Food Conditioning and Prey Selection by Young Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens)

1987 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 549-555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward L. Mills ◽  
Daniel V. Widzowski ◽  
Suzanne R. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Daphnia Pulex ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Diet Breadth ◽  
Species Selection ◽  
Test Mixture ◽  
Food Conditioning

We tested how diet conditioning influences prey species selection by age-0 yellow perch (Perca flavescens) in laboratory experiments. We conditioned yellow perch to diets of different ratios of Daphnia pulex and Diaptomus sicilis and then offered them an experimental 1:1 test mixture of each prey. The influence of conditioning on prey selection was found not to be random, and prey were consumed neither in proportion to the 1:1 test mix nor to the ratio of prey in the conditioning diet. Young yellow perch switched to novel prey and did not specialize on the most frequently encountered prey in conditioning diets. However, when yellow perch were conditioned and tested on the 1:1 Diaptomus to Daphnia mix, these fish selected Diaptomus until they reached 35–40 mm total length when they switched to the larger bodied Daphnia. We hypothesize that young yellow perch may switch to novel prey because nutritional advantages associated with diet breadth may outweigh the advantage of feeding on familiar prey.

Influence of Prey Type on Growth of Young Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens)

1987 ◽  
Vol 44 (11) ◽  
pp. 2028-2033 ◽  
Author(s):  
John L. Confer ◽  
Gary J. Lake
Keyword(s):  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Prey Type ◽  
Equal Mass ◽  
Fish Growth ◽  
Oneida Lake ◽  
Species Mixture ◽  
Diet Type

Growth of age 0 + yellow perch (Perca flavescens) fed different zooplankton diets was examined in the laboratory during June and July 1983. Fish were fed an equal mass of diet types that varied with respect to prey species, mean length of the same prey species, and species mixture. Fish consumed all prey within 4 h of feeding. In four trials the ranking of diet type by fish growth was always Diaptomus sicilis > Oneida Lake tow sample > Daphnia spp. Differences in fish growth frequently varied by 50–300%. These differences suggest that nutritional processes, such as digestion or assimilation, will influence the optimal prey selection for, at least, small zooplanktivorous fish.

scholarly journals Match–Mismatch Regulation for Bluegill and Yellow Perch Larvae and Their Prey in Sandhill Lakes

2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 73-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey C. Jolley ◽  
David W. Willis ◽  
Richard S. Holland
Keyword(s):  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Larval Fish ◽  
Lepomis Macrochirus ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Zooplankton Abundance ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Fish Recruitment ◽  
Newly Hatched Larvae

Abstract Food availability may regulate fish recruitment, both directly and indirectly. The availability of zooplankton, especially to newly hatched larvae, is thought to be crucial to their early growth and survival. We examined stomach contents of larval bluegill Lepomis macrochirus and yellow perch Perca flavescens in Pelican Lake and Cameron Lake, Nebraska, in 2004 and 2005. We also determined zooplankton availability and calculated prey selection using Chesson's α. In addition, we investigated potential match–mismatch regulation of recruitment from 2004 to 2008. Bluegill positively selected copepod nauplii and Bosmina spp., and yellow perch often selected copepods. Abundant zooplankton populations were available for consumption. Matches of both larval bluegill and yellow perch abundance to zooplankton abundance were detected in all years; exact matches were common. Mismatches in predator and prey production were not observed. Predation by age-0 yellow perch on age-0 bluegill was not observed, even though yellow perch hatched 2 mo prior to bluegill. Given that zooplankton were abundant and well-timed to larval fish relative abundance over the time span of this study, the match–mismatch hypothesis alone may not fully account for observed recruitment variability in these populations. Environmental conditions may also affect recruitment and warrant further investigation.

