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https://theconversation.com/it-may-not-be-cute-but-heres-why-the-humble-yabby-deserves-your-love-175910>
"For children growing up in rural areas, going “yabbying” in farm dams is a
rite of passage. The common yabby (
Cherax destructor) is the most widely
distributed Australian crayfish, inhabiting rivers and wetlands across
southeast Australia.
And although the humble yabby is not as cute and cuddly as some better-known
Australian icons, from an ecosystem perspective, we argue they may be more
important.
Yabbies are a staple food for platypus, many waterbird species, and fish such
as Murray cod and golden perch. And yabbies’ diet is largely made up of algae,
detritus (dead organic material) and small animals. This means they link energy
from the very bottom of the food chain to apex predators at the top.
And yet, little is known how their diets influence their growth and alter their
quality as a food source. Our recent research starts to fill this critical gap.
We found yabbies in wetlands are better food source for fish than those in
rivers, because wetland yabbies eat more foods rich in high-quality fatty
acids. While more research is needed, these results show how higher quality
yabby diets can increase the total biomass of predators, such as Murray cod,
that riverine ecosystems can support."
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
