Among-Population Variability of Fish Growth: I. Influence of the Quantity of Food Consumed

1989 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 457-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Boisclair ◽  
W. C. Leggett
Keyword(s):  
Water Temperature ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Prey Type ◽  
Population Variability ◽  
Fish Growth ◽  
Growth Variability

We assessed the relationship between in situ fish growth and food consumption for a series of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) populations that exhibited a 1.8 to 10-fold range in growth rates on a weight basis. Perch from 12 populations (lakes) and three year–classes (I +, II +, and III +) were sampled at 3–4 wk intervals from late May to late September 1985. On each occasion, water temperature profile and daily ration were determined. Among-lake water temperature differences were minimal (of the 12 lakes studied 10 had mean water temperatures of 19.0 ± 1 °C) and could not explain growth differences. Food consumption covered a four-fold range within each age–class and varied significantly among populations but not among age–classes. Food consumption explained a significant proportion of among-population variability in perch growth rates only for age I + fish (r2 = 0.52). We argue that other factors such as prey type, prey availability, and fish community descriptors are important determinants of among-population growth variability in the lakes we studied, and by implication, in other systems.

Among-Population Variability of Fish Growth: II. Influence of Prey Type.

1989 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 468-482 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Boisclair ◽  
W. C. Leggett
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rates ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Prey Type ◽  
Growth Efficiency ◽  
Population Variability ◽  
Fish Growth ◽  
Percent Contribution ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Taxonomic Groups ◽  
The Relationship

We tested the significance of the relationship between in situ growth and several diet descriptors using 12 yellow perch (Perca flavescens) populations that varied widely in growth rates. In addition, we tested the assumption of optimal foraging theory that mean prey size is an important regulator of fish growth. The percent contribution of four prey taxonomic groups and six prey size–classes (alone or combined with food consumption estimates) explained between 41 and 95% of among-population variability in growth rates or growth efficiency. We found no significant relationship between growth rates or growth efficiency and mean prey weight. We observed a pattern suggesting the existence of an optimal prey size for (1 mg dry weight) age I + and age II + fish, when the percent contribution of specific prey taxonomic groups or size–classes to the diet was assessed. This pattern was not apparent in the relationship between growth and the mean weight of prey consumed. The energetic advantage of feeding on a given prey type is believed to be related to its low cost/benefit ratio while foraging. Our data indicate that interactions between prey availability (index of searching component of foraging cost) and prey size (index of handling component of foraging cost) are more effectively represented by the percent contribution of a given prey type to the diet than by the mean weight of prey consumed. Our analyses lead us to conclude that the probability of deriving broadly applicable models explaining among-population variability in fish growth rates based on mean prey weight is very low.

Among-Population Variability of Fish Growth: III. Influence of Fish Community

1989 ◽  
Vol 46 (9) ◽  
pp. 1539-1550 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Boisclair ◽  
W. C. Leggett
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rates ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Fish Community ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Average Density ◽  
Population Variability ◽  
Fish Growth ◽  
Taxonomic Groups ◽  
Food Consumed

We assessed the relationship between in situ fish growth and fish community descriptors in 12 yellow perch (Perca flavescens) populations that exhibited a 1.8 to 10-fold range in growth rates depending on age class. Data on the quantity and quality of food consumed were used to assess the mechanisms by which fish community composition influences in situ growth rates. Among-population variability in growth rates of the 12 perch populations was most strongly and consistently explained by the average density of the total fish community and/or the average density of cyprinids. A multivariate model involving fish average density and perch feeding levels explained 90% of the variance in perch growth. Perch growth rates decreased as fish average density increased (r2 = 0.60) and increased as feeding levels increased (r2 = 0.30). We found no significant relationship between the quantity of food consumed by perch and fish average density. The percent contribution of prey taxonomic groups to perch diet was not related to fish average density. We suggest that nonexploitative interactions (operating through increased activity costs) provides a more credible explanation for the negative relationship between perch growth and fish average density than does exploitative competition (decreased total quantities of food consumed or prey quality).

scholarly journals Development of a foraging model framework to reliably estimate daily food consumption by young fishes

