{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/113125"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/113125","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"Ecosystem impacts of the invasive rusty crayfish (Faxonius rusticus) over time","abstract":"Invasive species have effects across levels of the ecological hierarchy, from genes to ecosystems, with negative consequences for biodiversity and global economies. These impacts likely vary over time and with invasion stage, though long-term studies on the effects of invasive species are rare. In my thesis, I use a unique long-term dataset (1975-2020) on the invasive rusty crayfish (Faxonius rusticus) in northern Wisconsin lakes to investigate the impacts of this invader over time. Since it was initially introduced in the 1960s, F. rusticus has reached hyper-abundance relative to native crayfishes and caused declines in fishes, macrophytes, and macroinvertebrates such as aquatic gastropods (snails). The red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) is another invasive crayfish that has caused declines of macrophytes, leading to decreases in water clarity in shallow lakes and wetlands in Asia and Europe. In my first study, I used remote-sensed estimates of Secchi disc depth and chlorophyll-a concentration to investigate if F. rusticus similarly decreases water clarity in north temperate lakes. Contrary to what I expected, I found a weak, positive relationship between F. rusticus and water clarity. If the positive association I document between F. rusticus and water clarity is real, F. rusticus may either be a positive driver of water clarity through a trophic cascade or may respond to changes in water clarity as benthic resources are either increased or decreased. In my second chapter, I used a long-term dataset (1987, 2002, 2011, and 2020) of crayfish, macrophytes, and snails in ten F. rusticus-invaded and control lakes to demonstrate that lake communities (macrophyte and snail abundance and richness) have started to recover after natural population declines of this invader. The recovery of lake communities that we document indicates that some effects of invasive species may be transient or time-dependent, but we still recommend managing and preventing the spread of invaders due to their severe impacts at the peak of invasion. I also report a delayed recovery of snails relative to macrophytes, suggesting that the recovery of some species after invader declines may lag behind the habitat on which they depend. Overall, my thesis provides a unique, long-term perspective on the impacts of F. rusticus, while demonstrating that lake ecosystems may be resilient over many decades to the effects of this major freshwater invasive species.","abstract_html":"Invasive species have effects across levels of the ecological hierarchy, from genes to ecosystems, with negative consequences for biodiversity and global economies. These impacts likely vary over time and with invasion stage, though long-term studies on the effects of invasive species are rare. In my thesis, I use a unique long-term dataset (1975-2020) on the invasive rusty crayfish (Faxonius rusticus) in northern Wisconsin lakes to investigate the impacts of this invader over time. Since it was initially introduced in the 1960s, F. rusticus has reached hyper-abundance relative to native crayfishes and caused declines in fishes, macrophytes, and macroinvertebrates such as aquatic gastropods (snails). The red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) is another invasive crayfish that has caused declines of macrophytes, leading to decreases in water clarity in shallow lakes and wetlands in Asia and Europe. In my first study, I used remote-sensed estimates of Secchi disc depth and chlorophyll-a concentration to investigate if F. rusticus similarly decreases water clarity in north temperate lakes. Contrary to what I expected, I found a weak, positive relationship between F. rusticus and water clarity. If the positive association I document between F. rusticus and water clarity is real, F. rusticus may either be a positive driver of water clarity through a trophic cascade or may respond to changes in water clarity as benthic resources are either increased or decreased. In my second chapter, I used a long-term dataset (1987, 2002, 2011, and 2020) of crayfish, macrophytes, and snails in ten F. rusticus-invaded and control lakes to demonstrate that lake communities (macrophyte and snail abundance and richness) have started to recover after natural population declines of this invader. The recovery of lake communities that we document indicates that some effects of invasive species may be transient or time-dependent, but we still recommend managing and preventing the spread of invaders due to their severe impacts at the peak of invasion. I also report a delayed recovery of snails relative to macrophytes, suggesting that the recovery of some species after invader declines may lag behind the habitat on which they depend. Overall, my thesis provides a unique, long-term perspective on the impacts of F. rusticus, while demonstrating that lake ecosystems may be resilient over many decades to the effects of this major freshwater invasive species.