Conquering the world: The invasion of the red swamp crayfish
One of the biggest threats to biodiversity is the invasion of non-native species, also called invasive alien species. It is crucial for scientists to determine the main introduction routes by which non-native species enter into an ecosystem. We studied the red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), a...
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2020 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) |
| Repositorio: | DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:digital.csic.es:10261/216602 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/10261/216602 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Sumario: | One of the biggest threats to biodiversity is the invasion of non-native species, also called invasive alien species. It is crucial for scientists to determine the main introduction routes by which non-native species enter into an ecosystem. We studied the red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), a freshwater crustacean, and looked at the genetic characteristics of 122 crayfish populations (22 native and 100 introduced) to understand their differences and where they came from. Our results showed a great amount of genetic variability among crayfish populations and that, this crayfish species has invaded different parts of the world via multiple introduction events and pathways, with humans playing a key role in these introductions. It is therefore vitally important to control the likely sources of invasion to avoid further introductions and prevent the rapid expansion of crayfish populations. |
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