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SFS Annual Meeting

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EVALUATION OF AGGRESSIVE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN NATIVE AND INVASIVE CRAYFISH USING NOVEL REAL-TIME VIDEO TRACKING SYSTEM

Eastern United States is the global hotspot for crayfish diversity with more than 440 species. Many of these native crayfish are threatened with extinction due to several reasons including invasive crayfish. Invasive crayfish cause population declines and extirpations of native crayfish. However, the mechanisms behind those population declines and extirpations of native crayfish due to invasive crayfish are poorly studied. Aggression-mediated interactions (e.g. competition for food or shelter) between native and invasive crayfish could replace native species due to high levels of aggression of invasive species. We studied aggressive interactions between native Piedmont crayfish (Cambarus sp. C) and invasive red-swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) under laboratory conditions using a novel, real-time video tracking system. The system generated aggression-related behavioral data such as direction of movement, total distance moved, velocity of the movement and movement plots for individual crayfish as it records the crayfish behavior, and the recorded behavior allowed us to rate aggression levels according to standard ethograms. This novel method may provide opportunities to collect extensive data on crayfish behavior, and future development of the software may allow us to automatically recognize specific aggressive behavior.

Eric Lewis (Primary Presenter/Author), Longwood University, eric.lewis2@live.longwood.edu;


Jena Cruz ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Longwood University, jena.cruz@live.longwood.edu;


Cole Milliron ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Longwood University, cole.milliron@live.longwood.edu;


Brandon Jackson ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Longwood University, jacksonbe3@longwood.edu;


Sujan Henkanaththegedara ( Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Longwood University, sujan040@gmail.com;