Study On Feeding Habit, Growth And Burrowing Behavior Of Procambarus Clarkii

This experiment studied the feeding habit and the growth of Procambarus clarkia, whose samples were collected month by month from 2003.3 to 2004.2 in Huangjin Lake of Caidian, Wuhan; and studied the burrowing behavior by anniversary observation in two cement ponds and a soil pond. The primary results can be described in the following respects as:1 Feeding habit Procambarus clarkia (body length were 3.0cm～10.6cm and weight were 1.6g～80.3g) mainly feed on macro-aquatic plant including P. malaianus, H.verticillata et al, whose occurrence rate was 100% and weight percent was 85.6%; Secondly, it can feed on humus of organism, whose occurrence rate was 100% and weight percent was 10.0%; Thirdly, it can also feed on a little Filamentous alage, Floating algae, Zoonplankton, Oligochaeta, Tendipes, Procambarus clarkii et al, whose occurrence rate was less than 10%,and weight percent was only 5.4%. Food category varied with body length. Although all size of Procambarus clarkia mainly feed on Macro-aquatic plants in a whole year, the ones in small and moderate size feed on more invertebrates than the ones in large size. The food diversity index reduced along with the increase of body length: the food richness indexes of P. clarkia (body length were 3.0cm～5.0cm) were 1.48-1.56; the food richness indexes of P. clarkia (body length were 5.0cm～8.0cm) were 1.11-1.15; the food richness indexes of P. clarkia (body length were 8.0cm～10.6cm) were0.38-0.80. The food richness index was the highest in autumn (1.49), the following were in spring and in summer (1.27 and 1.11), and the lowest appeared in winter (0.88). Index of diet overlap was the lowest (0.39) between small ones (body length were 3.0cm～5.0cm) and large ones (body length were 8.0cm～10.6cm), the hightest index was between middling ones (body length was 5.0cm～8.0cm) and large ones (0.73), and the moderate index was between small ones and large ones (0.61). The feeding species didn't show evident seasonal characteristic, but feeding intensity showed evident seasonal characteristic. The feeding intensiy was highest in spring and in summer. The feeding rates of them were all 100%, and the percent of stomach that reached above CramingIII was 83% and 87% respectively. The feeding rate in autumn was 93%, and the percent of stomach that reached above CramingIII was 62%. The feeding intensity in winter was the lowest, and its feeing rate was 93%, and the percent of stomach that reached above CramingIII was 62%.2 Growth The population of Procambarus clarkia was composed of four ages individuals. The age configuration of female were: the body length of one year shrimps were 3.0cm～5.9cm, average body length was 3.9cm, the occurrence percent was 30.30%; the body length of two years shrimps were 6.0cm～8.4cm, average body length was 6.4cm, the occurrence percent was 55.41%; the body length of three years shrimps were 8.5cm～9.4cm, average body length was 8.3cm, the occurrence percent was 10.82%; the body length of four years shrimps were 9.5cm～10.6cm, average body length was 9.8cm, the occurrence percent was 30.30%. The age configuration of male were: the body length...