Quantitative and Qualitative Characteristics of Somatic and Gonadal Growth of Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) from Lac Ste. Anne, Alberta

1989 ◽  
Vol 46 (6) ◽  
pp. 989-994 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. W. Tanasschuk ◽  
W. C. Mackay

A yellow perch (Perca flavescens) population from a shallow eutrophic north temperate lake was sampled 10 times between March 1976 and June 1977 to determine the characteristics of somatic and gonadal growth. Quantitatively, somatic growth differed in timing and extent among age-sex groups. One + males and females grew mostly in June whereas 2 + males grew mainly in July; 2 + females grew from June through September. Two + males grew less over the year than did the other age-sex groups. The qualitative characteristics of somatic growth were not influenced by sex or maturation. The timing of gonadal growth and the associated endogenous energy utilization differed between the sexes. One + females did not mature. Testes grew in late summer (August). There was no impact of gonad development on somatic composition of 1 + males whereas 2 + males appeared to use visceral fat. Gonadal growth for 2 + females began in August and continued through March and presumably to spawning in April; somatic lipid was depleted during ovarian growth.

1970 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 1059-1068 ◽  
Author(s):  
John J. Magnuson ◽  
Duane J. Karlen

A device is described to directly observe fish behavior beneath the ice of a shallow lake. The viewing device, a 1.9-m tall plexiglass tube (14.0 cm inside diameter) sealed at the bottom, worked on the principle of a periscope. It was frozen into place in the center of a net enclosure. A man in a darkened hut lowered a mirror into the tube to observe the fish in the enclosure.Vertical distributions and behavior of 5 adult northern pike (Esox lucius), 6 yellow perch (Perca flavescens), and 13 bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) were compared with the levels of dissolved oxygen, free carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and water temperature. Observations in Mystery Lake, Wisconsin, were from December 29, 1968, through January 30, 1969, during a period when environmental conditions worsened beneath the ice and resulted in a winterkill.Yellow perch were the most active, northern pike the least. Bluegill remained farther beneath the ice than did the other two species. Northern pike took up residence in domes that they formed in the undersurface of the ice. Northern pike and yellow perch frequently sounded into the anoxic layers.We conclude that differences in fish behavior were significant in prolonging survival. A combination of little locomotory activity and a position immediately beneath the ice apparently favored the longer survival of northern pike over bluegill and yellow perch.


1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (9) ◽  
pp. 1576-1582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lara L. Ridgway ◽  
François Chapleau

A reported case of stunting was examined in a population of yellow perch, Perca flavescens, from a monospecific lake (Lac du Printemps) in Gatineau Park, Quebec. In total, 516 specimens were sampled in early October 1992. Females grew significantly faster than males, and also attained a greater length and age (241 mm, 10 years) than males (172 mm, 7 years). Compared with other populations in Quebec, the growth rate of this population was well below average; age-classes converged towards a similar size at earlier ages; the maximum age attained by males was less than average for the species, and males and females reached sexual maturity at an earlier age (0+ and 1+, respectively). These results are consistent with those found in stunted populations. Males aged 0+ had an average gonadosomatic index of 9.3%, which is one of the highest ever reported for this species. The index decreased gradually with age. Fish were absent from the stomach contents of 300 specimens examined. Owing to their large size, young-of-the-year yellow perch were not preyed upon by older perch at that time of year. The lack of availability of fish prey may contribute to the stunted state of this population. Other contributing factors are intraspecific competition and the absence of top predators in the population. A comparison of the population in 1981 and 1992 indicated that it has been stunted for at least a decade.


1975 ◽  
Vol 32 (11) ◽  
pp. 2214-2221 ◽  
Author(s):  
George E. Newsome ◽  
Gérard Leduc

Different body fat reserves in male and female yellow perch (Perca flavescens) may determine a marked differential mortality during the winter. This was revealed by a study in two Laurentian lakes of the Province of Quebec harboring stunted yellow perch with a marked predominance of males. The proportion of females in each year-class is markedly smaller, thus suggesting a higher mortality among immature and mature females than among males.In an attempt to explain the differential mortality, the seasonal variation of body fat content in males and females was measured; also the fat level at time of death caused by starvation under laboratory conditions was determined. The results showed that in the females the body fat content falls to a critical level of about 2% at least 4 mo before spawning, whereas the males maintain a fat level of almost 5% throughout winter.


1984 ◽  
Vol 41 (12) ◽  
pp. 1745-1752 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark B. Sandheinrich ◽  
Wayne A. Hubert

Summer habitat use and relative abundances of different size classes of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) were determined using gill nets set in the main basin, deep bays, and shallow bays of a lake. Niche overlap indices were used to quantify resource use patterns. Size classes spatially segregated into different habitats, but not different depths within a habitat type. Segregation of sexes at different depths was observed with females occupying warm, shallow areas, whereas males were more common in cool, deep water. Formation of an anoxic hypolimnion restricted perch to the epilimnion in late summer, but patterns of habitat segregation observed prior to thermocline formation were maintained. Food partitioning was relatively unimportant in reducing niche overlap. Spatial segregation of perch size classes and sexes may compensate for high diet overlap between conspecifics and reinforces the importance of habitat partitioning in structuring fish communities.


