Life History, Ecology, and Interactions of Everglades Crayfishes in Response to Hydrological Restoration

This study provided the first database of the relative abundance, life histories, ecology, and standing stocks of the two crayfish species in several habitat types from south Florida. The empirical data are the first available for the two species that inhabit southern Florida, making them scientifically valuable. We have used a retrospective analysis of archived samples to show that P. fallax and P. alleni distributions and abundances are dynamically related to the hydrological conditions of an area. This fact makes crayfish distribution a good predictor for use in the restoration, and will be used as a performance measure.