Invasive Crayfish & Fish

Analise Nash

Analise investigated the effects of chemical cues on invasive crayfish behavior. The invasive crayfish negatively impact the streams in the Santa Monica Mountains, as they eat native species such as the California newt, changing the ecosystem. In particular, Analise looked at how crayfish aggression changed when in the presence of two different chemical cues. The chemical cues were from invasive mosquitofish and native Hyre frogs. The choice in chemical cues was interesting because there is not much known about how other invasive species impact crayfish behavior. This was of interest to Analise because of her passion in conservation, as knowing more about how invasive and native species impact crayfish aggression could help us better understand how to address crayfish from a conservation perspective.