Fishes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 33
Author(s):  
Raymond M. Newman ◽  
Fred G. Henson ◽  
Carl Richards

Ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernua) were introduced to North America from Europe in the mid-1980s and based on similar diets and habit use may compete with yellow perch (Perca flavescens). To examine competitive interactions between invasive ruffe and native yellow perch, individually marked perch and ruffe were placed in mesocosms in a small lake. Mesocosms allowed fish to interact and feed on the natural prey populations enclosed. In the first experiment, four treatments were assessed: 28 perch, 14 perch + 14 ruffe, 14 perch, and 7 perch + 7 ruffe. Yellow perch growth was significantly lower in the presence of ruffe (ANOVA, p = 0.005) than in treatments containing only perch. In a second experiment, an increasing density of one species was superimposed upon a constant density of the other in parallel treatment series. Growth rates of both ruffe and perch declined when ruffe density was increased (t test, p = 0.006). However, neither ruffe nor perch growth was affected by increasing perch density. Total stomach content mass of perch was significantly decreased by ruffe in both years (p < 0.02), but no effects of ruffe on the composition of perch diets were observed. Ruffe growth and food consumption was greater than that of perch for both experiments. Ruffe can outcompete yellow perch when both species depend on a limited benthic food resource. Thus there is reason for concern for the ecological effects of ruffe if they expand their range into Lake Erie or North American inland lakes that contain yellow perch.


1969 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 833-843 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shibru Tedla ◽  
C. H. Fernando

The seasonal changes in incidence and intensity of infestation of yellow perch, Perca flavescens, by adult and larval parasites, both external and internal, were studied over a period of 1 year. Eight species of parasites were numerous enough to permit analysis of seasonal dynamics. Bunodera luciopercae and Echinorhynchus salmonis showed a high infestation in the fall and declined gradually to zero by late summer. New infestation occurred in early fall. Protocephalus pearsei showed the highest incidence in summer and a lower level during the rest of the year without any marked fluctuations. The intensity of infestation remained relatively constant throughout the year. Ergasilus confusus reached its peak of incidence in the summer, declined through the fall and winter, and began increasing in spring. Intensity of infestation showed parallel changes. In February, however, both incidence and intensity were high. Diplostomulum huronense showed a high intensity of infestation in November. The incidence remained fairly constant throughout the rest of the year. Urocleidius adspectus showed no seasonal variability as regards incidence but the intensity of infestation was highest in August and September. Contracaecum spiculigerum showed no distinct seasonal changes in incidence or intensity. Glochidial infestation reached a high intensity in July. This was due to the glochidia of Lampisilis radiata siliquoidea.


2017 ◽  
Vol 74 (12) ◽  
pp. 2059-2072 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary S. Feiner ◽  
Stephen C. Chong ◽  
David G. Fielder ◽  
James A. Hoyle ◽  
Carey Knight ◽  
...  

Trade-offs among growth, mortality, and reproduction form the basis of life history theory but may vary among populations owing to local ecological conditions. We examined life history trade-offs driving variation in maturation among 13 yellow perch (Perca flavescens) stocks in the Great Lakes using sex-specific age and length at 50% maturity (A50 and L50, respectively) and probabilistic maturation reaction norm midpoints (Lp50,a). Both sexes exhibited positive correlations between growth and mortality, and faster-growing stocks were mature at younger ages but larger sizes. Male and female A50 and L50 were positively correlated among stocks, but Lp50,a estimates were negatively correlated among stocks, indicating stocks that matured at large sizes for a given age in females matured at smaller age-specific sizes in males. Female Lp50,a estimates were negatively related to growth and mortality, while male Lp50,a estimates were positively related to growth. These results suggest that (i) sex-based life history trade-offs sometimes act to differentially structure maturation schedules in males and females and (ii) males may be less responsive to changes in mortality than females.


2006 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela da Silva Castiglioni ◽  
Maria Lucia Negreiros-Fransozo

The gonad development of Uca rapax was studied to achieve the size at onset of its sexual maturity. Crabs were sampled from April/2001 to March/2002 in the Itamambuca and Ubatumirim mangroves in Ubatuba, São Paulo, Brazil. The specimens were grouped in 10 size classes. Juveniles and adult crabs frequencies were assessed for each class. The size of carapace width in which 50% of males and females were considered mature was 14.8 and 12.1 mm (Itamambuca) and 13.6 and 11.4 mm (Ubatumirim), respectively for males and females. Males matured at higher sizes than females, probably due to a major investment in their somatic growth, while females spend their energy in the reproductive process, saving energy for eggs' production.


1993 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 384-386 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. R. Loew ◽  
W. N. McFarland ◽  
E. L. Mills ◽  
D. Hunter

The intensity of light required for juvenile yellow perch, Perca flavescens, to strike at planktonic prey was determined at 14 wavelengths, particular attention being paid to the near-ultraviolet region of the spectrum. Juvenile yellow perch are known to possess near-ultraviolet-sensitive photoreceptors, which are absent in adults. The action spectrum obtained shows three peaks: one between 640 and 700 nm, one between 490 and 525 nm, and one in the near-ultraviolet range, between 360 and 400 nm. The relative amplitude of the near-ultraviolet peak is greater than the amplitudes of the other two peaks. These results reveal that juvenile yellow perch can detect and recognize prey using only near-ultraviolet visual cues. This finding is discussed in terms of the visual ecology of juvenile and adult yellow perch.


2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 211-216
Author(s):  
Jim Pateman ◽  
Peter Russell

Two Euphydryas aurinea beckeri females from Sierra Blanca, Malaga, Spain were captured and returned to the U.K.; each laid a single egg batch on Succisa pratensis. Both batches hatched and the resulting larvae were reared through to adulthood. One group of larvae produced butterflies with three different mutations: pupae with spines, legs lacking distal tarsals and claws, and with appendages attached to the genitalia which protruded though the rear of the abdomens in both males and females. The other group of larvae produced normal males and females.


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