(Still) on the hunt for Glenelg Spiny Crayfish!
Oisín and I had the tough task of spending the weekend traversing the Grampians National Park surveying Glenelg Spiny Crayfish as part of our genetics project. We came, we saw and we collected samples from several populations and now have good spatial coverage across the species range to enable assessment of the genetic structure of the species. Additionally, comparison of surveys conducted in 2003-2005 (Kerrylyn Johnston’s PhD) and our sampling suggests that recent environmental events (drought, fire (2006) and flooding (2011)) may have had an impact on crayfish populations, indicating a comprehensive survey of spiny crayfish throughout the Grampians to assess their current status may be warranted.
Stay turned for more updates.
Cheers
Nick