Genetic Diversity in Alaska Red King Crab May Provide Resilience to Climate Change
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By noaa.gov.
New genetic research on the Alaska red king crab reveals previously undiscovered diversity among different regions, suggesting the species is more resilient to climate change and changing ocean conditions.
Maintaining genetic diversity within and among populations is vital to ensure species are resilient to challenging conditions. Without it, a single disease or set of conditions—such as a prolonged change in ocean acidification—could drive a species to extinction. Fortunately, new research has revealed more genetic diversity across Alaska’s red king crab populations than originally documented. This suggests that the species will be more resilient in the face of changing conditions like ocean warming. However, any efforts to enhance red king crab populations need to be careful not to affect this genetic diversity.
King Crab in Alaska
Historically, the red king crab fishery was Alaska’s top shellfish fishery. It’s embedded in the culture of Alaska’s working waterfronts and king crabs have been the centerpiece of holiday feasts around the world. However, the red king crab fishery collapsed in the 1980s. Since 1983, most populations have been depressed statewide and the Gulf of Alaska fishery remains closed.
To dig into this need, Larson and a team of collaborators embarked on a study to generate whole genome sequencing data on red king crab in different locations across Alaska.
read more at noaa.gov.
