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Thermal Tolerance of the Piedmont Blue Burrower Cambarus harti and Sympatric Native and Invasive Crayfish Species of the Southeastern United States
Fogelman KJ, Boyd K, Abdelrahman HA, Figiel CR and Stoeckel JA 
Published Online: 12/31/2023
Abstract
The southeast United States is the epicenter of global crayfish biodiversity, but these species are among some of the most threatened in the world. Life history and biological trait data deficiencies, particularly of burrowing crayfish species, hampers efforts for accurately assessing imperilment rates and informing conservation efforts. Rising temperatures are a threat to aquatic ectotherms and it is important to evaluate crayfish tolerances to determine if they are at or near their upper thermal limits. We conducted dynamic temperature ramps to evaluate the temperatures at which ecological death (critical thermal maximum; CTM) and physiological death (upper thermal limit; UTL) occurred for the imperiled and narrowly endemic primary burrower Cambarus harti and three common, sympatric species C. latimanus, C. striatus, and Procambarus clarkii. All species differed in CTM with C. latimanus being the most sensitive (35.0°C), C. striatus (37.0°C) and C. harti (37.8°C) having intermediate tolerance, and P. clarkii being the most tolerant (39.0°C). The UTL of all species ranged from 39.4 – 39.8°C. We found no evidence that C. harti, a rare primary burrower, will require more restrictive acute thermal guidelines for protection compared to more common sympatric secondary burrowers.
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How to Cite
Fogelman KJ, Boyd K, Abdelrahman HA, Figiel CR and Stoeckel JA. (2023). Thermal Tolerance of the Piedmont Blue Burrower Cambarus harti and Sympatric Native and Invasive Crayfish Species of the Southeastern United States. Freshwater Crayfish 28(1):37-44. doi: 10.5869/fc.2023.v28-1.37
Author Information
Hisham A Abdelrahman, Department of Biology, Marine Biology, and Environmental Sciences, Roger Williams University, 1 Old Ferry Road, Bristol, Rhode Island, United States02809. E-mail: haa0008@auburn.edu
Chester Figiel Jr.. , Warm Springs Fish Technology Center, United States Fish and Wildlife Service , 5151 Springs Street, Warm Springs, Georgia, United States31830. E-mail: chester_figiel@fws.gov
James A. Stoeckel, School of Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences, Auburn University, 203 Swingle Hall, Auburn, AL, United States36849. E-mail: jas0018@auburn.edu
Kayla T. Boyd, School of Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences, Auburn University, 203 Swingle Hall, Auburn, AL, United States36849. E-mail: ktb0025@auburn.edu
Kaelyn Fogelman,* Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Troy University, 215 MSCX, Troy, AL, United States36079. E-mail: kfogelman@troy.edu
Corresponding Author indicated by an *.
Publication History
Manuscript Submitted: 7/4/2023
Manuscript Accepted: 11/11/2023
Published Online: 12/31/2023
Published in Print: 12/31/2023
Funding Information
No specific funding statement is available for this article.