections, we recorded two orders: Stomatopoda and Decapoda, represented by 13 families and 26 species. Only one species of the order Stomatopoda was recorded, all other 25 species belonging to the order Decapoda. Nine species of shrimp, in five families were captured; five of these belong to the family Penaeidae, one to Sergestidae one to Sycioniidae, one to Palaemonidae and one to Hippolytidae Anomuran crabs were composed of five species of hermit crabs. Brachyuran crabs were more prominent, with 11 species, most in the family Portunidae.

Consequences of Prairie Wetland Drainage for Crustacean Biodiversity and Metapopulations

Abstract: Much of Illinois was once wet prairie, dotted with ancient (ca. 10,000‐year‐old) ephemeral wetlands. Most wetland habitat (85%) was converted to agriculture over a span of about 100 years (ca. 1850–1950). The consequences of this severe habitat fragmentation on wetland communities and metapopulations are unknown. We studied crustacean communities (weekly stovepipe samples throughout hydroperiods) for 3 years in a set of extant ephemeral wetlands in Illinois. We generated species‐sites curves by rarefaction and extrapolated those curves to conservatively estimate that 83–85 crustacean species may have inhabited approximately 4 million ephemeral wetlands that once existed in Illinois; 8–9 crustacean species were driven to extinction in Illinois during drainage; and 75–76 crustacean species are extant in the few remaining ephemeral wetlands of Illinois. We also conducted cellular automata simulations to examine the potential effects of habitat fragmentation on the genetic structure of extant crustacean metapopulation. Simulations indicated that conversion of the former wet prairie to agriculture may have reduced crustacean metapopulations to isolated populations that are more vulnerable to future habitat loss. Despite severe habitat fragmentation, curvilinear species‐sites relationships suggest that the greatest extinction rates have yet to occur for ephemeral wetland crustaceans. However, selection for limited dispersal during habitat fragmentation may contribute to extinction debt for extant species. Conservation programs can preserve much of the historical biodiversity of ephemeral wetlands, but future wetland biodiversity will depend heavily on the success of those efforts. The consequences of historical wetland loss and the importance of wetland conservation efforts to agriculture in the United States should be instructive for other regions.