The current knowledge concerning effects of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDEs) on benthic aquatic organisms is still very limited although they have been widely used as fire retardant additives for 3 decades. This study was conducted to evaluate the toxic effects of BDE-47 and BDE-183, the two common congeners of PBDEs in river sediments, on a benthic oligochaete worms, Monopylephorus limosus. The worms were exposed to BDE-47 or to BDE-183 for two or eight weeks. The survival rates of M. limosus decreased significantly when exposed to 700 ng/g dry soil of BDE-47 or BDE-183 for 8 weeks, but not in groups of 1-1000 ng/g BDE-47 for 2 weeks. A total of forty proteins of M. limosus has been expressed and determined by the two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE). Through the cluster analysis, it was found that the protein expression in the group of 100 ng/g BDE-47 was similar to 10 ng/g BDE-183. The results indicate that the toxicity of BDE-183 was greater than BDE-47 to M.limosus. Although the survival rate of M. limosus was not significantly affected when exposed to BDE-47 or BDE-183 at concentrations of 1 to 100 ng/g, significant differences in protein expression were found. Thus, the analysis of protein expression is more sensitive to detect the toxicological change in M. limosus than the survival test.

Main purpose of this diploma work was to find out possibility using PIT telemetry in monitoring strange crayfish species Spinycheek crayfish Orconectes Limosus. Research of the theme consisted of three steps: two laboratory researches and one research in the natural environment. The first laboratory study concerned tagging passive integrated transponder (PIT) to various part of crayfish body. PIT tags were internally implanted to cephalothorax, abdomen and claw. The highest mortality was in tagging to claw. The second laboratory research consisted of comparing different tagging methods to PIT telemetry. Crayfish were tagging by PIT telemetry, soldering, visible implant elastomers and visible implant Alpha tags. Among tagging groups there were not to find out different in mortality. In the third research the crayfish were tagging in their natural environment. There were using three methods: PIT telemetry, soldering and VI Alpha tags. This experiment wasn´t successful. During recapturing crayfish there were not to find any tagging crayfish.

Activity of noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) and spiny-cheek crayfish (Orconectes limosus) under the laboratory coditions University of South Bohemia České Budějovice - Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Fisheries Author: Martin Musil Contact: mue.@seznam.cz Abstract: Some authors point out, that the American species are more activated than European during the day. Noble crayfish (Astacus astacus L.) is the night animal. Spiny-cheek crayfish (Orconectes limosus Raf.) is the most agresive species with more activity during the day, whose is of itself ecologic and reproductions characteristic typical r{--}strategist. And over than above it is a vector of crayfish plague. Objective of this study was the observe the daily and noctural of both species, the influence of fish predators and murmurs of agresivity. The bulk of this work was in ethologic laboratory with using videotechnic in control conditions and directed lightregimen. The findings see the big diference between species, that the spiny-cheek crayfish is more activated that the noble crayfish (51,4%{$\pm$}4,33 of the 24 hour activity) with slight diference between the day and night. Someones of the subjects don´t look for the cover during the experiment, it were mainly the females, whose activity were better than the male. Noble crayfish embodied low aktivity (15,1%{$\pm$}8,22 of the 24 hour activity) with more highly diference between the day and night and with slight diference between the sex. The inherence of the fish predator have had slight influence on the both species, rather sometimes take on the crayfish attention. The agresivity of the both is at least comparable, so it isn´t clear, that the spiny-cheek crayfish would be more successful in proximate competetion without the infection of crayfish plague.

