Short Communication

Cold-season challenges: Behavioral adaptations of invasive Procambarus clarkii to rapid water level decline and shelter availability

Key Laboratory of Intelligent Health Perception and Ecological Restoration of Rivers and Lakes, Ministry of Education; Innovation Demonstration Base of Ecological Environment Geotechnical and Ecological Restoration of Rivers and Lakes; School of Civil and Environment, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, PR China

^* Corresponding author: jgao13@hotmail.com

Received: 28 February 2025
Accepted: 10 September 2025

Abstract

To examine the effects of seasonal temperature variations on the burrowing behavior of Procambarus clarkii during the coldest months (November and January), studies were conducted under simulated hydrological and shelter conditions − rapid water level reduction (RWLR) and constant water level (CWL), with or without artificial shelters (S or /NS). P. clarkii behavior was monitored with high-definition infrared cameras. The behavioral distribution of P. clarkii varied by treatment. RWLR-NS treatment exhibited higher burrowing activity in November (20.94%) than in January (13.59%), while the total burrow count remained constant (n = 5). RWLR-S treatment showed lower activity (November: 3.90%, January: 5.24%), with burrow counts of 4 and 3. Burrowing activity in CWL-S was negligible, with rates of 0.11% in November and 0.15% in January, corresponding to a single burrow observed in January. In CWL-NS, no burrowing was detected in November, while a slight increase to 0.35% and one burrow was recorded in January. Despite seasonal cooling, temperature exhibited no significant effect on burrowing, highlighting the species' ability to sustain essential survival behaviors (e.g., burrow maintenance) even under winter water level reduction. These findings highlight the remarkable adaptability of P. clarkii, allowing it to persist in fluctuating hydrological conditions despite seasonal temperature variations.