scholarly journals Growth, survivorship, and predator avoidance capability of larval shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) in response to delayed feeding

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0247768
Author(s):  
Ryan S. Hardy ◽  
Vahid Zadmajid ◽  
Ian A. E. Butts ◽  
Matthew K. Litvak
Keyword(s):  
Escape Response ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Swimming Activity ◽  
Shortnose Sturgeon ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Acipenser Brevirostrum ◽  
First Feeding ◽  
Yolk Absorption ◽  
Predatory Attack ◽  
Full Absorption

Larval shortnose sturgeon, reared at 17°C, were subjected to delayed feeding treatments of 0, 5, 10, 15, 18, and 23 days post-yolk absorption to examine effects of food deprivation on growth, survival, swimming activity, and escape capabilities. Starvation affected growth and survival but despite degree of starvation, larvae were able to resume growth and experience high survivorship following feeding. Specific growth rate based on larval dry weight for the period directly following first feeding was highest for the day 15 and 18 delayed feeding treatments. There were no differences in survival between the 0 and 5 day treatments, however survival was reduced to 71.2%, 45.4%, and 28.8% for 10, 15, and 18 day delayed feeding treatments, respectively. Shortnose sturgeon had a point-of-no-return (PNR; 55.7% initiated feeding) at ~19 days (or 42 days post-fertilization) following the full absorption of yolk. Mean percent swimming activity and swimming speeds showed an interaction between delayed feeding treatment and larval age, such that no differences were detected at 1 and 6 days post-yolk absorption, while these swimming behaviors generally increased or spiked as feeding was delayed for 10, 15, and 18 days post-yolk absorption. At 23 days post-yolk absorption, only swimming speed increased for larvae that were denied food for 18 days. While there was an interaction between delayed feeding treatments and age for proportion of larvae exhibiting an escape response, generally, larvae from all feeding treatments exhibited a positive escape response. There were also interactions between delayed feeding treatments and age post-yolk absorption for mean and maximum escape speeds, such that less aggressive escape responses were typically detected the longer larvae were denied food. Our research suggests that larval shortnose sturgeon increase physical activity during periods of starvation to find a food patch while remaining vigilant but maybe not as capable to defend against a predatory attack as fed individuals.

Growth and Survival of Haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) Larvae in Relation to Planktonic Prey Concentration

1974 ◽  
Vol 31 (8) ◽  
pp. 1415-1419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey C. Laurence
Keyword(s):  
Standard Length ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Melanogrammus Aeglefinus ◽  
Prey Concentration ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Point Of No Return ◽  
Yolk Absorption ◽  
Haddock Melanogrammus Aeglefinus

When newly hatched haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) larvae were fed zooplankters at nominal rates of 0.5, 1.0, and 3.0/ml in the laboratory at 7 C, they grew at similar rates. After 6 wk, they averaged 8.7, 10.0, and 11.2 mm in standard length and 810, 1300, and 1728 μg in dry weight, and had condition factors of 1.25, 1.22, and 1.32. When fed at 0.1 and 0.01 plankters/ml, all larvae died in 3 and 2 wk; at 0.5-3.0 plankters/ml, daily instantaneous mortality coefficients were 0.06–0.02 during 6 wk. Larvae began feeding 2 days after hatching, and the point of no return after they were deprived of food was 6 days after hatching, yolk absorption being completed on day 6 or 7. All larvae deprived of food until 8 and 10 days after hatching, although initiating feeding, did not survive another 4 days. Prey concentration also influenced delayed feeding with greater percentages of larvae able to initiate feeding at higher plankton levels on the point-of-no-return day.

Evaluation of four methods of transmitter attachment on shortnose sturgeon, Acipenser brevirostrum

2002 ◽  
Vol 18 (4-6) ◽  
pp. 491-494 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. Collins ◽  
D. W. Cooke ◽  
T. I. J. Smith ◽  
W. C. Post ◽  
D. C. Russ ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Shortnose Sturgeon ◽  
Acipenser Brevirostrum

Overwintering habitat use of shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum): defining critical habitat using a novel underwater video survey and modeling approach

