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    Started by Zen Faulkes October 31st, 2011

    Doctor Zen and the Amazon Crayfish

Doctor Zen and the Amazon Crayfish Civilization

Biologists have often ventured out on expeditions of discovery. This #SciFund expedition will go in search of the origins of the mysterious cloning marbled crayfish, which were discovered in the aquariums of fish hobbyists.

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Doctor Zen and the Amazon Crayfish

Marbled crayfish (also known as Marmorkrebs) are a new invasive species released in countries around the world. Like the Amazons of myth, they are all female. This is the only crayfish that reproduces entirely without sex, so one female can breed a new population of invaders. Invasive crayfish have been bad news around the globe: they have endangered native species, affected sport fishing, and hurt rice farming.

Marbled crayfish were found in the pet trade, and their origins are still mysterious. There is no known wild population - only populations where they have been introduced by humans. Their closest relatives are slough crayfish in Florida, which only reproduce sexually (as far as we know!). Many questions about marbled crayfish depend on comparing marbled crayfish to slough crayfish.

This #SciFund project will fund an expedition to collect slough crayfish in the wild. These slough crayfish would bred in the lab for experiments on the origins of asexual reproduction and the potential threat of marbled crayfish as an invasive species. Funds would support travel costs (flights, hotel, shipping) and animal care (aquaria, food).

Follow me on a scientific adventure to track the origins of a mysterious army of invading female clones