The crayfish plague pathogen, Aphanomyces astaci, is one of the most serious threats to European indigenous crayfish species, e.g., the noble crayfish (Astacus astacus). The only way to protect susceptible crayfish species from the disease is to prevent the dispersion of the pathogen to their populations. One of the most important sources of the crayfish plague pathogen in Central Europe is the spiny-cheek crayfish (Orconectes limosus), a species of North American origin, which can carry the parasite in its cuticle for years. Some literature sources claimed that the pathogen dispersion from the American vectors is restricted to periods of moulting or to the time before and after the crayfish death. However, experimental evidence for such hypotheses was lacking. The main aim of my thesis was to test these predictions, and the alternative scenario that the crayfish plague pathogen can be transmitted from the infected spiny-cheek crayfish also in other periods. For this purpose, experiments were set up to investigate A. astaci transmission from infected spiny-cheek crayfish to non-infected spiny-cheek or noble crayfish. As expected, the pathogen was transmitted to noble crayfish much more easily than to the uninfected American host. Nevertheless, we succeeded in the pathogen transmission also among spiny-cheek...

The most widespread of invasive crayfish in the Czech Republic is the spiny-cheek crayfish (Orconectes limosus). It is a major disease carrier of crayfish plague, caused by the pathogen Aphanomyces astaci. The infection is lethal to European native species of crayfish. Transmission of this disease is usually associated with the spread of crayfish, which is dependent on their movement. The main aim of this work was to evaluate the differences in crayfish migratory activity in the Pšovka brook among seasons, and assess the factors that may affect it, by the use of radiotelemetry and trapping. We tested the hypothesis that crayfish use brook in the period from spring to autumn and then return back into a pond to overwinter. Furthermore, we evaluated how far from the pond crayfish migrate, and whether there is any relationship between migration and the season or water temperature. The results demonstrate that the activity varies among seasons (being strongly affected by breeding season) but in most studied periods did not significantly depend on water temperature. According to our monitoring, the spiny-cheek crayfish does not spread substantially to upstream parts of the Pšovka. Seasonal migration between the pond and the brook was monitored using two-way flow-through traps installed at the mouth of...

This thesis is composed of two parts - research part, focused on field research of occurence and abundance of the Stone Crayfish and the Noble Crayfish in the basin of Zákolanský stream, and a pedagogical part, project Crayfish in the Czech Republic and their protection, aimed for grammar school students. The literature outline summarizes contemporary knowledge about all five species of crayfish in the Czech Republic. Our native species are the Stone Crayfish (Austropotamobius torrentium) and Noble Crayfish (Astacus astacus). The non-native are Narrow-clawed Crayfish (Astacus leptodactylus), Spiny-cheek Crayfish (Orconectes limosus) and Signal Crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus). Aside from the chapters concerning the particular species and their determination, the literature outline also contains general information about the life and endangerment of crayfish. I have conducted the field research from April to September 2009. I also noted and evaluated the environmental conditions of the crayfish habitats. Based on the adjusted AOPK ČR methodology, I selected eight 100-meter long brook-sections of the Europe-important locality of Zákolanský stream, with the previously confirmed occurrence of crayfish. From the eight sections, I found crayfish only in three. All the captured specimens were of the...

This thesis deals with monitoring the occurrence of crayfish in selected river basins in the western Bohemia, considering the human impact on freshwater ecosystems and his influence on crayfish and other aquatic organisms. The selected river basin territory was Úhlava, Úslava and Otava. In the localities, numerical and species-wise representation of crayfish was monitored by finding data from the Agency for Nature Conservation and Landscape of Czech Republic database. The flow and environment characteristics were also monitored. This thesis focuses on water quality in streams of selected major river basins, Úhlava, Úslava and Otava rivers in the period from 2006 to 2011. Results of the findings show a sympatric occurrence of original species, stone crayfish (Austropotamobius torrentium), noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) and part of the original danube crayfish (Astacus leptodactylus) with invasively spreading species of spiny-cheek crayfish (Orconectes limosus) and signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus). With respect to this fact, the sensitivity of spiny-cheek crayfish (Orconectes limosus) and signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) are evaluated in a form of own test results on acute toxicity. The thesis compared current results of occurrence and the protection of crayfish in the Czech Republic and abroad. The conclusion of this thesis is a proposal of a freshwater biomonitoring system, using the crayfish.