2007 ◽  
Vol 64 (9) ◽  
pp. 1248-1257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinhai Li ◽  
Matthew K Litvak ◽  
John E. Hughes Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Video Camera ◽  
Sampling Procedure ◽  
Shortnose Sturgeon ◽  
Underwater Video ◽  
Camera System ◽  
Critical Habitat ◽  
Acipenser Brevirostrum ◽  
Modeling Approach

The overwintering habitat use of shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) was investigated from January to March 2005 in the upper Kennebecasis River, New Brunswick, Canada, using a novel underwater video camera system and modeling approach. Following a random sampling procedure, 187 holes were drilled into the ice, and 234 sturgeon were counted and video-recorded. We found that sturgeon concentrated in a 2 ha area at the confluence of the Kennebecasis and Hammond rivers on a flat sandy substrate at a depth of 3.1–6.9 m. Generalized linear models were developed to describe the relationship of shortnose sturgeon density and habitat variables. The model indicated that the shortnose sturgeon had significant preference to deeper areas within this region. The total abundance of shortnose sturgeon in the area was estimated to be 4836 ± 69 (mean ± standard error) using the ordinary kriging method to interpolate sturgeon density at unsampled sites. This overwintering habitat of shortnose sturgeon can be defined as critical habitat following the identification policies of the Canadian Species at Risk Act (SARA).

Effect of Prey Density and Prey Size on Growth and Survival of Juvenile Walleye (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum)

1989 ◽  
Vol 46 (8) ◽  
pp. 1323-1328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael G. Fox
Keyword(s):  
Prey Density ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Food Limitation ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Stizostedion Vitreum ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
First Feeding ◽  
Length Increase ◽  
Prey Length ◽  
Chironomid Biomass

I investigated the influence of food availability on growth and survival of walleye (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum) fry stocked in six fertilized experimental ponds (density 40 fish∙m−3) and reared for 8 wk. Walleye fed largely on chironomid larvae and cyclopoid copepods in weeks 1 and 2, and chironomids thereafter. Prey choice and consumption were strongly influenced by chironomid biomass in the benthos, and to a lesser extent by zoo-plankton density. Weekly length increase of the populations and mean length in week 7 were significantly correlated with chironomid benthic biomass and mean prey length. Chironomid biomass and density of large zoo-plankton together explained 56% of the variation in the weekly population growth rate. Despite obvious food limitation in the second half of the experiment, pond survival rate was not significantly correlated with mean prey density, mean stomach fullness, or percentage of fish with empty stomachs. The results indicate that juvenile walleye growth can be regulated by the density and size of available prey. Prey availability apparently does not regulate short term juvenile walleye survival rates after the period around first feeding.

Biology, Management, and Protection of North American Sturgeon

2002 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Extinction Risk ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Shortnose Sturgeon ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Connecticut River ◽  
Acipenser Brevirostrum ◽  
Survival And Reproduction ◽  
Very High ◽  
Existing Data

<em>Abstract.</em>—The shortnose sturgeon, <em>Acipenser brevirostrum</em>, is a long-lived species that grows slowly, matures at an advanced age, and spawns only intermittently. In the Connecticut River, there are two distinct subpopulations of shortnose sturgeon, which have been separated by the Holyoke Dam for 157 years. My research addressed the viability and persistence for these two separate populations and the effects of dispersal, variation in survival and reproduction, and catastrophes. My risk-based approach used a stage-based metapopulation model that I constructed in RAMAS<sup>®</sup> GIS incorporating the available data. Based on the existing data, this population model for the shortnose sturgeon metapopulation in the Connecticut River made several predictions. The observed stability of the two subpopulations was possible either: with reproduction in both upper and lower subpopulations and small to moderate rates of dispersal between them; or with no reproduction in the lower subpopulation, very high reproduction in the upper subpopulation and high rate of net downstream dispersal. My results provided estimates of extinction risk for the shortnose sturgeon metapopulation under various management options and highlighted three key areas for future research, demonstrating the value of a risk-based approach. This approach is particularly useful for management of long-lived aquatic species.

First documented occurrences of the shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum , Lesueur, 1818) in the Saco River, Maine, USA

2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 709-712 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. E. Little ◽  
M. Kieffer ◽  
G. Wippelhauser ◽  
G. Zydlewski ◽  
M. Kinnison ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Shortnose Sturgeon ◽  
Acipenser Brevirostrum
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