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Zhodnocení přežívání a růstu dvou invazivních raků v teplotně suboptimálních podmínkách
MARKOVÁ, Kateřina
Biological invasions of non-native species are one of the most serious threats negatively impairing global biodiversity. The negative influence of these invasions is especially noticeable in freshwater ecosystems also exemplified by the populations of native crayfish species in Europe. Dominance of non-native species of crayfish over native ones is relatively well known and studied, but the interactions between individual non-native invasive species are significantly less explored. As the range expansion and numbers of non-native crayfish species constantly increases, it becomes apparent that the non-native species will dominate in European waters. However, it is not clear which of these invasive species, and under which conditions will perform better. The goal of this bachelor thesis was to create a literature review focusing on factors that negatively influence the population of the native species (mainly the issue of non-native species and crayfish plague which these species often transmit). Consideration was paid to the importance of the water temperature for the crayfish and to the focused species used in the experimental part the marbled crayfish Procambarus virginalis Lyko, 2017 and signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus Dana, 1852. The experiment was focused on the evaluation of survival, growth, damage to the claws, and the maturation of these species at the water temperature of ~16 °C, which is in the optimal range for signal crayfish, but suboptimal for marbled crayfish (yet, within a range presumably allowing its successful reproduction). If these species should meet more frequently in the wild, it is important to understand their relationships.
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Společenstva vodních makrobezobratlých ovlivněna lidskými činnostmi
LET, Marek
Macroinvertebrates represent an essential part of aquatic environments contributing to various ecosystem services. Disregarding the importance of their habitats and stable and functionally diverse communities can cause hardly reversible losses. This Thesis aimed to reveal relationships between responses of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities and the consequences of human activities. The general negative relationship between the gradient of insecticide contamination and abundances of higher taxonomic units of the stream macroinvertebrates was observed (Chapter 2). The gradient of droughts correlated negatively to the abundances of mayflies (Ephemeroptera), stoneflies (Plecoptera) and caddisflies (Trichoptera) - hereinafter referred as "EPT" - and the most positively to the abundances of coleopteran adults, heteropterans, ostracods, and water lice. Disturbing synergic effects of droughts and agricultural runoff were assumed based on the comparisons between communities sampled in the control site and initially contaminated downstream sites. The practices in modern agricultural systems can be considered one of the greatest threats to aquatic macroinvertebrate fauna. Results summarised in Chapter 3 show decreasing richness of EPT taxa (however, not their abundances) along with the involvement of an increasing number of anthropogenic factors. Nevertheless, only the mayflies and especially stoneflies showed significant negative responses, whilst caddisflies generally exhibited resistance to the presumably strongest anthropogenic factors; namely to contamination by trace metals (cadmium, lead and zinc) and to subsequent loads of treated and "poorly treated" municipal wastewaters containing pesticides, pharmaceutical active compounds, sewage-derived organic matter, and undoubtedly other not identified kinds of pollutants. Despite the higher caddisfly abundance, there were detected signs of worsened health status in hydropsychids, limnephilids and rhyacophilids, particularly detected malformations and the presence of dead pupae in both types of contaminated environments. However, the environment polluted by wastewaters exhibited a significant relationship to a highly increased relative contribution of passive filter feeders and predators within the EPT community. Since wastewater treatment technologies have been enhanced in many countries and there is a lack of published evidence about their complex effect on aquatic ecosystems, future studies are required. Chapter 4 reveals the negative effect of non-native signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) on the native branchiodellid community. According to our results, the total replacement of the native noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) by signal crayfish can lead to the disappearance of two species Branchiobdella parasita and B. pentadonta. Potential differences between crayfish species in correlations between abundances of both branchiobdellids were observed in the locality with the sympatric occurrence of noble crayfish and signal crayfish; the abundance of bigger-sized B. parasita positively correlated to the abundance of B. pentadonta only in the signal crayfish, whilst this relationship may be negative in the big-sized noble crayfish densely infested by both species. Potential competition for space was assumed. The experiment in laboratory conditions revealed more intensive grooming in signal crayfish. The results demonstrate the loss of overlooked biodiversity associated with the invasive species introduction. Knowledge of how communities of aquatic invertebrates respond to anthropogenic changes in the environment can be useful, e.g., during the assessment of the implications of planned or currently active human interferences for cultural landscapes. This Thesis will provide useful information for laboratory studies, of which the interpretation is often limited as they are carried out in artificial environments.
