Perturbation Planktivory, and Pelagic Community Structure: The Consequence of Winterkill in a Small Lake

The top predator (largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides) in eutrophic Wintergreen Lake, Michigan, was eliminated by successive winterkills in 1978 and 1979. Within 2 yr, the golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas), a facultative planktivore, dominated the fish community. The zooplankton, previously consisting of large Daphnia pulex and D. galeata mendotae, concomitantly shifted to a community consisting of smaller species: Bosmina and small copepods. In situ fish enclosure experiments in 1981 and 1982 revealed that the large Daphnia species would grow in Wintergreen Lake in the absence of the golden shiner. Golden shiners exhibit both a particulate and filtering mode of planktivory on large and small zooplankton, respectively. This flexible feeding behavior suggests that golden shiners are able to prevent the reestablishment of Daphnia, while Bosmina and the other small zooplankton support a high and apparently stable golden shiner density.

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Diets of Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) in the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta

San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science ◽

10.15447/sfews.2019v17iss1art3 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Kelly Weinersmith ◽

Denise Colombano ◽

Andrew Bibian ◽

Matthew Young ◽

Andrew Sih ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Largemouth Bass ◽

Littoral Zone ◽

Fish Community ◽

Procambarus Clarkii ◽

Micropterus Salmoides ◽

Native Fish ◽

Top Predator ◽

Comprehensive Understanding ◽

Important Prey ◽

Index Of Relative Importance

Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) were introduced into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (the Delta) over 100 years ago. In the last 2 decades, the abundance of centrarchids (including Largemouth Bass) in the littoral zone has increased, while some native fish and fish that were previously abundant in the pelagic zone have declined. Largemouth Bass are now one of the most abundant piscivores in the Delta. Understanding the ecology of this top predator — including a comprehensive understanding of what prey are important in Largemouth Bass diets — is important to understanding how this species may affect the Delta fish community. To address this need, we conducted electrofishing surveys of Largemouth Bass at 33 sites every 2 months from 2008 to 2010, measuring fish fork lengths and collecting stomachs contents at each site. We characterized diets using Percent Index of Relative Importance for 3,004 Largemouth Bass, with samples that spanned all seasons. Amphipods dominated the diets of Largemouth Bass ≤175 mm FL year-round, with dipterans, odonates, and copepods and cladocerans representing other important diet items. Non-native red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) were the most important prey for Largemouth Bass >175 mm FL. Non-native centrarchids (including Largemouth Bass) and amphipods were important prey items as well. Prickly Sculpin (Cottus asper) were the most frequently consumed native fish. Other native fish and pelagic fish species rarely occurred in Largemouth Bass diets, and we discuss trends in how the frequency of co-occurrence of these fishes with Largemouth Bass in the electrofishing surveys was associated with their frequency in Largemouth Bass diets. The Largemouth Bass in the Delta appear to be sustained largely on a diet of other non-natives that reside in the littoral zone.

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Influence of turbidity on piscivory in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f99-056 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 56 (8) ◽

pp. 1362-1369 ◽

Cited By ~ 46

Author(s):

Scott M Reid ◽

Michael G Fox ◽

Thomas H Whillans

Keyword(s):

Stomach Content ◽

Largemouth Bass ◽

Micropterus Salmoides ◽

Pimephales Promelas ◽

Water Clarity ◽

Stomach Content Analysis ◽

Fathead Minnows ◽

Turbidity Level ◽

Feeding Trials

In situ and laboratory feeding trials coupled with stomach content analysis of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) were performed to examine how turbidity influences the size selectivity and capture rates of prey. No significant differences in the capture success of adult largemouth bass preying on northern redbelly dace (Phoxinus eos) were observed during in situ feeding trials in two Lake Ontario coastal wetlands differing in turbidity level (2.3 and 20 nephlometric turbity units (NTU)). During 1-h laboratory feeding trials, the overall number of fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) captured was not significantly different among 1-, 18-, and 37-NTU treatments. However, at 70 NTU, the number of fathead minnows captured was significantly lower than that at the lowest turbidity treatment. Selection by juvenile largemouth bass of the smallest size-class of fathead minnow decreased as turbidity increased. No significant differences in piscivory were apparent between juvenile largemouth bass collected from turbid and clear habitats. Stomach content comparisons of juvenile largemouth bass seined from six clear and turbid habitats suggest that piscivory is primarily regulated by the availability of vulnerable size-classes of prey fish, as opposed to water clarity.

