Announcement: 23rd International Association of Astacology symposium

The 23rd International Association of Astacology symposium will be hosted the University of South Bohemia in the Czech Republic from June 29 to July 3, 2020.

The symposium will be held in Hotel Štekl, near the beautiful Hluboká nad Vltavou Château (pictured).

Planned topics including species diversity and distribution, conservation, physiology, genetics, ecology, ethology, diseases, fishery and aquaculture.

In addition to the scientific program, events will include trips to the experimental facilities of the University of South Bohemia, natural crayfish locality in the Šumava National Park, the Hluboká nad Vltavou Château, beer tasting with the Budweiser Budvar Brewery, the Český Krumlov UNESCO Heritage castle, and wooden rafting.

Abstract submission runs from 1 December 2019 to 15 April 2020.

Early registration deadline: 31 March 2020
Regular registration: 30 April 2020Late registration: 31 May 2020

External links

23rd Symposium of the International Association of Astacology

Hossain and colleagues, 2019b

Hossain MS, Kubec J, Grabicová K, Grabic R, Randák T, Guo W, Kouba A, Buřič M. 2019. Environmentally relevant concentrations of methamphetamine and sertraline modify the behavior and life history traits of an aquatic invertebrate. Aquatic Toxicology 213: 105222. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquatox.2019.105222

Abstract

Pharmaceutically active compounds are major contaminants of aquatic environments that show direct and indirect effects on aquatic organisms even at low concentrations. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of the illicit drug methamphetamine and the antidepressant sertraline on clonal marbled crayfish Procambarus virginalis. Crayfish exposed to the environmentally relevant concentrations of methamphetamine of ∼1 μg L⁻¹ did not exhibit significant differences from unexposed controls in distance moved, velocity, and activity level with or without available shelter. Sertraline-exposed (∼1 μg L⁻¹) crayfish were significantly more active, regardless of available shelter, and moved greater distances when shelter was available, compared to control crayfish. Crayfish exposed to methamphetamine and sertraline spent significantly more time outside the shelters compared to controls. Sertraline-exposed crayfish spawned more frequently and showed higher mortality than controls. The results suggest that the low environmental concentrations of the tested compounds could alter the behavior and life history traits of crayfish, resulting in higher reproductive effort and mortality.

Keywords: aquatic pollutants • behavior • crayfish • life history traits • pharmaceuticals • Procambarus virginalis

Updates from Denmark

It’s rare for crayfish news to get a follow-up, but the first record of Marmorkrebs in Denmark has attracted more attention by doing what Marmorkrebs do: reproducing.

With the help of a Google Translate and guesswork (“crayfish” seems to translate into a lot of weird English words), I think the article says (in part):

It was bad news for the Danish nature when a marbled crayfish was found in Karup Å near Skive in February. It was the first time that the marbled crayfish was found in Denmark.

In other countries, the crayfish has done a lot of damage to nature, as it can fertilize itself and eat almost everything on its way. So since then, it has been kept in captivity at Aqua Aquarium in Silkeborg. Now it has succeeded in cloning itself and thus getting six kids.

If it first gets hold of the watercourses in Denmark, it is completely hopeless to stop it again, says Morten Vissing, is a zoologist at Aqua Aquarium and Animal Park.

“You have seen many strange things, but this is one of the things that hit everything. After all, it is not an animal that exists naturally. You have taken some animals from nature, and you have bred in colors and sizes. Then one has reached a species where today only females exist, and they are then able to clone themselves. It’s incredibly mysterious,” says Morten Vissing.

The marbled crayfish is the only species of crab known to reproduce asexually.

Vissing seems to imply that Marmorkrebs were bred deliberately, which is probably not the case. And either Vissing or the newspaper should read about spinycheek crayfish, which can reproduce asexually.


Related posts

Nothing like a Dane: the European invasion continues

External links

Den uønskede marmorkrebs har klonet sig selv (The unwanted marbled crayfish has cloned itself)

Celebrate diversity: Another member of Club Asexual

The list of parthenogenetic species slowly inches up. This time, it’s the Asian water dragon (Physignathus cocincinus) that continues increasing the list.

According to an interview on NPR, this discovery was made almost by happenstance. The policy of the zoo where the animals was kept was to toss unfertilized eggs. But someone thought, “Let’s try incubating them. It doesn’t take any time.”

Thus are discoveries made. Most eggs went bad, but the Asian water dragon’s... did not.

This makes me wonder just how many more species are capable of both sexual and asexual reproduction, and if there is a way to systematically test for this instead of just hoping for lucky accidents. 

References

KL Miller, Castañeda Rico S, Muletz-Wolz CR, Campana MG, McInerney N, Augustine L, Frere C, Peters AM, Fleischer RC. 2019. Parthenogenesis in a captive Asian water dragon (Physignathus cocincinus) identified with novel microsatellites. PLOS ONE 14(6): e0217489. http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0217489

External links

The National Zoo’s Female Asian Water Dragon Successfully Reproduced Without a Male

Asian Water Dragon Proves She Doesn't Need A Mate To Produce Fertile Egg

Lipták and colleagues, 2019

Lipták B, Veselý L, Ercoli F, Bláha M, Buric M, Ruokonen TJ, Kouba A. Trophic role of marbled crayfish in a lentic freshwater ecosystem. Aquatic Invasions 14(2): 299-309. https://doi.org/10.3391/ai.2019.14.2.09

Abstract

Species’ introductions may cause severe adverse effects on freshwater ecosystems and their biota. The marbled crayfish, Procambarus virginalis Lyko, 2017, is an invasive parthenogenetically reproducing crayfish with rapid reproduction, maturation and tolerance to a wide range of environmental conditions, which was introduced to many sites across Europe during the last decade. Due to its recent speciation and limited number of field studies, the knowledge of trophic interactions of the marbled crayfish in freshwater food webs is scarce. An invaded area located in Central Europe was studied to identify the marbled crayfish food web interactions using analysis of carbon ¹³C and nitrogen ¹⁵N isotopes. This study brings the first insight into the trophic ecology of marbled crayfish in lentic freshwater ecosystems. Algae and detritus were identified as the most important food sources for the marbled crayfish, while zoobenthos and macrophytes were less important. Moreover, the marbled crayfish was found to be an important food source for top fish predators, but marginal for omnivorous fish. Being able to utilize energy from the bottom of the trophic food web, the marbled crayfish may have important roles in the ecosystem, transferring energy to higher trophic levels. It processes allochthonous and autochthonous matter in the ecosystem, thus being a competitor to other organisms with similar food preferences and impacting zoobenthos, algae and macrophytes through predation or direct consumption. To sum up, the marbled crayfish has a strong ability to utilize food sources from different trophic levels, and, thanks to its life history, can be a highly adaptable invader.

Keywords: biological invasion • Central Europe • parthenogenetic species •
Procambarus virginalis • stable isotope