See the physical differences between mudfish species? Top: Brown mudfish (Neochanna apoda) Credit: S.C. Moore. Bottom: Canterbury mudfish (Neochanna burrowsius) Credit: R.M. McDowall

Kia ora tamariki of @tuahiwi.bsky.social 👋How do species form? When a popn splits ↔️& evolves apart, eventually they will be 2 different spp 🐴🦄 It's why ppl are different to chimps! But sometimes it's hard to tell if 2 groups are different spp 🤔 #Kōwaro look & behave uniquely, so def their own spp!

See the physical differences between mudfish species? Top: Brown mudfish (Neochanna apoda) Credit: S.C. Moore. Bottom: Canterbury mudfish (Neochanna burrowsius) Credit: R.M. McDowall

Kia ora #TeKōhakaoTūhaitaraTrust ⛰️how do we decide what spp a popn is? 🤔 different spp concepts exist, and the lines between spp can be blurry 🤷‍♂️ This can have huge impilcations for conservation efforts, esp for #TaongaSpecies. Luckily 🍀 sometimes it's clear: #Kōwaro are unique among NZ mudfish spp

2.1: Species Concepts Quantifying species diversity requires developing a definition of a species. We would not expect all members of a species to be identical, so we must consider what magnitude and types of differences …

Tēnā koutou @docgovtnz.bsky.social 👋 Conservation policy uses the Bio Spp Concept (info: bit.ly/44AUCLN) BUT 🚨 it's oftn a grey area 🤔 & a popns spp impacts funding & action. Flexibility is needed for protecting many #TaongaSpecies. However, #Kōwaro are B&W as they're v diffrnt from other mudfish 🐟

See the physical differences between mudfish species? Top: Brown mudfish (Neochanna apoda) Credit: S.C. Moore. Bottom: Canterbury mudfish (Neochanna burrowsius) Credit: R.M. McDowall

Kia ora #TeNgāiTūāhuririRūnanga 👋What's a species? We don't always know 🤔 spp form if a popn splits & evos solo 🧬 but exctly when is debated. Bcause of this, conservation 💲 for #TaongaSpecies can rely on understanding their whakapapa. #Kōwaro look/live diffrntly frm hauhau/waikaka, so no confusion 😆

Kōwaro cupped in a person's hands. Source: https://www.ecan.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/Biodiversity-and-biosecurity/Canterbury-Mudfish/Ecan-Spark-Story-Mudfish.jpg

Kia ora tamariki of @tuahiwi.bsky.social Different species can have babies together, like the liger 🐯 which has a lion dad & a tiger mum! These are #Hybrids. Making hybrids in NZ natives is stopped🚫 to preserve nature. #Kōwaro don't make hybrids w other🐟 bc they don't live togther, so no worries 👍

Life will find a way We cull hybrids. We steal their eggs, and break up inter-species breeding pairs, all in the name of genetic integrity. Protecting the mauri. We created this tangle by bringing in exotic species. Can w...

Kia ora #TeNgāiTūāhuririRūnanga🌱 When #TaongaSpecies mate w other spp, 🧬 hybrid offspring are often culled ☢️ But the conservation value of hybrids is in debate: bit.ly/3Yr5uYM. #Kōwaro living seperately to other mudfish spp = no hybrids. So the focus is on maintaining existing 🧬 diversity. Ngā mihi

A map showing the different distributions of the New Zealand Neochanna species (credit: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/Neochanna_map.jpg)

Tēnā koutou @docgovtnz.bsky.social 👋 discourse abt the conservation value/harm of hybrid 🧬 species is evolving fast. More info: bit.ly/3Yr5uYM. For #TaongaSpecies hybrid = bad is no longer the full picture 🖼️ #kōwaro habitats don't overlap w other mudfish so they avoid the debate for now 😅 Ngā mihi

A close-up image of the face of a kōwaro. Image Credit: Yvette Kortright

Kia ora tamariki of @tuahiwi.bsky.social 👋 We want to help our lil #Kōwaro 🐟 friends start new groups in new places. We can move some fish to new areas 🗺️ but we must be careful 🚨each group has their own genetics 🧬 & if we mix them wrong then they might lose their special abilities!

