Students Studying Crayfish in Arkansas Spring River

University of Arkansas students study crayfish at the Spring River in north Arkansas.

That’s why a team of graduate students led by faculty in the Arkansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit in the Department of Biological Sciences spent the summer studying the Mammoth Spring crayfish in the Ozark Highlands of Arkansas and Missouri.

The Mammoth Spring crayfish is native to the Spring River drainage but is being threatened by the invasive ringed crayfish, which is native to the White River drainage but not native to the Spring River drainage.

The results of the study will provide information on crayfish population dynamics and invasion status for the state agencies and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which are all responsible for managing the freshwater resources in the Ozarks. It will also include a genetic study of the Mammoth Spring crayfish, which will determine whether it is a single species …read more

Source:: AmmoLand