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TURNING UP THE HEAT: THERMAL TOLERANCE IN GEORGIA CRAYFISH

Abstract

The southeastern United States is a hotspot for freshwater biodiversity, but faces increasing threats from invasive species, habitat alteration, and rising temperatures associated with climate change. Crayfish are important ecosystem engineers with significant ecological roles, but their responses to environmental stressors, such as thermal stress, remain poorly documented. This study investigates the upper thermal limit (UTL), defined as the temperature at which physiological function breaks down, in three species of crayfish endemic to Georgia: the open-water species Procambarus spiculifer and Procambarus enoplosternum and the burrowing species Cambarus sp. We hypothesized that the open-water Procambarus species would exhibit higher UTLs than the burrowing Cambarus species due to differences in habitat-associated thermal exposure. To test this, individuals of each species were subjected to controlled laboratory trials in which water temperature was steadily increased until loss of righting response indicated thermal failure. Average UTLs were 37.3°C ± 1.5°C (n = 14) for P. spiculifer, 36.4 ± 0.8°C (n = 20) for Cambarus sp., and 38.8± 0.6°C (n = 28) for P. enoplosternum, which exhibited the highest thermal tolerance. Understanding species specific thermal tolerance, including differences associated with habitat use, can help guide conservation efforts aimed at mitigating environmental stressors. In this respect, these findings will contribute to efforts to preserve crayfish populations of multiple species and, in turn, the freshwater biodiversity of the southeastern United States in the face of climate change.

Acknowledgements

GC&SU Department of Biological and Enviornmental Sciences

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