Data from: Influence of warming on the functional responses of invasive omnivores, Procambarus crayfishes

The red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) and the marbled crayfish
(Procambarus virginalis) are congeneric invasive species whose potential
impacts in the Great Lakes basin have generated concern. In laboratory
experiments, we tested the functional responses of these omnivores to two
common food resources, insect larvae (Chironomus bloodworms) and aquatic
macrophytes (Eurasian milfoil Myriophyllum spicatum), to gain predictive
information on their per capita effects under present (18°C) and projected
future (26°C) climate scenarios for the basin. The maximum feeding rate of
P. virginalis was higher at 18°C than at 26°C when presented with
bloodworms but did not differ between temperatures when presented with
macrophytes. By contrast, the feeding rate of P. clarkii did not change
with temperature for either food resource. Due to their larger mean size,
P. clarkii exhibited higher rates of resource (bloodworm and macrophyte)
consumption than P. virginalis at both temperatures. These results suggest
that trophic impacts of P. virginalis will dampen with increased warming,
whereas P. clarkii will sustain larger impacts irrespective of temperature
within the range tested.