Spawning lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens Rafinesque, 1817) and their habitat characteristics in Rainy River, Ontario and Minnesota

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 328-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Smith ◽  
K. E. Smokorowski ◽  
M. Power
Keyword(s):  
Lake Sturgeon ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Acipenser Fulvescens

scholarly journals Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) spawning habitat: a quantitative review

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 925-933 ◽  
Author(s):  
André-Marcel Baril ◽  
John T. Buszkiewicz ◽  
Pascale M. Biron ◽  
Quinton E. Phelps ◽  
James W.A. Grant
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Suitability ◽  
Analytical Techniques ◽  
Lake Sturgeon ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Small Rivers ◽  
Limiting Factor ◽  
Acipenser Fulvescens ◽  
Spawning Habitat ◽  
Quantitative Review ◽  
The Family

The loss of spawning habitat has been identified as a limiting factor to population growth for lake sturgeon, Acipenser fulvescens, the most widely distributed species of the family in North America. While local information exists about lake sturgeon spawning habitat, a synthesis of all available data is needed across its range. Our study used meta-analytical techniques to describe the mean and range of critical spawning habitat characteristics based on data from 48 sites across all major watersheds in which lake sturgeon are found. Data were compiled into univariate habitat suitability indices to describe the spawning niche. Results indicate that peak suitability occurred at depth-averaged velocities of 0.6 m·s−1, depths of 0.55–0.85 m in small rivers (<100 m3·s−1 annual average discharge) and 0.75–5.25 m in large rivers (>100 m3·s−1), over cobble substrates (64–256 mm), and that suitable water temperatures decreased with increasing latitude. This study provides a comprehensive review of critical spawning criteria from which future habitat suitability models can be adapted.

scholarly journals Response in Growth, Scute Development, and Whole-Body Ion Composition of Acipenser fulvescens Reared in Water of Differing Chemistries

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1419
Author(s):  
Janet Genz ◽  
Rachael Hicks
Keyword(s):  
River Water ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Lake Sturgeon ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Acipenser Fulvescens ◽  
Water Type ◽  
Ion Composition ◽  
Ion Concentrations ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Yolk Absorption

In fishes, environmental ion availability can have substantial effects on growth and development. This study examined the development of Lake Sturgeon in response to the varying environmental ion availability that they experience as part of a conservation stocking program. We reared sturgeon in natural water from the Coosa River, which had higher concentrations of Mg2+, Na+, and Zn2+ than standard hatchery conditions, while [Ca2+] at the Warm Springs National Fish Hatchery was 2× higher than in the Coosa River. Eggs were hatched in each water type and the larvae were sampled at time points before and after yolk absorption during the first 8 weeks of development. Total length and weight in WSNFH larvae were significantly higher than larvae in Coosa River water starting at 8 dph, indicating that growth was dependent on the different environmental ion levels. Concentrations of the ions of interest were also determined for whole-body acid digests of the exposed Lake Sturgeon. We found that Lake Sturgeon reared in Coosa River water had significantly higher magnesium and zinc than Lake Sturgeon reared in WSNFH water (p < 0.05), while calcium was significantly higher in WSNFH than Coosa River water. This difference shows that different environmental ion concentrations also impact the overall development of larval Lake Sturgeon.

Seasonal Variation in Plasma Nonesterified Fatty Acids of Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) in the Vicinity of Hydroelectric Facilities

1993 ◽  
Vol 50 (11) ◽  
pp. 2440-2447 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. S. McKinley ◽  
T. D. Singer ◽  
J. S. Ballantyne ◽  
G. Power
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Lake Sturgeon ◽  
Acipenser Fulvescens ◽  
Total Plasma ◽  
Nefa Concentration ◽  
Plasma Nefa ◽  
Nonesterified Fatty Acids ◽  
Plasma Nefa Concentration ◽  
Fatty Acid Species

To establish the effects of hydroelectric generation on the health of lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens), seasonal variations in plasma nonesterified fatty acids (NEFAs) upstream and downstream from hydroelectric stations were measured over a 2-yr period. Plasma NEFA profiles were also compared up- and downstream of the stations for differences in utilization of individual NEFA species as substrates for lipid oxidation. Significantly higher levels of total plasma NEFA were found in lake sturgeon upstream (2355 ± 395.9 nmol/mL) compared with those downstream (798 ± 133.5 nmol/mL) of the generating stations during the spring. The NEFA profiles for several key fatty acid species differed significantly among seasons up- and downstream of the facilities. In particular, during spring and summer, the levels of oleic acid (18:1n9) were highest upstream of the stations and levels of a polyunsaturated fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n3), were higher below rather than above the stations. The differences in plasma NEFA concentration may be attributed to altered nutritional status due to the varying flow regime located downstream of the hydroelectric stations.

Environmental and lunar cues are predictive of the timing of river entry and spawning-site arrival in lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens

2012 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. S. Forsythe ◽  
K. T. Scribner ◽  
J. A. Crossman ◽  
A. Ragavendran ◽  
E. A. Baker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lake Sturgeon ◽  
Acipenser Fulvescens ◽  
Spawning Site

Microsatellite analyses across three diverse vertebrate transcriptomes (Acipenser fulvescens, Ambystoma tigrinum, and Dipodomys spectabilis)

Genome ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 56 (7) ◽  
pp. 407-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacqueline M. Doyle ◽  
Gregor Siegmund ◽  
Joseph D. Ruhl ◽  
Soo Hyung Eo ◽  
Matthew C. Hale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lake Sturgeon ◽  
Untranslated Regions ◽  
Ambystoma Tigrinum ◽  
Acipenser Fulvescens ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Noncoding Dna ◽  
Kangaroo Rats ◽  
Tiger Salamanders ◽  
Dipodomys Spectabilis ◽  
In Silico Polymorphism