Image of a kōwaro on river stones. Source:https://www.doc.govt.nz/thumbs/hero/contentassets/e12b5374a6eb4a1b8c0f7fdcdd7c5e21/canterbury-mudfish-1600.jpg

Kia ora #TeKōhakaoTūhaitaraTrust 👋 Founding new popn of #kōwaro is important conservation work that supports this #TaongaSpecies 🐟 But we need to preserve the genetic adaptations that help them survive different envmts ⛰️ by being careful not to mix genetically 🧬 different popn! Ngā mihi

Kōwaro is a container, collected during conservation work. Source: Colin Meurk, some rights reserved (CC-BY-SA)

Tena koutou @docgovtnz.bsky.social👋 Translocations of #Kōwaro for founding new popns can secure 🔒 this #TaongaSpecies' future 🌈 But source popn should be picked carefully; by mixing genepools 🧬 kōwaro can lose beneficial traits that adapt them to their local envimt ⛰️ reducing survival! Ngā mihi

A kōwaro sat on a person's palm. https://dxcprod.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/images/nature/native-animals/freshwater-fish/mudfish/canterbury-mudfish-hand-1200.jpg

Kia ora tamariki of @tuahiwi.bsky.social 👋 These friendly lil #Kōwaro 🐟are a #TaongaSpecies that live in tiny groups, far from each other. Each group has their own special genetics 🧬. Saving these groups' genes keeps the species strong 💪 So let's help these little guys out wherever we find them!

A kōwaro sitting on the palm of someone's hand. https://dxcprod.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/images/nature/native-animals/freshwater-fish/mudfish/canterbury-mudfish-hand-1200.jpg

Kia ora #TeKōhakaoTūhaitaraTrust 👋 Preserving the genetic 🧬diversity of 🐟 #Kōwaro is essential to the long-term persistance of this #TaongaSpecies. Each small popn is a precious source of 🧬 variation! Maintaining this variation gives kōwaro the best chance of 🌈thriving in the future! mihi!

Two conservation workers collecting kōwaro in a stream. https://www.ecan.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/News-and-events/News-stories/2024/April/Mudfish-low-levels-Selwyn.jpg

Tena koutou @docgovtnz.bsky.social 🐟 #kōwaro have low genetic 🧬 diversity. When we lose a popn we also lose their unique genes. Preserving what 🧬remains is essential for saving this #taonga species. That's why every small, isolated kōwaro popn is an important conservation unit ! Nga mihi nui!

image of a kōwaro Canterbury Mudfish. https://www.ecan.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/News-and-events/News-stories/2023/September/Mudfish.jpg

Kia Ora #TeNgāiTūāhuririRūnanga 👋 small popn of taonga species like #Kōwaro 🐟 can lose genetic🧬diversity over time, putting them at risk of extinction! If we save every kōwaro popn, no matter how small, 🧬 are preserved. Every action helps! Let's increase the kaha 💪of our taonga species! #kiatikanga

This image from #GothenBurgUniversity briefly illustrates how keeping diversity high can aid the survival of a species! This shows us the importance of promoting genetic diversity within populations of our native #Taonga species!

Kia ora #TeKōhakaoTūhaitaraTrust! Conserving genetic diversity in #Kōwaro is a must, especially in small popns! This can be achieved by identifying lineages and establishing pedigrees to 🚫inbreeding. Doing this allows the popns to better adapt to future challenges they may face in #conservation.

Image provided to the public domain by #GothenburgUniversity illustrating how maintaining genetic diversity gives populations of species a greater chance of survival. Additionally not mentioned here is that #Genomemodels help reduce inbreeding within smaller populations by establishing pedigrees, helping ensure diversity is maintained long term!

Kia ora @docgovtnz.bsky.social! Using #Genomemodels can help ensure our popns of #Kōwaro remain healthy and persist long term through minimising genetic diversity loss by informing conservation actions in general and following events like bottlenecks. This ensure #Kōwaro can respond to change!