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.

Visual Observation of Fish Beneath the Ice in a Winterkill Lake

1970 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 1059-1068 ◽  
Author(s):  
John J. Magnuson ◽  
Duane J. Karlen
Keyword(s):  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Lepomis Macrochirus ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Northern Pike ◽  
Visual Observation ◽  
Fish Behavior ◽  
The Other ◽  
Locomotory Activity ◽  
Free Carbon Dioxide ◽  
And Behavior

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.

Precision Micrometer Measurement of Mouth Gape of Larval Fish

1987 ◽  
Vol 44 (10) ◽  
pp. 1786-1791 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael T. Arts ◽  
D. O. Evans
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Larval Fish ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Data Capture ◽  
Coregonus Clupeaformis ◽  
Manual Method ◽  
Direct Data ◽  
Coregonus Artedii ◽  
Lake Herring

A precision micrometer device is described which standardizes measurement of mouth gape of larval fish and provides a greater degree of accuracy and speed than the conventional manual method. We compared gape measurements of larval lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) and lake herring (Coregonus artedii) using the gape micrometer versus the manual method. The micrometer measurements revealed a greater increase in gape with body length and resulted in a greater proportion of the variance in gape being explained, indicating that the gape micrometer is more sensitive and accurate than the manual method. Coefficient of variation of gape measurements on 238 larval yellow perch (Perca flavescens) decreased with body size from 0.5–4.0% at 0.8–1.2 cm standard length to 0.2–0.5% at 3.0 cm. The device has the added advantage that it could be adapted to connect to a microcomputer for direct data capture.

scholarly journals Can behavioural ecology unite hypotheses for fish recruitment?

2013 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 909-917 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Jørgensen ◽  
Anders Frugård Opdal ◽  
Øyvind Fiksen
Keyword(s):  
Predation Risk ◽  
Food Availability ◽  
Larval Fish ◽  
High Growth ◽  
Selective Predation ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Larval Behaviour ◽  
Fish Recruitment ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Risk Of Predation

Abstract Since the classical works by Hjort linked the survival of early life stages of fish to year-class strength and recruitment, fisheries science has struggled to understand the fate of fish eggs and larvae. Here we discuss how food availability will influence growth and survival of larvae when foraging behaviour is flexible and involves predation risk. We use theory to show that small larval fish with a high risk of predation should nevertheless forage intensely and maintain high growth rates. The implication of this is that food availability is more important to recruitment success than is often assumed from studies of growth rate, since the main effect of low food availability appears as increased predation rates. As larvae develop and grow bigger, they are expected to tailor their behaviour to balance food intake and predation risk, which makes it more probable that environmental fluctuations will cause growth differences. A theoretical framework including larval behaviour thus illustrates how several existing hypotheses, i.e. “bigger is better”, “stage duration”, and “growth-selective predation”, emphasize different aspects of larval success but can be understood more generally and coherently when interpreted in the light of behavioural trade-offs. This may lead to more consistent consideration of larval behaviour in biophysical models of fish recruitment.

Effect of Zooplankton Abundance and Body Size on Growth of Age-0 Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) in Oneida Lake, New York, 1975–86

1989 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 880-886 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward L. Mills ◽  
Ruth Sherman ◽  
Douglas S. Robson
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Zooplankton Abundance ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
Oneida Lake ◽  
Taxonomic Groups

We examined an 11-yr (1975–86) field data set to determine whether annual differences in age-0 yellow perch (Perca flavescens) growth in weight were related to the abundance, size structure, and species composition of zooplankton in Oneida Lake, New York. A model for prediction of age-0 yellow perch weight was determined using a multiple regression technique; age-0 yellow perch wet weight (grams) was the dependent variable while age-0 yellow perch density, water temperature, calendar day, and cumulative biomass of both zooplankton taxonomic groups (daphnids, "other cladocerans," calanoids, cyclopoids, and nauplii) and zooplankton size classes (< 1.1 mm, 1.1–1.7 mm, and > 1.7 mm) were the independent variables. Analyses were based on an integrated approach where time was measured in cumulative temperature units and yellow perch weight was considered a function of the cumulative amount of food available. Below a cumulative temperature of 1350 °C∙d−1, none of the independent variables were related significantly (P < 0.05) to yellow perch weight. Beyond 1350 °C∙d−1 age-0 yellow perch weight was strongly correlated with the biomass of Daphnia and significant (P < 0.05) prey size variables shifted toward larger prey as fish grew. Our results indicate size- and species-based interactions between fish and zooplankton play an important role in regulating growth of age-0 fish.

Study of a stunted population of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) in a monospecific lake in Gatineau Park, Quebec

1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (9) ◽  
pp. 1576-1582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lara L. Ridgway ◽  
François Chapleau
Keyword(s):  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Gonadosomatic Index ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Fish Prey ◽  
Large Size ◽  
Top Predators ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Time Of Year

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.

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