Relationships among Early Life Stages of Morone americana and Morone saxatilis from Long-Term Monitoring of the Hudson River Estuary

1993 ◽  
Vol 50 (9) ◽  
pp. 1976-1985 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael L. Pace ◽  
Stephen B. Baines ◽  
Hélène Cyr ◽  
John A. Downing
Keyword(s):  
Early Life ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Morone Saxatilis ◽  
Hudson River ◽  
Yolk Sac ◽  
Hudson River Estuary ◽  
Life Stages ◽  
Morone Americana ◽  
Early Life Stages ◽  
Abundance Estimates

Annual abundances of eggs, yolk-sac larvae (YSL), post-yolk-sac larvae (PYSL), and young-of-the-year (YOY) stages of Morone americana and Morone saxatilis are summarized from a 17-yr monitoring program in the Hudson River Estuary. Variability in temperature and freshwater flow in the Hudson River explained little of the interannual variation of early life stages of either species. Year class strength as indicated by the abundance of early life stages does not appear to be strongly influenced by environmental conditions. YSL were positively related to the abundance of eggs, but these relationships were weak, reflecting the high uncertainty in egg abundance estimates. There were positive relationships between the abundances of YSL and PYSL for both species. Our analysis implies that interannual variability in mortality is less important in determining recruitment to PYSL than the abundance of the prior life stages. There was no relationship, however, between the abundance estimates of PYSL and YOY. Differential mortality among years during the larval stage may result in juvenile recruitment being independent of larval abundance. A second possibility is that YOY are poorly sampled so that the monitoring programs currently provide inadequate estimates of the abundance of YOY.

Feeding ecology of early life stages of striped bass (Morone saxatilis) along an estuarine salinity-turbidity gradient, St. Lawrence Estuary, Canada

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 507-520 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Vanalderweireldt ◽  
P Sirois ◽  
M Mingelbier ◽  
G Winkler
Keyword(s):  
Striped Bass ◽  
Feeding Ecology ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Morone Saxatilis ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Life Stages ◽  
Early Life Stages ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Feeding Niche

Abstract After being extirpated from the St. Lawrence River in the 1960s, striped bass (Morone saxatilis) were reintroduced to the estuary in 2002 and by 2008, they were naturally reproducing. To document the habitat use and feeding ecology of this reintroduced population, we examined the gut contents of 333 larvae and juveniles. Samples were collected in four estuarine habitats in 2014: the upstream freshwater section (UP), the oligohaline (O-ETM) and the mesohaline (M-ETM) estuarine turbidity maximum zones, and the downstream polyhaline section (DOWN). In June, pelagic larvae developed in the UP and the O-ETM, feeding mainly on copepods such as Eurytemora affinis. The O-ETM exhibited better suitable feeding conditions compared to the UP, likely due to the presence of Bosmina sp. as a primary prey. After July, striped bass shifted to larger prey items, consuming mainly dipteran pupa in upstream littoral habitats and gammarids and mysids in downstream habitats. In the early summer, the UP provided a high-quality nursery habitat and as the season progressed, the smallest juveniles dispersed downstream and improved their feeding success by exploiting a new feeding niche. This observation suggests that being distributed throughout the estuary may increase the potential survival of striped bass early life stages.

Distribution of the early life stages of small yellow croaker in the Yangtze River estuary and adjacent waters

2018 ◽  
Vol 84 (2) ◽  
pp. 357-363
Author(s):  
Nan Lin ◽  
Yuange Chen ◽  
Yan Jin ◽  
Xingwei Yuan ◽  
Jianzhong Ling ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Life ◽  
Yangtze River ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Yangtze River Estuary ◽  
Life Stages ◽  
The Yangtze River ◽  
Early Life Stages ◽  
Small Yellow Croaker ◽  
The Yangtze River Estuary

scholarly journals Rapid quantitative assessment of fish larvae community composition using metabarcoding

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frances C. Ratcliffe ◽  
Tamsyn M. Uren Webster ◽  
Deiene Rodriguez-Barreto ◽  
Richard O’Rorke ◽  
Carlos Garcia de Leaniz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Composition ◽  
Early Life ◽  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Fish Larvae ◽  
Morphological Identification ◽  
Taxon Richness ◽  
Life Stages ◽  
Early Life Stages ◽  
Abundance Estimates ◽  
Family Level

AbstractClimate change stressors greatly impact the early life-stages of many organisms but their cryptic morphology often renders them difficult to monitor using morphological identification. High-throughput sequencing of DNA amplicons (metabarcoding) is potentially a rapid and cost-effective method to monitor early life-stages for management and environmental impact assessment purposes. Yet, there is conflicting information about the quantitative capability of metabarcoding. We compared metabarcoding with traditional morphological identification to evaluate taxonomic precision and reliability of abundance estimates, using 332 fish larvae from multinet hauls (0-50m depth) collected at 14 offshore sampling sites in the Irish and Celtic seas. To improve relative abundance estimates, the amount of tissue for each specimen was standardised and mitochondrial primers with conserved binding sites were used. Family level correction factors for amplification bias and back-calculations were applied to estimate numbers of individuals of a given taxon in a sample. Estimates from metabarcoding reads and morphological assessment were positively correlated for relative family abundances as well as taxon richness (Rs=0.81, P=0.007) and diversity (Rs=0.88, P=0.003). After applying family level correction, back-estimates of the number of individuals per family within a sample were accurate to ± 2 individuals. Spatial patterns of community composition did not differ significantly between metabarcoding and morphological assessments.Our results show that DNA metabarcoding of bulk tissue samples can be used to monitor changes in fish larvae abundance and community composition. This represents a feasible, efficient and faster alternative to morphological identification that can be applied to terrestrial and aquatic habitats.

