Predator-prey analysis of striped bass and Atlantic menhaden in upper Chesapeake Bay

We applied bioenergetics models for dominant Chesapeake Bay piscivores, striped bass (Morone saxatilis), bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix), and weakfish (Cynoscion regalis), along with site-specific data on diets, growth, and energy density, to examine trophic linkages and the relationship of predatory demand to prey supply. Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus), bay anchovy (Anchoa mitchilli), and spot (Leiostomus xanthurus) accounted for 65–99% of the annual biomass of piscivore diets (excluding age-0 striped bass that ate mostly invertebrates). The diets of young piscivores were dominated by anchovy, but menhaden and spot became increasingly important to older fish. Young (age < 2) striped bass ate mostly benthic prey. Older striped bass fed increasingly on pelagic sources, primarily menhaden, but bluefish and weakfish increased benthic resource use from 10% at age 0 to 50% by age 2. Comparison of consumption (supply) to demand (potential consumption) measured the suitability of Chesapeake Bay for predator production. Bluefish came closest to achieving their demand for prey, suggesting that they are more successful predators than either striped bass or weakfish. Results suggest that Chesapeake Bay may be a better nursery than production area for older fish, and prey supply (not temperature) may account for the movements and use of the estuary by older piscivores.

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Quantitative PCR Assay for Mycobacterium pseudoshottsii and Mycobacterium shottsii and Application to Environmental Samples and Fishes from the Chesapeake Bay

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.01091-10 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 76 (18) ◽

pp. 6171-6179 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

D. T. Gauthier ◽

K. S. Reece ◽

J. Xiao ◽

M. W. Rhodes ◽

H. I. Kator ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chesapeake Bay ◽

Striped Bass ◽

Atlantic Menhaden ◽

Pcr Assay ◽

Brevoortia Tyrannus ◽

High Prevalence ◽

Obligate Pathogen ◽

Bay Anchovy ◽

Very High ◽

Quantitative Pcr Assay

ABSTRACT Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) in the Chesapeake Bay are currently experiencing a very high prevalence of mycobacteriosis associated with newly described Mycobacterium species, Mycobacterium pseudoshottsii and M. shottsii. The ecology of these mycobacteria outside the striped bass host is currently unknown. In this work, we developed quantitative real-time PCR assays for M. pseudoshottsii and M. shottsii and applied these assays to DNA extracts from Chesapeake Bay water and sediment samples, as well as to tissues from two dominant prey of striped bass, Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus) and bay anchovy (Anchoa mitchilli). Mycobacterium pseudoshottsii was found to be ubiquitous in water samples from the main stem of the Chesapeake Bay and was also present in water and sediments from the Rappahannock River, Virginia. M. pseudoshottsii was also detected in menhaden and anchovy tissues. In contrast, M. shottsii was not detected in water, sediment, or prey fish tissues. In conjunction with its nonpigmented phenotype, which is frequently found in obligately pathogenic mycobacteria of humans, this pattern of occurrence suggests that M. shottsii may be an obligate pathogen of striped bass.

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Modeling the Ecological Dynamics of a Three-Species Fish Population in the Chesapeake Bay

10.5642/codee.202114.01.02 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 1-31

Author(s):

Iordanka Panayotova ◽

Maila Hallare

Keyword(s):

Chesapeake Bay ◽

Striped Bass ◽

Fish Population ◽

Atlantic Menhaden ◽

Biological Interactions ◽

Blue Catfish ◽

Predator Species ◽

Theoretical Concepts ◽

Long Time ◽

Simplifying Assumptions

We present an inquiry-based project that is designed for a mathematical modeling class of undergraduate junior or senior students. It discusses a three-species mathematical model that simulates the biological interactions among three important fish species in the Chesapeake Bay: the prey Atlantic menhaden and its two competing predators, the striped bass and the non-native blue catfish. The model also considers the following ecological issues related to these three species: the overfishing of menhaden, the invasiveness of the blue catfish, and the harvesting of blue catfish as a method to control the population. A series of modeling scenarios are considered based on some simplifying assumptions to demonstrate the application of theoretical concepts to actual fisheries in the Chesapeake Bay. Analysis involves elementary skills such as finding the roots of polynomial equations, computing eigenvalues and eigenvectors, and some advanced topics such as Routh-Hurwitz criteria and the Hartman-Grobman Theorem. Numerical simulations via MATLAB are utilized to produce graphical simulations and analyze long-time behaviors. Our model predicts that if no serious measures are taken to prevent the spread of the invasive blue catfish, the native predator species will be seriously affected and may even become extinct. The model also shows that linear harvesting is sufficient to limit the growth of the invasive catfish population; however, it is not sufficient to save the striped bass from becoming extinct. The results of this study illustrate the fundamental ecological principle of competitive exclusion, according to which two competing species that attempt to occupy the same niche in an ecosystem cannot co-exist indefinitely and one of the two populations will either go extinct or will adapt to fill a different niche.

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The culture, zooplankton dynamics and predator-prey interactions of Chesapeake Bay striped bass, Morone saxatilis (Walbaum), in estuarine ponds

Aquaculture Research ◽

10.1111/j.1365-2109.1990.tb00457.x ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 195-212

Author(s):

R. M. HARRELL ◽

J. BUKOWSKI

Keyword(s):

Chesapeake Bay ◽

Striped Bass ◽

Morone Saxatilis ◽

Predator Prey ◽

Zooplankton Dynamics

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Dose-Related Toxicity of Copper and Cadmium in Striped Bass Larvae from the Chesapeake Bay: Field Considerations

Water Science & Technology ◽

10.2166/wst.1988.0187 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 20 (6-7) ◽

pp. 39-48 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

David A. Wright

Keyword(s):

Chesapeake Bay ◽

Striped Bass ◽

Toxic Metal ◽

Published Data ◽

Metal Concentrations ◽

Frequency Distributions ◽

Order Of Magnitude ◽

Toxic Concentrations ◽

And Control ◽

Spawning Tributaries

Copper and cadmium monitoring in Chesapeake Bay sediments indicates that metal contamination exists in nursery areas for striped bass (Moronesaxatilis), which has been in serious decline over the last 17 years. Whole water metal concentrations in one spawning river were within an order of magnitude of published acutely toxic concentrations. Larval striped bass were exposed in the laboratory to copper and cadmium concentrations which were acutely toxic over a 96h period (24 and 19 µg L−1, respectively), and to sub-lethal concentrations of these metals over a three week period. Larvae from acutely toxic metal treatments, sub-lethal metal concentrations and control tanks were analyzed for cadmium and copper and the frequency distribution of metal body burdens was compared with field data. The distribution of copper concentrations in laboratory-exposed larvae was completely within the range of field specimens, and there was considerable overlap in cadmium frequency distributions from laboratory and field larvae. These results together with other published data suggest that environmental metal concentrations in some spawning tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay may pose a threat to striped bass, and the suggestion is made that greater efforts should be made to link laboratory and field toxicological data.

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