Midwest prairie management practices benefit the non-target prairie crayfish

Abstract

Background: Prescribed burning is used to duplicate natural, pre-settlement prairie successional processes. It is an essential and commonly used tool to promote and protect biodiversity and enhance ecosystem function in tallgrass prairie remnants throughout the midwestern United States. The responses to prescribed burns vary widely among faunal groups. We conducted the first study into the response of the prairie crayfish (Procambarus gracilis Bundy) to periodic prescribed burns and other management activities in a tallgrass prairie in Northern Missouri. This species relies on natural and restored prairies across its broad distribution, but little is known on how to actively manage these populations. Results: We found that the density of the prairie crayfish burrows did not vary in response to the burn regime; however, other management activities like the installation of artificial ponds for amphibians and reptiles were directly benefitting this species. Observations indicate that prairie crayfish may also show positive associations with warm-season grass stands and vegetation management should be further explored. Conclusions: The current prairie management practices for vegetation, quail, and herpetofauna are having beneficial or neutral effects on non-target taxa like the prairie crayfish. The value of crayfish and their burrows in prairies is well-established. Conservation biologists should continue to examine how burrowing crayfish are responding to management practices for other taxa to explicitly manage and promote these populations.