Abstract

Two species of crayfish, Procambarus clarkii (Girard) and P. zonangulus Hobbs & Hobbs, are important to aquaculture in the south-central United States. Critical to the survival and reproduction of both species are burrows they construct during dry seasons. The objective of this research was to investigate soil-crayfish interactions that occur during the burrowing process. Data were collected for sexually mature female P. clarkii and P. zonangulus for periods of one to 113 days in chambers containing 10 kg (7,500 cm³) soil samples from 10 natural horizons with differing texture, pH and organic matter content. Burrowing was also monitored in a large burrow chamber with a plexiglass observation window. Results include (1) free water is essential for successful burrowing; (2) an individual crayfish often constructs a 1,000 cm³ burrow overnight and can readily redistribute 7,500 cm³ of soil, regardless of type, within a few days if free water is available; and (3) granular soil structure is produced in excavated soil while all soil structure is destroyed along burrow walls. The destruction of soil structure along the burrow walls is presumably to prevent water loss from the living chamber.

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