Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans that go by many names. Depending on what part of the country you are in they are called everything from “Mud Bugs” to “Crawdads” these hard bodied little decapods serve some important functions in wetlands. Wetlands get a lot of their nutrients from decomposing plant material. As detritivores , crayfish spend much of their time munching on dead and decomposing plant material, helping to break this material down quickly (though they will also eat fish and insects). This is especially important in wetlands because wetland soils tend to be anaerobic, meaning they are low in oxygen and in turn the decomposing bacteria are less effective. Crayfish further aid in decomposition by digging burrows and tunnels that help aerate the soil. They pull the mud and soil out of their tunnel, roll it into pellets and use these pellets to construct a “chimney” that helps direct airflow down into their tunnel. If you’re lucky sometimes you can spot them in streams trying to catch fish with their claws!
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 13:09:04 +0000
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