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Burrowing behaviour in crayfish
GUO, Wei
This PhD thesis is devoted to exploring the unresolved ecological gaps in freshwater crayfish burrowing behaviour from three parts, which are: a) the extreme weather conditions like drought; b) aquatic contamination; c) interspecific interactions. The first chapter of the thesis deals with the introduction of the basic information and background related to the burrowing behaviour of freshwater crayfish. The unresolved ecological gaps related to freshwater crayfish burrowing behaviour are: a) the potential effects of drought on crayfish reproduction; b) effects of aquatic contamination on the freshwater crayfish burrowing behaviour; c) crayfish competition for shelter as a primary resource. The second chapter explores whether embryogenesis or postembryonic development of freshwater crayfish can occur without free standing water inside the burrow. To address this question, three experiments were conducted using artificial burrows with high air humidity and using marbled crayfish (Procambarus virginalis Lyko, 2017) as a model species. We found that the ability of marbled crayfish to undergo terminal phases of embryogenesis, including hatching, as well as early postembryonic development under high air humidity conditions only. Postembryonic development was suspended in the absence of free water, and successfully resumed when re-immersed. This similar ability to tolerate drought-like conditions during postembryonic development may also occur in other crayfish species, especially primary burrowers. The third and fourth chapters covers the effects of water contamination on crayfish (red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii as model species) burrowing behaviour. We tested the hypothesis that burrowing behaviour of the red swamp crayfish would be altered with exposure to PhACs and herbicides at concentrations frequently detected in aquatic environments. As representative PhACs, we chose methamphetamine (METH) and tramadol (TRA) (1 ?g/L) (Chapters 3), and, as herbicides, terbuthylazine (TERB) and metazachlor (META) (2 ?g/L) (Chapters 4). We reported for the first time that depth and volume of burrows constructed by methamphetamine-exposed females was significantly lower than of unexposed controls. Tramadol-exposed females consistently exhibited a tendency to excavate smaller burrows compared with controls, although this was not significant (Chapter 3). Impact of herbicides on burrowing behaviour was less clearly manifested, although male crayfish exposed to META constructed a significantly higher number of burrows than did other groups (Chapter 4). The fifth and sixth chapters describe aggression of marbled crayfish during interspecific interactions under laboratory conditions was quantified by characterizing their direct agonistic interactions and competition for shelter with calico crayfish Faxonius immunis and spiny-cheek crayfish Faxonius limosus. Differences in aggression may predict interactions and outcomes under natural conditions. We found marbled crayfish to dominate size-matched calico crayfish (Chapter 5) and spiny-cheek crayfish (Chapter 6) in agonistic encounters. The higher activity and aggressiveness of marbled crayfish could facilitate displacement of other non-indigenous crayfish species either by direct interaction or through competition for resources such as shelter and food. The seventh chapter of the thesis presents the general discussion and summary obtained by the five chapters mentioned above. These data represent basic scientific information valuable for practical application. The outcomes of interactions among crayfish under laboratory conditions can be critical to evaluating over-invaded communities and ecosystems harbouring invasive species that share similar life histories, niche preference, and adaptation strategies.
