• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.340-347
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• 2019

The red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkia) originated from the North America distribute widely as invasive species throughout the world including Europe, Asia, Africa, North America and South America. The red swamp crayfish is also an invasive species in South Korea. We aimed to characterize the occurrence and distribution pattern of the red swamp crayfish, and evaluate the potential distribution of this species in South Korea. In South Korea, the red swamp crayfish was firstly reported in Seoul in 1996, and recently its occurrence is frequently reported at streams or reservoirs at different regions, showing the expansion of its distribution area. The red swamp crayfish has high potential to occur in the nationwide scale in South Korea because of their biological adaptation, effects of climate change, changes of their habitat condition, and various types of human activities. Finally, our results revealed the necessary to conduct an extensive field survey, to keep up a monitoring program for the occurrence of alien species, and to implement a strategy to prevent the dispersal of alien species in the natural ecosystems.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.333-339
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• 2019

The Red swamp crawfish Procambarus clarkii is native to the southern United States and inhibits all over the world including the United States, Asia, Africa and Europe. In Europe, it is known to disrupt ecosystems such as competition with native crayfish. In this study, habitats of red swamp crawfish were identified in Jiseok stream (15.5 km section) and Daecho stream (6.1 km section) of Youngsan river. A total 33 red swamp crawfish were captured. A female captured in Jiseok stream carried 215 newly hatched red swamp crawfish in her the burrow. As a result of the analysis of the habitat environment, the water temperature was ranged of 2.4~32.8℃, conductivity was 53.4~502.3 μS cm^-1 and DO was 0.74~22.64 mg L^-1. As a result of measuring HOBO, the temperature ranged from -9~48.1℃, showing a change of 57.1℃ throughout the year. The variation of the water temperature throughout the year from 2.9~33.9℃ was found to be 31℃. Red swamp crawfish have a high adaptability and a wide range of environmental resistance, and report a sharp increase in newly invaded areas, negatively affecting indigenous organisms. In addition, it can be used as a medium for the spread of diseases and parasites, so prompt investigation and research should be carried out.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.325-334
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• 2023

The invasive red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii, is native to south-central United States and northeastern Mexico. Recently, it has been being spreading in the wild in South Korea. However, its primary sources, introduction routes, establishment, and expansion in South Korea remain unclear. Here, we analyzed genetic diversity and population genetic structures of its domestic natural populations during early invasion, commercial stock from local aquaria (a suspected introduction source), and original United States population using mitochondrial COI gene sequences for 267 individuals and eight microsatellite markers for 158 individuals. Natural and commercial populations of P. clarkii showed reduced genetic diversity (e.g., haplotype diversity and allelic richness). The highest genetic diversity was observed in one original source population based on both genetic markers. Despite a large number of individuals in commercial aquaria, we detected remarkably low genetic diversity and only three haplotypes among 226 individuals, suggesting an inbred population likely originating from a small founder group. Additionally, the low genetic diversity in the natural population indicates a small effective population size during early establishment of P. clarkii in South Korea. Interestingly, genetic differentiation between natural populations and the United States population was lower than that between natural populations and aquarium populations. This suggests that various genetic types from the United States likely have entered different domestic aquariums, leading to distinct natural populations through separate pathways. Results of our study will provide an insight on the level of genetic divergence and population differentiation during the initial stage of invasion of non-indigenous species into new environments.