Distribution and abundance of the Louisiana red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii Girard at Lake Naivasha,Kenya between 1987 and 1999 |
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Authors: | Harper David M Smart Andrew C Coley Stephanie Schmitz Sophie Gouder de Beauregard Anne-Christine North Rick Adams Chris Obade Paul Kamau Mbogo |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 7RH, U.K.;(2) Present address: Duchy College, Rosewarne, Camborne, Cornwall, TR14 0AB, U.K;(3) Laboratoire d'Ecologie, FUSAGx, Passage des Déportés 2, B-5030 Gembloux, Belgium;(4) Environment Agency, Anglian Region, Ipswich, Suffolk, U.K;(5) Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, Box 837, Naivasha, Kenya |
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Abstract: | The abundance and habitat distribution of Procambarus clarkii, an exotic herbivore at Lake Naivasha, Kenya, was studied between 1987 and 1999. Its growth and morphometrics were similar to other locations in the world where the species have been studied. P. clarkii was found primarily amongst the floating, exotic vegetation where it achieved densities of over 500 m–2 by the end of the study. It is suggested that these densities became possible because the habitat offers protection against predation and an adequate food supply of bacterial-enriched detritus exists in the absence of green plant material. Both adults and juveniles forage on the lake bed at night. |
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Keywords: | length– weight relationship population structure density food– web interactions Eichhornia crassipes |
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