Ontogenetic Changes in Prey Selection and Visual Acuity of the Yellow Perch, Perca flavescens

1993 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 743-749 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina M. Wahl ◽  
Edward L. Mills ◽  
William N. McFarland ◽  
Joseph S. DeGisi
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Visual Acuity ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Larval Fish ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Ontogenetic Changes ◽  
Oneida Lake ◽  
Visual Improvement ◽  
Newly Hatched Larvae

Age-0 yellow perch, Perca flavescens, shift from pelagic to demersal waters of Oneida Lake, New York, between late June to mid-July, when they reach standard lengths of 24–31 mm. The timing of this habitat shift coincides with the size range over which yellow perch achieve a degree of visual resolution that nearly equals that of adult yellow perch, from 174 min of arc in newly hatched larvae to 9–12 min in adults. This visual improvement is reflected in the yellow perch's diet, which consists of an increasingly wider range of prey sizes and types. If twin cones are counted as functionally separate photoreceptors, there is a significant improvement of the calculated visual acuity in larval fish with lenses < 1 mm in diameter but not in older fish with larger lenses. During its rapid growth phase the most optimistic calculation of visual acuity in a young yellow perch is insufficient to explain the feeding success necessary at this time. We suggest therefore that young yellow perch spend more time in search of prey than their adult counterparts.

Influence of Prey Abundance on Species and Size Selection by Young Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens)

1990 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 882-887 ◽  
Author(s):  
John L. Confer ◽  
Edward L. Mills ◽  
Linda O'Bryan
Keyword(s):  
Nutritional Quality ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
General Pattern ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Growth Efficiency ◽  
Oneida Lake ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Zooplankton Prey

Prey selection by young yellow perch (Perca flavescens) (22–62 mm TL) was measured during 11 experiments over two summers, 1982–83. For each experiment fish were offered different densities of the same mixture of zooplankton from Oneida Lake, NY. As density of prey increased, several measures of selectivity for Daphnia either remained unchanged or declined, while all measures of selectivity for calanoids and cyclopoids increased. At all densities small to mid-sized Daphnia were preferred to large Daphnia. Reanalyses of other studies suggests this may be the general pattern for young planktivores, despite the contrary predictions of several models of prey selection. For young planktivores, differences in the nutritional quality of zooplankton prey, including resultant growth efficiency and speed of digestion, can account for these results.

Mysid predation on amphipods and Daphnia in a shallow coastal lake: prey selection and effects of macrophytes

2002 ◽  
Vol 59 (12) ◽  
pp. 1901-1907 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank M Wilhelm ◽  
Juliane Hamann ◽  
Carolyn W Burns
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Elodea Canadensis ◽  
Aquatic Systems ◽  
Coastal Lake ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Size Preference ◽  
Paracalliope Fluviatilis

Interactions between mysids and invertebrates other than pelagic zooplankton have not been well studied. We tested the hypothesis that the mysid Tenagomysis chiltoni preys on the co-occurring amphipod Paracalliope fluviatilis in laboratory experiments. In prey size preference experiments with single prey species, male and female T. chiltoni consumed more small than large amphipods in the absence of the macrophyte Elodea canadensis, but were not selective when macrophytes were present. When offered small and large Daphnia, T. chiltoni males consumed more small than large Daphnia, whereas female T. chiltoni did not show any preference. When amphipods and Daphnia of similar size were presented together, male T. chiltoni strongly selected Daphnia in the presence and absence of E. canadensis, whereas female mysids did so only in the presence of macrophytes. The total number of prey consumed by each sex did not differ between macrophyte treatments. However, female T. chiltoni, which are larger than males, consumed more prey than males. These data suggest that mysids may be an important source of mortality to the amphipod P. fluviatilis. Mysids may also prey on amphipods in other aquatic systems where they co-occur.

Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha), habitat alteration, and yellow perch (Perca flavescens) foraging: system-wide effects and behavioural mechanisms

2001 ◽  
Vol 58 (12) ◽  
pp. 2459-2467 ◽  
Author(s):  
C M Mayer ◽  
L G Rudstam ◽  
E L Mills ◽  
S G Cardiff ◽  
C A Bloom
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Structural Complexity ◽  
Light Level ◽  
Zebra Mussels ◽  
Species Introduction ◽  
Abiotic Interactions

The aggregate impact of an exotic species introduction, such as the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha), may involve a large number of biotic and abiotic interactions within the recipient ecosystem. We used laboratory experiments and field data to assess effects of zebra mussels on both foraging success of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and activity of the amphipod Gammarus fasciatus. In two laboratory experiments zebra mussel clusters reduced the rate at which yellow perch captured amphipods. Yellow perch captured fewer amphipods when zebra mussels were present at two light levels (<2.1 and >214 lx) and across a range of prey densities (76–1500 amphipods·m–2). The effect of zebra mussels on amphipod activity depended on light level. Yellow perch captured fewer amphipods in the presence of mussel clusters than when plants were present. The frequency of amphipods in the diets of adult yellow perch in Oneida Lake increased after zebra mussel introduction, but the increase was greater in low mussel density habitats. Our laboratory results and field observations suggest that zebra mussels affect yellow perch foraging on amphipods through increased structural complexity (negative) and increased light penetration ( positive), but not through increased prey density.