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Szydlowski, Daniel Kenneth"],"institution":"University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"M.S.","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Natural Res & Env Sciences","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Larson, Eric R"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2022,"date_issued":"2022-01-12T22:34:45Z","date_published":"2022-01-12T22:34:45Z","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:24:53Z","subjects":["invasive species","rusty crayfish","long-term data","resilience","water clarity","remote sensing","chlorophyll a","Secchi disc depth","recovery","macrophytes","snails","gastropods","Faxonius rusticus","boom-bust","population declines","Landsat","community responses","crayfish","biological invasions"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright 2021 Daniel Szydlowski"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/2142/113125","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Larson, Eric R"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Szydlowski, Daniel Kenneth"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2022-01-12T22:34:45Z","2024-01-12T22:35:30Z","2021-06-23","2021-08"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text","Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Natural Res & Env Sciences"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.S."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["invasive species","rusty crayfish","long-term data","resilience","water clarity","remote sensing","chlorophyll a","Secchi disc depth","recovery","macrophytes","snails","gastropods","Faxonius rusticus","boom-bust","population declines","Landsat","community responses","crayfish","biological invasions"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2021 Daniel Szydlowski"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/2142/113125"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Invasive species have effects across levels of the ecological hierarchy, from genes to ecosystems, with negative consequences for biodiversity and global economies. These impacts likely vary over time and with invasion stage, though long-term studies on the effects of invasive species are rare. In my thesis, I use a unique long-term dataset (1975-2020) on the invasive rusty crayfish (Faxonius rusticus) in northern Wisconsin lakes to investigate the impacts of this invader over time. Since it was initially introduced in the 1960s, F. rusticus has reached hyper-abundance relative to native crayfishes and caused declines in fishes, macrophytes, and macroinvertebrates such as aquatic gastropods (snails). The red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) is another invasive crayfish that has caused declines of macrophytes, leading to decreases in water clarity in shallow lakes and wetlands in Asia and Europe. In my first study, I used remote-sensed estimates of Secchi disc depth and chlorophyll-a concentration to investigate if F. rusticus similarly decreases water clarity in north temperate lakes. Contrary to what I expected, I found a weak, positive relationship between F. rusticus and water clarity. If the positive association I document between F. rusticus and water clarity is real, F. rusticus may either be a positive driver of water clarity through a trophic cascade or may respond to changes in water clarity as benthic resources are either increased or decreased. In my second chapter, I used a long-term dataset (1987, 2002, 2011, and 2020) of crayfish, macrophytes, and snails in ten F. rusticus-invaded and control lakes to demonstrate that lake communities (macrophyte and snail abundance and richness) have started to recover after natural population declines of this invader. The recovery of lake communities that we document indicates that some effects of invasive species may be transient or time-dependent, but we still recommend managing and preventing the spread of invaders due to their severe impacts at the peak of invasion. I also report a delayed recovery of snails relative to macrophytes, suggesting that the recovery of some species after invader declines may lag behind the habitat on which they depend. Overall, my thesis provides a unique, long-term perspective on the impacts of F. rusticus, while demonstrating that lake ecosystems may be resilient over many decades to the effects of this major freshwater invasive species.","Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2023-08-01","The student, Daniel Szydlowski, accepted the attached license on 2021-06-18 at 10:51.","The student, Daniel Szydlowski, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2021-06-18 at 11:18.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2021-06-23 at 10:51.