Perca fluviatilis in Australia: Zoogeographic Expression of a Life Cycle in Relation to an Environment
Perca fluviatilis was introduced into Australia during the nineteenth century. Its extensive distribution in Australia and the range of climatic and topographic conditions over which it occurs make it possible to distinguish the roles of high temperature, breeding conditions, and flow characteristics in rivers in limiting the spread of the species. By extrapolation the distributional limits of the species throughout the world can be largely explained and, by analogy, those of the closely related species P. flavescens in North America. A model of a fish life cycle arising out of knowledge of Perca life cycles is presented as a possible tool for clarifying and predicting the success or failure of species introduced into new environments. Key words: Percidae, Perca, zoogeography, life history, introduction in Australia, predictive model, management, Eurasian perch