Yellow Perch Piscivory and Its Possible Role in Structuring Littoral Zone Fish Communities in Small Minnesota Lakes

We assessed species richness, biomass, and community type of littoral fish in 10 southern Quebec lakes in relation to several limnological and prey resource variables. Lake, yearly, and seasonal variation in biomass was evaluated by quantitative, replicated seining. Species richness averaged 12.8 in our lakes, and 24 species were collected overall. Total littoral fish biomass averaged 13.5 g∙m−2 overall and varied significantly among lakes (range 6.1–26.9 g∙m−2) and between early and late summer. Yellow perch (Perca flavescens), golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas), and pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) occurred in all lakes and were the most abundant species overall, averaging 57% of the total fish biomass. Principal component ordination of littoral fish communities showed little evidence for aggregation of community types. Species richness was positively correlated with lake surface area (r2 = 0.62), as has been shown in other studies. Total fish biomass was positively correlated with biomass of chironomids (r2 = 0.57), which constituted 24% of the littoral invertebrate biomass in our lakes and are important prey of many fish species. We found no significant correlation between total fish biomass and total invertebrate biomass or between biomass of any of the dominant fish species and limnological or prey variables.

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Convergence of fish communities from the littoral zone of reservoirs

Freshwater Biology ◽

10.1111/j.1365-2427.2008.02162.x ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 54 (6) ◽

pp. 1163-1177 ◽

Cited By ~ 38

Author(s):

KEITH B. GIDO ◽

JACOB F. SCHAEFER ◽

JEFFREY A. FALKE

Keyword(s):

Littoral Zone ◽

Fish Communities

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Life Histories and Inter-Relationships of Walleye and Yellow Perch, Especially during their First Summer, in Two Minnesota Lakes

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society ◽

10.1577/1548-8659(1955)85[191:lhaiow]2.0.co;2 ◽

1957 ◽

Vol 85 (1) ◽

pp. 191-202 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

J. E. Maloney ◽

F. H. Johnson

Keyword(s):

Life Histories ◽

Yellow Perch ◽

Minnesota Lakes

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Relationships between Littoral Zone Macrophytes and the Fish Community in Four Urban Minnesota Lakes

Journal of Freshwater Ecology ◽

10.1080/02705060.2005.9664785 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

pp. 635-640 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Jeremy G. Slade ◽

Eric D. Dibble ◽

Peter C. Smiley

Keyword(s):

Littoral Zone ◽

Fish Community ◽

Minnesota Lakes

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“Optimal” P loading in large lakes affects fish communities: Do you prefer walleye or yellow perch?

SIL Proceedings 1922-2010 ◽

10.1080/03680770.2009.11902303 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 30 (7) ◽

pp. 1070-1072

Author(s):

David A. Culver ◽

Joseph D. Conroy ◽

Jeffrey T. Tyson ◽

Valerie C. Crane ◽

Hongyan Zhang

Keyword(s):

Yellow Perch ◽

Fish Communities ◽

Large Lakes

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Assessing the Interdependence of Assemblages from Rainy Lake Fisheries Data

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f93-045 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 50 (2) ◽

pp. 402-409 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Yosef Cohen ◽

Paul Radomski ◽

Ron Moen

Keyword(s):

Species Diversity ◽

Species Interactions ◽

Yellow Perch ◽

Function Analysis ◽

Fish Communities ◽

Role Reversal ◽

Population Fluctuations ◽

Catch Per Unit Effort ◽

Large Lakes ◽

The North

We applied ad hoc methods to quantify differences among fish communities in four different locations in Rainy Lake using data from index netting from long-term studies. Our analysis addressed problems of inconsistencies in data collection. We established the amount of differences and similarities among the communities by analyzing species diversity over time, utilizing matrices of partial correlations and discriminant function analysis. We also identified role reversal, i.e. synchronization in fluctuations of relative catch-per-unit-effort (CUE) between pairs of species in these communities. In the less disturbed communities, walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) contributed most to the synchronization in the fluctuations of the yearly relative CUE among six common species. In the more disturbed locations, this contribution was primarily due to yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and sauger (Stizostedion canadense). The disturbed community in one location (the North Arm) exhibited marked decrease in species diversity. Recent restrictions on the fisheries in the North Arm resulted in an increase in species diversity. Fish communities, particularly in large lakes, may differ in the detail of species interactions and population fluctuations among locations within the lake. These differences must be taken into account in analysis and management of fisheries.

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Branching complexity and morphological characteristics of coarse woody structure as lacustrine fish habitat

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f05-125 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 62 (9) ◽

pp. 2110-2123 ◽

Cited By ~ 38

Author(s):

Michael G Newbrey ◽

Michael A Bozek ◽

Martin J Jennings ◽

James E Cook

Keyword(s):

Littoral Zone ◽

Yellow Perch ◽

Fish Habitat ◽

Lepomis Macrochirus ◽

Perca Flavescens ◽

Morphological Characteristics ◽

Smallmouth Bass ◽

Micropterus Dolomieu ◽

Rock Bass ◽

Ambloplites Rupestris

The objective of this study was to quantify the physical characteristics of coarse woody structure (CWS) as fish habitat in a north temperate lake. Sixteen species of fish were observed in submerged CWS habitat. Branching complexity, distance above the bole, area below the bole, distance to other CWS, and water depth around CWS were significantly related to abundance of schooling cyprinids (Cyprinidae), rock bass (Ambloplites rupestris), smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), yellow perch (Perca flavescens), and walleye (Sander vitreus). Branching complexity was the most common characteristic of CWS related to richness, diversity, and total adult abundance of fish taxa, but was not correlated with the total lengths of fish found in submerged trees. Branching-complexity values ranged from 1 (simple) to 500 (moderately complex) in the littoral zone; for comparison, a living riparian conifer had a branching-complexity value of over 1000. Most CWS in the littoral zone was composed of simple trees without branching, but fish tended to inhabit CWS with branching-complexity values greater than 45. This study shows the importance of CWS with fine branching as littoral-zone fish habitat.

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