Journal article
Commensalism used by freshwater crayfish species to survive drying in seasonal habitats
Invertebrate Biology, Vol.128(3), pp.269-275
2009
Abstract
Gramastacus insolitus is a very small non-burrowing Australian freshwater crayfish with a restricted distribution, occurring almost exclusively in seasonal habitats throughout its range. It is listed as a threatened species but its strategy for surviving dry periods was unknown. Eight seasonal surveys of crayfish distribution showed that members of G. insolitus were never found at sites that were outside the distribution of two larger burrowing freshwater crayfish species, Geocharax falcata and Cherax destructor. Excavation of 80 burrows of members of G. falcata and C. destructor in three different seasonal habitats in the Grampians National Park, Victoria, Australia, revealed that individuals of G. insolitus found refuge from drying by estivating in cracks and shallow depressions at the side of the main burrow tunnels constructed by larger species. Members of G. insolitus were not found estivating at the surface, such as under fallen wood, nor was it usually found in crayfish burrows unoccupied by the host crayfish. This study indicates that members of G. insolitus are commensal upon larger crayfish species, using their burrows to survive the seasonal drying of their habitat. Conservation strategies for populations of G. insolitus will need to consider co-existing species of burrowing crayfish.
Details
- Title
- Commensalism used by freshwater crayfish species to survive drying in seasonal habitats
- Authors/Creators
- K. Johnston (Author/Creator) - Deakin UniversityB.J. Robson (Author/Creator) - Deakin University
- Publication Details
- Invertebrate Biology, Vol.128(3), pp.269-275
- Publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Identifiers
- 991005544131407891
- Copyright
- © 2009, The Authors.
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Murdoch University
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: InCites
Metrics
39 Record Views
InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Citation topics
- 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
- 3.2 Marine Biology
- 3.2.659 Decapoda
- Web Of Science research areas
- Marine & Freshwater Biology
- Zoology
- ESI research areas
- Plant & Animal Science