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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

Astacopsis gouldi, population genetic analysis, crayfish, conservation

College

Life Sciences

Department

Biology

Abstract

Astacopsis gouldi has been known to weigh up to 6 kg, and live for as long as 60 years (Horwitz and Hamr, 1988). However, fishing pressure, as well as habitat destruction and pollution have had detrimental effects on A. gouldi populations. The populations of the species in accessible rivers have declined, as have the number of males reaching sexual maturity. These factors led to the placement of A. gouldi on the endangered species list in 1996 (IUCN, 1996). Conservationists are considering the relocation of crayfish from populations in more remote rivers and streams where the decline in numbers has been less severe, to streams where the population has been all but wiped out. Two major concerns with this process are whether or not transplanting animals from one population to another would disrupt the genetic structure and associated evolutionary processes, and whether or not non-adapted varieties would be relocated. A gouldi is found in independent river systems throughout northern Tasmania with the exception of the Tamar River system, which is located in the center of northern Tasmania (Horwitz, 1991). This has resulted in a split distribution of the species. The independence of the river systems and the split distribution has led us to investigate the following questions:

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