Historically, many population genetics studies have utilized microsatellite markers sampled at random from the genome and presumed to be selectively neutral. Recent studies, however, have shown that microsatellites can occur in transcribed regions, where they are more likely to be under selection. In this study, we mined microsatellites from transcriptomes generated by 454-pyrosequencing for three vertebrate species: lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens), tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum), and kangaroo rat (Dipodomys spectabilis). We evaluated (i) the occurrence of microsatellites across species; (ii) whether particular gene ontology terms were over-represented in genes that contained microsatellites; (iii) whether repeat motifs were located in untranslated regions or coding sequences of genes; and (iv) in silico polymorphism. Microsatellites were less common in tiger salamanders than in either lake sturgeon or kangaroo rats. Across libraries, trinucleotides were found more frequently than any other motif type, presumably because they do not cause frameshift mutations. By evaluating variation across reads assembled to a given contig, we were able to identify repeat motifs likely to be polymorphic. Our study represents one of the first comparative data sets on the distribution of vertebrate microsatellites within expressed genes. Our results reinforce the idea that microsatellites do not always occur in noncoding DNA, but commonly occur in expressed genes.

Comparison of lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens), Stizostedion spp., Catostomus spp., Moxostoma spp., quillback (Carpiodes cyprinus), and mooneye (Hiodon tergisus) larval drift in Des Prairies River, Quebec

2001 ◽  
Vol 79 (8) ◽  
pp. 1472-1489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie D'Amours ◽  
Stéphanie Thibodeau ◽  
Réjean Fortin
Keyword(s):  
River System ◽  
Lake Sturgeon ◽  
Acipenser Fulvescens ◽  
Larval Drift ◽  
Power House ◽  
Spawning Areas ◽  
Vertical Variations ◽  
Reverse Situation ◽  
The Right ◽  
St Lawrence River

Several fish species that spawn in lotic habitats have a larval-drift phase which is a major determinant of their reproductive success. The main objective of this study was to compare seasonal, diel, longitudinal, transverse, and vertical variations in rates of lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens), Stizostedion spp., Catostomus spp., Moxostoma spp., quillback (Carpiodes cyprinus), and mooneye (Hiodon tergisus) larval drift in Des Prairies River (DPR) near Montreal (Quebec), which is one of the major lotic spawning habitats of the St. Lawrence River system. Larval sampling was conducted in the spring of 1994 and 1995 for the six taxa, and on a more restricted basis for lake sturgeon in 1996–1998, using drift nets set at several transects, stations, depths, and periods of the day, along a 19 km long section of river beginning ca. 2 km downstream from the DPR power house. For all taxa except lake sturgeon, peak larval drift occurred ca. 1 week earlier in 1995 than in 1994. The sequence was very similar between years, beginning with Stizostedion spp., followed by Catostomus spp., then lake sturgeon, quillback, and mooneye drifting simultaneously, and finally Moxostoma spp. Generally, for all taxa except quillback, whose multimodal drift pattern suggests intermittent, prolonged spawning, larval-drift profiles showed one major seasonal mode, which was observed simultaneously at all transects. For all taxa except quillback, drift rates peaked between 21:00 and 03:00 and were minimal during daylight hours. Lake sturgeon and Stizostedion spp. larval drift rates decreased radically from the most upstream to the most downstream transect, suggesting that both taxa spawn mostly in the vicinity of the DPR power house. More studies are required to explain this longitudinal decline in drift rates, particularly for lake sturgeon. The other taxa showed longitudinal variation in larval drift rates, suggesting that they spawn near the DPR power house and (or) in the Île de Pierre Rapids, ca. 12 km downstream. At all transects, larval drift rates for the six taxa were generally higher in the right half (Montreal) of the river, suggesting that eggs are deposited mostly in this part of the river at the two major spawning areas and that larvae tend to remain in the same general corridors during downstream migration. For all taxa, though to a lesser extent for lake sturgeon, nocturnal drift rates tend to be higher near the surface than at mid-depth and near the bottom, the reverse situation being observed for diurnal drift rates.

Riverine characteristics and adult demography influence female lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) spawning behavior, reproductive success, and ovarian quality

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (7) ◽  
pp. 1147-1160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kari J. Dammerman ◽  
Molly A.H. Webb ◽  
Kim T. Scribner
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Behavioral Plasticity ◽  
Lake Sturgeon ◽  
Operational Sex Ratio ◽  
Plasma Testosterone ◽  
Acipenser Fulvescens ◽  
Reproductive Costs ◽  
Arrival Date ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Yearly Means

Abiotic conditions and demographic factors can influence the timing of spawning. Behavioral plasticity allows females to select spawning conditions that are conducive to offspring development; however, reproductive costs associated with delaying spawning are not well understood. In this study, factors influencing timing of female spawning, residence time (RT), and reproductive success (RS) during two seasons were determined, and plasma testosterone concentrations were used to quantify atretic rates in a wild, lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) population. For the 123 females monitored, RT ranged from 1 to 23 days and was influenced by arrival date, temperature, discharge, and male number, with the latter having the largest influence. RS varied due to arrival date, temperature, discharge, male number, male length, and operational sex ratio. Two females had testosterone levels indicative of atresia and RS estimates lower than yearly means; however, most females had normal ovaries, suggesting little reproductive costs of plasticity in spawning ground residency time. Results demonstrate the multitude of factors influencing female reproductive behavior and RS, highlighting the importance of abiotic and demographic conditions to recruitment in wild populations.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document