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Detection and variation of the crayfish plague pathogen in selected crayfish populations
Mojžišová, Michaela ; Petrusek, Adam (advisor) ; Buřič, Miloš (referee)
Crayfish plague is an emerging disease caused by the oomycete Aphanomyces astaci, a pathogen listed among the 100 World's Worst Invasive Alien Species. It was introduced into Europe in the second half of 19th century from North America and caused collapses of European native crayfish populations. Nowadays, A. astaci is widespread in Europe and has spread also to other parts of the world, threatening all susceptible crayfish of non-North American origin. The aims of this MSc thesis were 1) to provide information about crayfish plague outbreaks from recent years, and by using microsatellite and mtDNA markers reveal A. astaci genotypes involved; 2) to test healthy-looking indigenous crayfish for potential occurrence of chronic infections by A. astaci in Czechia. Six new crayfish plague outbreaks were confirmed from 2016 to 2018, involving at least five distinct pathogen strains. My results provide first evidence of the A. astaci genotype group D causing Astacus astacus and Austropotamobius torrentium mass mortalities in Czechia. MtDNA sequencing revealed two haplotypes of the D haplogroup, indicating two independent sources of infection presumably either from ornamental crayfish or spreading from neighbouring countries. The genotype group A was recorded in two A. astacus mortalities and genotype group...
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Distribution and genetic variation of invasive crayfish of the genus Orconectes
Filipová, Lenka ; Petrusek, Adam (advisor) ; Kozák, Pavel (referee)
Crayfish are an important part of European fauna, but since the 19th century native crayfish species have been largely influenced by biological invasions, when large number of their populations was dramatically reduced due to the introduction of the pathogen of the crayfish plague (oomycete Aphanomyces astaci) to Europe. Several North American crayfish species were then brought to the European continent to substitute lost populations of native crayfish, the most widespread being the spiny-cheek crayfish (Orconectes limosus), the signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) and the red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii). However, these crayfish can carry pathogen of the crayfish plague and therefore represent a serious threat to the native species. My work focused mostly on the spiny-cheek crayfish (O. limosus). Available literature data suggest that the species was brought to Europe only once, and all European individuals may be descendants of the founder population. However, other cases of introduction may not have been documented, and cannot be ruled out. The first aim of my thesis was to evaluate the haplotype variation of the spiny-cheek crayfish populations from Europe and North America. Mitochondrial gene for cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) of selected O. limosus individuals from several...
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Transmission and detection of the crayfish plague pathogen under experimental conditions
Svoboda, Jiří ; Petrusek, Adam (advisor) ; Fiala, Ivan (referee)
The crayfish plague pathogen, Aphanomyces astaci, is one of the most serious threats to European indigenous crayfish species, e.g., the noble crayfish (Astacus astacus). The only way to protect susceptible crayfish species from the disease is to prevent the dispersion of the pathogen to their populations. One of the most important sources of the crayfish plague pathogen in Central Europe is the spiny-cheek crayfish (Orconectes limosus), a species of North American origin, which can carry the parasite in its cuticle for years. Some literature sources claimed that the pathogen dispersion from the American vectors is restricted to periods of moulting or to the time before and after the crayfish death. However, experimental evidence for such hypotheses was lacking. The main aim of my thesis was to test these predictions, and the alternative scenario that the crayfish plague pathogen can be transmitted from the infected spiny-cheek crayfish also in other periods. For this purpose, experiments were set up to investigate A. astaci transmission from infected spiny-cheek crayfish to non-infected spiny-cheek or noble crayfish. As expected, the pathogen was transmitted to noble crayfish much more easily than to the uninfected American host. Nevertheless, we succeeded in the pathogen transmission also among spiny-cheek...
