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Estimates of age and growth in crustaceans have been historically problematic and presented significant challenges to researchers. Current techniques of age determination provide valuable data, but also suffer from disadvantages. Telomeric DNA has been proposed as an age biomarker because it shortens with age in some species. In this study, the feasibility of using telomere length (TL) to estimate age was examined in the school prawn Metapenaeus macleayi and the spiny lobsters Sagmariasus verreauxi and Jasus edwardsii. Carapace length (CL) was used as a surrogate for age, and terminal restriction fragment assays were used to test the relationship between TL and size. Degradation of telomeric DNA with time during storage significantly influenced TL estimates, particularly for M. macleayi. TLs obtained from species in this study were 10–20 kb. No relationship between CL and TL was detected for any of the test species, and TL did not differ between male and female M. macleayi. TLs of J. edwardsii pueruli were unexpectedly shorter than those of J. edwardsii adults. The suitability of TL as an age biomarker in crustaceans may be limited, but further research is needed to elucidate telomere dynamics in these species with their different life histories and lifespans.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	age biomarker, age estimation, Australia, crustacean, telomere length, TRF
Research Division:	Agricultural, Veterinary and Food Sciences
Research Group:	Fisheries sciences
Research Field:	Fisheries sciences not elsewhere classified
Objective Division:	Animal Production and Animal Primary Products
Objective Group:	Fisheries - wild caught
Objective Field:	Fisheries - wild caught not elsewhere classified
UTAS Author:	Frusher, S (Professor Stewart Frusher)
ID Code:	76044
Year Published:	2011
Web of Science® Times Cited:	7
Deposited By:	Sustainable Marine Research Collaboration
Deposited On:	2012-02-23
Last Modified:	2012-09-12
Downloads:	0