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #16697 on 2022-01-12 at 12:52:20","Made available in DSpace on 2022-01-12T22:34:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 SZYDLOWSKI-THESIS-2021.pdf: 1459455 bytes, checksum: 20cb8a2035b2bc2972e5b11b39feae2b (MD5) LICENSE.txt: 4214 bytes, checksum: 02bdc63fc0f0559b7e50ec7f68006105 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2021-06-23","Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 121051 Lift date: 2024-01-12T22:35:30Z Reason: Author requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD system","Author requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD system","U of I Only"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Ecosystem impacts of the invasive rusty crayfish (Faxonius rusticus) over time"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Larson, Eric R"],"dc:creator":["Szydlowski, Daniel Kenneth"],"dc:date":["2022-01-12T22:34:45Z","2024-01-12T22:35:30Z","2021-06-23","2021-08"],"dc:description":["Invasive species have effects across levels of the ecological hierarchy, from genes to ecosystems, with negative consequences for biodiversity and global economies. These impacts likely vary over time and with invasion stage, though long-term studies on the effects of invasive species are rare. In my thesis, I use a unique long-term dataset (1975-2020) on the invasive rusty crayfish (Faxonius rusticus) in northern Wisconsin lakes to investigate the impacts of this invader over time. Since it was initially introduced in the 1960s, F. rusticus has reached hyper-abundance relative to native crayfishes and caused declines in fishes, macrophytes, and macroinvertebrates such as aquatic gastropods (snails). The red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) is another invasive crayfish that has caused declines of macrophytes, leading to decreases in water clarity in shallow lakes and wetlands in Asia and Europe. In my first study, I used remote-sensed estimates of Secchi disc depth and chlorophyll-a concentration to investigate if F. rusticus similarly decreases water clarity in north temperate lakes. Contrary to what I expected, I found a weak, positive relationship between F. rusticus and water clarity. If the positive association I document between F. rusticus and water clarity is real, F. rusticus may either be a positive driver of water clarity through a trophic cascade or may respond to changes in water clarity as benthic resources are either increased or decreased. In my second chapter, I used a long-term dataset (1987, 2002, 2011, and 2020) of crayfish, macrophytes, and snails in ten F. rusticus-invaded and control lakes to demonstrate that lake communities (macrophyte and snail abundance and richness) have started to recover after natural population declines of this invader. The recovery of lake communities that we document indicates that some effects of invasive species may be transient or time-dependent, but we still recommend managing and preventing the spread of invaders due to their severe impacts at the peak of invasion. I also report a delayed recovery of snails relative to macrophytes, suggesting that the recovery of some species after invader declines may lag behind the habitat on which they depend. Overall, my thesis provides a unique, long-term perspective on the impacts of F. rusticus, while demonstrating that lake ecosystems may be resilient over many decades to the effects of this major freshwater invasive species.","Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2023-08-01","The student, Daniel Szydlowski, accepted the attached license on 2021-06-18 at 10:51.","The student, Daniel Szydlowski, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2021-06-18 at 11:18.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2021-06-23 at 10:51.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #16697 on 2022-01-12 at 12:52:20","Made available in DSpace on 2022-01-12T22:34:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 SZYDLOWSKI-THESIS-2021.pdf: 1459455 bytes, checksum: 20cb8a2035b2bc2972e5b11b39feae2b (MD5) LICENSE.txt: 4214 bytes, checksum: 02bdc63fc0f0559b7e50ec7f68006105 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2021-06-23","Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 121051 Lift date: 2024-01-12T22:35:30Z Reason: Author requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD system","Author requested U of Illinois access only (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD system","U of I Only"],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["http://hdl.handle.net/2142/113125"],"dc:language":["en"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2021 Daniel Szydlowski"],"dc:subject":["invasive species","rusty crayfish","long-term data","resilience","water clarity","remote sensing","chlorophyll a","Secchi disc depth","recovery","macrophytes","snails","gastropods","Faxonius rusticus","boom-bust","population declines","Landsat","community responses","crayfish","biological invasions"],"dc:title":["Ecosystem impacts of the invasive rusty crayfish (Faxonius rusticus) over time"],"dc:type":["text","Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Natural Res & Env Sciences"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.S."],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:24:53Z"}