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Porcelain disease in crayfish: biology, impacts and distribution
Jelínková, Tereza ; Balcarová, Eva (advisor) ; Vávra, Jiří (referee)
The porcelain disease is a disease affecting crayfish caused by the microsporidium Thelohania contejeani. This intracellular parasite attacks muscle cells of the host and fills them with spores. This leads to white or opaque colouration of the abdominal muscle of crayfish, which is characteristic for this disease. The parasite gradually attacks more muscle fibers which probably leads to decrease of locomotor activity of affected crayfish and finally may result in their death. T. contejeani at low prevalences does not represent a real danger to crayfish populations and thus it is not as serious threat as crayfish plague. However, it has been associated with several cases of mass mortalities too. This thesis summarizes essential findings about infection by this parasite, analyzes its impacts to the host and factors that can influence transmission and progress of this disease. It also describes a life cycle of T. contejeani, summarizes records of the occurrence of this parasite and evaluates risks which it poses to crayfish populations. Finally, methods used to detect infection are described. Keywords: Thelohania contejeani, porcelain disease, crayfish, microsporidia, parasite, muscle
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Distribution and Ecology of the Stone Crayfish and Noble Crayfish in the Drainage Area of the Zákolanský stream
Kubínyiová, Eva ; Mourek, Jan (advisor) ; Hanel, Lubomír (referee)
This thesis is composed of two parts - research part, focused on field research of occurence and abundance of the Stone Crayfish and the Noble Crayfish in the basin of Zákolanský stream, and a pedagogical part, project Crayfish in the Czech Republic and their protection, aimed for grammar school students. The literature outline summarizes contemporary knowledge about all five species of crayfish in the Czech Republic. Our native species are the Stone Crayfish (Austropotamobius torrentium) and Noble Crayfish (Astacus astacus). The non-native are Narrow-clawed Crayfish (Astacus leptodactylus), Spiny-cheek Crayfish (Orconectes limosus) and Signal Crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus). Aside from the chapters concerning the particular species and their determination, the literature outline also contains general information about the life and endangerment of crayfish. I have conducted the field research from April to September 2009. I also noted and evaluated the environmental conditions of the crayfish habitats. Based on the adjusted AOPK ČR methodology, I selected eight 100-meter long brook-sections of the Europe-important locality of Zákolanský stream, with the previously confirmed occurrence of crayfish. From the eight sections, I found crayfish only in three. All the captured specimens were of the...
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Genetic variation in North American crayfish species introduced to Europe and the prevalence of the crayfish plague pathogen in their populations
Filipová, Lenka
- ABSTRACT (IN ENGLISH) - Biological invasions by crustaceans represent a serious threat for native species in Europe. In my thesis I focus on non-indigenous freshwater crayfish introduced to Europe and their parasite Aphanomyces astaci, the pathogen of the crayfish plague. The thesis consists of four already published first-author papers (chapters I, II, IV and V), two first-author manuscripts (chapters III and VI), and one paper which I co-authored (chapter VII). The first part (chapters I-V) focuses on genetic variation in North American crayfish introduced to Europe. We showed that in two crayfish species, both successful invaders in Europe, genetic variation differs significantly, reflecting their different colonization histories on the continent. The spiny-cheek crayfish Orconectes limosus was likely introduced to Europe just once, in small numbers (90 individuals). Variation at the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) level in the spiny-cheek crayfish in Europe is much lower compared to North America (chapter I), although some variation was revealed by nuclear markers in its Central European populations (chapter II). In contrast, the signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus was introduced to Europe several times, in large numbers. Its European populations are highly diverse genetically and belong to a single...
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Detection and variation of the crayfish plague pathogen in selected crayfish populations
Mojžišová, Michaela ; Petrusek, Adam (advisor) ; Buřič, Miloš (referee)
Crayfish plague is an emerging disease caused by the oomycete Aphanomyces astaci, a pathogen listed among the 100 World's Worst Invasive Alien Species. It was introduced into Europe in the second half of 19th century from North America and caused collapses of European native crayfish populations. Nowadays, A. astaci is widespread in Europe and has spread also to other parts of the world, threatening all susceptible crayfish of non-North American origin. The aims of this MSc thesis were 1) to provide information about crayfish plague outbreaks from recent years, and by using microsatellite and mtDNA markers reveal A. astaci genotypes involved; 2) to test healthy-looking indigenous crayfish for potential occurrence of chronic infections by A. astaci in Czechia. Six new crayfish plague outbreaks were confirmed from 2016 to 2018, involving at least five distinct pathogen strains. My results provide first evidence of the A. astaci genotype group D causing Astacus astacus and Austropotamobius torrentium mass mortalities in Czechia. MtDNA sequencing revealed two haplotypes of the D haplogroup, indicating two independent sources of infection presumably either from ornamental crayfish or spreading from neighbouring countries. The genotype group A was recorded in two A. astacus mortalities and genotype group...
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