Impact of age-0 bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) predation on age-0 fishes in the Hudson River estuary: evidence for density-dependent loss of juvenile striped bass (Morone saxatilis)

1999 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 275-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey A Buckel ◽  
David O Conover ◽  
Nancy D Steinberg ◽  
Kim A McKown
Keyword(s):  
Striped Bass ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Morone Saxatilis ◽  
Hudson River ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Hudson River Estuary ◽  
Estuarine Fish ◽  
Pomatomus Saltatrix ◽  
Substantial Impact ◽  
Density Dependent

We measured bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) weights, densities, and prey sizes during the summers of 1992 and 1993 and diets over a 4-year period (1990-1993) in the Hudson River estuary. This information was used to estimate the loss of young-of-the-year (YOY) striped bass (Morone saxatilis) resulting from YOY bluefish predation. We then compared this predation mortality with the total loss of striped bass in the system. Data from sampling surveys conducted since the mid-1970's were used to examine relationships between bluefish abundance and striped bass recruitment levels. YOY striped bass, bay anchovy (Anchoa mitchilli), Atlantic silverside (Menidia menidia), and Alosa spp. dominated YOY bluefish diets. There were ontogenetic and interannual differences in YOY bluefish diets. Bluefish avoided striped bass at low densities but selected for them at high densities, suggesting a density-dependent feeding response. In the early summer of 1993, bluefish predation accounted for 50-100% of the total estimated loss of YOY striped bass. A significant negative correlation exists between the relative magnitude of striped bass recruitment and bluefish abundance. We conclude that YOY bluefish are important predators of estuarine fish and can have a substantial impact on their recruitment.

scholarly journals Intensified environmental and density-dependent regulation of white perch recruitment after an ecosystem shift in the Hudson River Estuary

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian K. Gallagher ◽  
David H. Secor
Keyword(s):  
Density Dependence ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
White Perch ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Hudson River ◽  
Yolk Sac ◽  
Partial Migration ◽  
Hudson River Estuary ◽  
Density Dependent

Long-term monitoring data were used to test whether the invasion of zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) in the Hudson River Estuary in 1991 altered the influence of density dependence and environmental conditions on life-stage transitions, growth, and partial migration in white perch (Morone americana). During the post-invasion period (1992–2013), we estimated standing stocks of white perch eggs, yolk-sac larvae (YSL), post-yolk-sac larvae (PYSL), young-of-the-year (YOY), and adults as well as indices of YOY growth and spatial distribution. A series of linear and nonlinear functions were employed to model life-stage transitions, while the effects of six environmental and density-dependent variables on YOY growth and partial migration were quantified. Comparisons to pre-invasion observations (1974–1991) indicated that egg–YSL, PYSL–YOY, and YOY–yearling transitions changed significantly after the invasion, while PYSL abundance developed a stronger negative effect on YOY growth. The PYSL–YOY transition became more sensitive to density dependence and freshwater flow from 1992 to 2013, which is consistent with diminished abundance and increased environmental sensitivity of the forage base in the Hudson River Estuary reported after the zebra mussel invasion.

Feeding habits of age-0 striped bass,Morone saxatilis, in the mid-Hudson River estuary: Temporal, spatial, and ontogenetic variation

Estuaries ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1486-1493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca C. Jordan ◽  
David V. Howe ◽  
Thomas P. Hurst ◽  
Francis Juanes
Keyword(s):  
Striped Bass ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Morone Saxatilis ◽  
Hudson River ◽  
Hudson River Estuary ◽  
Ontogenetic Variation

The influence of selected environmental parameters and habitat mosaics on fish assemblages in a South American estuary

2018 ◽  
Vol 99 (1) ◽  
pp. 249-257
Author(s):  
Michelle Sequine Bolzan ◽  
Ryan Andrades ◽  
Henry Louis Spach ◽  
Mauricio Hostim-Silva
Keyword(s):  
Fish Species ◽  
Early Life ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Sandy Beaches ◽  
Habitat Modification ◽  
Life Stages ◽  
Early Life Stages ◽  
Important Species ◽  
Heterogeneous Habitats

Coastal environments are faced with constant habitat modification and biodiversity loss due to human occupation. Estuaries are considered to be highly productive and shelter heterogeneous habitats such as mangrove forests, tidal creeks, tidal mud flats and sandy beaches, which are important for the maintenance of natural resources. The present study aims to evaluate how different shallow juvenile habitats (sandy beaches, mangrove shoreline habitats and dense macrophyte habitats) influence fish during their early life stages in a tropical estuary of Brazil. Monthly samples using a beach seine net from July 2012 to June 2013 were collected in eight shallow areas of the São Mateus River estuary. The fish assemblage comprised mainly juvenile and small-sized fish, which included ecologically and commercially important species. Small recruits of Atherinella brasiliensis and Ctenogobius boleosoma were most abundant in the autumn, while Rhinosardinia bahiensis and Centropomus undecimalis were highly abundant during the winter. The water salinity recorded in the mid and lower estuarine portions was the most important variable for the distribution of A. brasiliensis and Sphoeroides spengleri, whereas Anchovia clupeoides, C. undecimalis, C. parallelus and Gobionellus oceanicus were positively correlated with the water depth of the upper estuarine portion. The fish species T. paulistanus, Genidens genidens and Achirus lineatus were related to the water turbidity in the upper portion. Thus, the heterogeneous shallow water habitats (and their associated environmental parameters) of the São Mateus River estuary are potential nursery grounds for the early life stages of a variety of fish species, which highlights the importance of these areas for local biodiversity management.

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