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ONEONTA, N.Y. -- Dr. Thomas Horvath, Associate Professor of
Biology and Director
of the Environmental
Sciences Program at the SUNY College at Oneonta, has received a grant of
$6,910 from the Mid-Atlantic Panel on Aquatic Invasive Species for a project
entitled "Current and projected distribution of the invasive rusty crayfish,
Orconectes rusticus, in the Upper Susquehanna River basin." Horvath will use
the grant to conduct an intensive survey of Delaware and Susquehanna
watersheds to determine the extent and range of the invasive species of
crayfish and the threat that it poses to local ecosystems and native
biodiversity.
According to Dr. Horvath, crayfish are among the most imperiled animals
in fresh waters, with introduced species contributing to declines in
biodiversity. Rusty crayfish can be keystone species in aquatic communities,
and knowledge of their status is important for the management of this
invasive crayfish and other aquatic organisms in the watersheds. A
systematic inventory of crayfish has not been completed in New York State
since 1952.
Horvath plans to collect crayfish from the rivers, tributaries,
public-access lakes, and permanent ponds within the watersheds. He will
record biological and population information as well as general habitat and
characteristics of each site to produce a database with a crayfish species
list, population status, and species-distributions map.
Horvath, who joined the SUNY-Oneonta faculty in 2001, received the
College's 2004 Richard Siegfried Junior Faculty Prize for Academic
Excellence. He holds a doctorate in aquatic biology from the University of
Notre Dame. Before joining the College, he worked as an aquatic ecologist
and statistician with the U.S. Geological Survey.
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