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Coarse woody habitat does not predict largemouth bass young of year mortality during the open-water season

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/cjfas-2018-0050 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 76 (6) ◽

pp. 998-1005 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jacob P. Ziegler ◽

Colin J. Dassow ◽

Stuart E. Jones ◽

Alexander J. Ross ◽

Christopher T. Solomon

Keyword(s):

Mortality Rate ◽

Freshwater Fish ◽

Largemouth Bass ◽

Micropterus Salmoides ◽

Open Water ◽

Mortality Rates ◽

In Situ Tests ◽

Coarse Woody Habitat ◽

The Relationship

Littoral structure is often assumed to provide refuge to young of year (YOY) freshwater fish species, but empirical in situ tests of this relationship are lacking. We estimated mortality rates of YOY largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) over the open-water season in 13 lakes in northern Wisconsin and Michigan using repeated snorkel surveys. Our goal was to test the hypothesis that mortality rate is negatively related to the abundance of littoral coarse woody habitat, which ranged from 3 to 1500 pieces of wood per kilometre of shoreline in these lakes. Instantaneous mortality rates were well-constrained and ranged from 0.04 to 0.19 among the 13 lakes. Mortality was not related to coarse woody habitat abundance. Our results suggest that the relationship between coarse woody habitat and YOY mortality might not be as strong or universal as is often assumed.

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Microhabitat Analysis of Bass Tapeworm, Proteocephalus ambloplitis (Eucestoda: Proteocephalidae), in Smallmouth Bass, Micropterus dolomieu, and Largemouth Bass, Micropterus salmoides, from Gull Lake, Michigan, U.S.A

Comparative Parasitology ◽

10.1654/4128 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 71 (2) ◽

pp. 221-225 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Merritt G. Gillilland ◽

Patrick M. Muzzall

Keyword(s):

Largemouth Bass ◽

Lake Michigan ◽

Micropterus Salmoides ◽

Smallmouth Bass ◽

Micropterus Dolomieu

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New perspectives in the analysis of fish distributions: a case study on the spatial distribution of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f99-213 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 56 (S1) ◽

pp. 52-60 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Timothy E Essington ◽

James F Kitchell

Keyword(s):

Largemouth Bass ◽

Large Scale ◽

Lake Michigan ◽

Multiple Scales ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Micropterus Salmoides ◽

Small Scale ◽

Habitat Types ◽

Movement Model ◽

Fish Distributions

Analyses of fish distributions rarely account for spatial arrangement of habitat types, are typically conducted at a single scale, and use a null model of random distributions without considering other null models. This study demonstrates a procedure to circumvent these difficulties by analyzing telemetry data collected on largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) in Long Lake, Michigan. Bass were highly aggregated within the littoral region, showing peaks of aggregation at small (<60 m) and large (>160 m) spatial scales. A neutral movement model (no taxis or kinesis within habitat types) could explain some of the observed aggregation, yet substantial aggregation remains unexplained. Much of the large-scale aggregation could be generated by including a taxis towards the eastern half of the basin, but taxes towards shallower cells or cells containing woody emergent macrophytes were unable to generate the observed degree of small-scale aggregation. Our results highlight the utility of analyzing spatial distributions at multiple scales and the importance of the spatial arrangements of habitat types and suggest that nonrandom distributions at one scale may be due to processes occurring at different scales.

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