Prey Selection by naticid gastropods: experimental tests and application to the fossil record

Paleobiology ◽  
1981 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 533-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Kitchell ◽  
Christofer H. Boggs ◽  
James F. Kitchell ◽  
James A. Rice
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
Experimental Tests ◽  
Continuous Selection ◽  
Species Selection ◽  
Late Mesozoic ◽  
Prey Preferences ◽  
Species Specific

Because predation by drilling gastropods is uniquely preservable in the fossil record, it represents important evidence for the study of coevolution. Previous studies of drilling gastropod predation have been largely descriptive and sometimes contradictory. We formulate and test a model of prey selection by naticid drilling gastropods. The model adequately predicts both prey species selection and prey size selection. Prey preferences parallel prey profitabilities, determined by calculating prey species-specific and predator size-specific cost-benefit functions. The model also specifically suggests the evolution of potential refugia from predation and the evolution of potential predatory attributes. Application of the model to several Miocene and Pliocene assemblages studied by Thomas (1976) corroborates the feasibility and utility of this approach in examining the evolutionary record of naticid predation, which extends from the Late Mesozoic. Apparent evolutionary stasis and convergent morphological trends among prey species may be consistent with continuous selection pressures against predation.

Prey Selectivity by Age 0 White Perch (Morone americana) and Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) in Laboratory Experiments

1991 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 607-610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donna L. Parrish ◽  
F. Joseph Margraf
Keyword(s):  
Optimal Foraging ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
White Perch ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Species Assemblages ◽  
Morone Americana ◽  
Prey Selectivity

We conducted prey selectivity experiments by age 0 white perch (Morone americana) and yellow perch (Perca flavescens) in the laboratory. Lake Erie zooplankters were introduced into tanks where both fishes were in single and combined species assemblages. We identified and counted the introduced plankton samples and the contents of fish stomachs after the feeding period. Our results showed no differences in prey consumed within a fish species, whether in single or combined assemblages (ANOVA, p > 0.05). There were a few differences between white perch and yellow perch consumption of each prey taxa (ANOVA); however, the arrays of organisms eaten were not different (MANOVA, p > 0.01). We note that the majority of prey consumed were smaller taxa, which is counter to optimal foraging predictions in relation to prey size, but is consistent with other research on young planktivore prey selectivities.

Gape Limitation and Prey Selection in Larval Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens), Freshwater Drum (Aplodinotus grunniens), and Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus)

1991 ◽  
Vol 48 (10) ◽  
pp. 1919-1925 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise M. Schael ◽  
Lars G. Rudstam ◽  
John R. Post
Keyword(s):  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Fish Length ◽  
Prey Selectivity ◽  
Lake Mendota ◽  
Pomoxis Nigromaculatus ◽  
Aplodinotus Grunniens ◽  
Gape Size ◽  
Freshwater Drum

We compared prey selection of larval yellow perch (Perca flavescens), freshwater drum (Aplodinotus grunniens), and black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) in Lake Mendota, Wisconsin. All three species had a diet dominated by copepods and selected progressively larger prey as fish length increased. For a given fish length, freshwater drum selected larger prey and black crappie selected smaller prey than yellow perch. These differences in prey selectivity were partly explainable from differences in gape to length relationships. Freshwater drum did have the largest gape for a given length of the three species, but gape size for black crappie and yellow perch were similar. Gape size predicted 67% of the variability in mean prey size ingested by yellow perch but only 15% for freshwater drum and 8% for black crappie. Although gape size did predict the upper limit of ingestible prey sizes and explained some of the differences in prey selectivity among the three species, both the degree to which the different fishes can ingest prey close to their gape limit and the degree to which gape predicted mean size of ingested prey varied among the three fish species.

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