Crayfishes are an extremely important group of freshwater organisms moving nutrient from the benthic zone to the water column. One of their many roles is processing organic matter; taking coarse organic matter and converting it into fine organic matter which is then available to a large suite of detritus-feeding organisms. This organic matter conversion is important in regulating nutrient cycles and availability as well. When consumed by top aquatic predators, crayfish represent movement of benthic-acquired nutrients to the water column. They also have been shown to bioaccumulate mercury in their muscle tissue. Researchers at the GLC have studied the mercury levels in crayfish throughout New England to correlate mercury levels in these important benthic omnivores with mercury levels in other compartments of lakes and rivers.