2017 ◽  
Vol 74 (10) ◽  
pp. 1668-1681 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Deslauriers ◽  
Alex J. Rosburg ◽  
Steven R. Chipps
Keyword(s):  
Water Temperature ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Prey Density ◽  
Handling Time ◽  
Prey Type ◽  
Daily Consumption ◽  
Model Framework ◽  
Fish Feeding ◽  
Daily Food Consumption ◽  
Daily Food

We developed a foraging model for young fishes that incorporates handling and digestion rate to estimate daily food consumption. Feeding trials were used to quantify functional feeding response, satiation, and gut evacuation rate. Once parameterized, the foraging model was then applied to evaluate effects of prey type, prey density, water temperature, and fish size on daily feeding rate by age-0 (19–70 mm) pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus). Prey consumption was positively related to prey density (for fish >30 mm) and water temperature, but negatively related to prey size and the presence of sand substrate. Model evaluation results revealed good agreement between observed estimates of daily consumption and those predicted by the model (r2 = 0.95). Model simulations showed that fish feeding on Chironomidae or Ephemeroptera larvae were able to gain mass, whereas fish feeding solely on zooplankton lost mass under most conditions. By accounting for satiation and digestive processes in addition to handling time and prey density, the model provides realistic estimates of daily food consumption that can prove useful for evaluating rearing conditions for age-0 fishes.

Variability in First-Year Growth of Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens): Predictions from a Simple Model, Observations, and an Experiment

1994 ◽  
Vol 51 (11) ◽  
pp. 2501-2512 ◽  
Author(s):  
John R. Post ◽  
Donald J. McQueen
Keyword(s):  
Simple Model ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Zooplankton Community ◽  
Prey Abundance ◽  
First Year ◽  
Growth Variability

First-year growth of yellow perch, Perca flavescens, varies by greater than an order of magnitude among populations and among cohorts within populations. The variability in growth rates of natural and enclosure-reared young-of-the-year yellow perch could be explained by the availability of benthic and/or plank-tonic prey (R2 = 0.093–0.098). Mean annual water temperature and cumulative degree-days did not add to the explanatory power of the relationships. The faster growing natural cohorts included more benthos in their diet; however, benthos is not necessary to sustain the highest growth rates because the fastest growth rates were observed in enclosure cohorts that lacked benthic invertebrates. Cohorts in lakes and enclosures that had a high proportion of Daphnia in the zooplankton community also supported higher first-year growth rates. The results of the enclosure experiment suggest that the dominant mechanism creating growth variability is density-dependent intra-age-class competition. Our empirical results, when coupled with a simple model, suggest that the assumption of a negative relationship between energetic costs of foraging and prey abundance, on a daily time scale, is the most appropriate because it acts to amplify growth variability across ranges of prey abundance.

Influence of Prey Type on Growth of Young Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens)

1987 ◽  
Vol 44 (11) ◽  
pp. 2028-2033 ◽  
Author(s):  
John L. Confer ◽  
Gary J. Lake
Keyword(s):  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Prey Type ◽  
Equal Mass ◽  
Fish Growth ◽  
Oneida Lake ◽  
Species Mixture ◽  
Diet Type

Growth of age 0 + yellow perch (Perca flavescens) fed different zooplankton diets was examined in the laboratory during June and July 1983. Fish were fed an equal mass of diet types that varied with respect to prey species, mean length of the same prey species, and species mixture. Fish consumed all prey within 4 h of feeding. In four trials the ranking of diet type by fish growth was always Diaptomus sicilis > Oneida Lake tow sample > Daphnia spp. Differences in fish growth frequently varied by 50–300%. These differences suggest that nutritional processes, such as digestion or assimilation, will influence the optimal prey selection for, at least, small zooplanktivorous fish.

Metabolic Allometry of Larval and Juvenile Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens): In Situ Estimates and Bioenergetic Models

1990 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 554-560 ◽  
Author(s):  
John R. Post
Keyword(s):  
Food Consumption ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Juvenile Fish ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Growth Dynamics ◽  
Model Simulations ◽  
Consumption Rates ◽  
Young Of The Year

Measurements of in situ food consumption and growth rates of young-of-the-year (YOY) yellow perch, Perca flavescens, indicated that extrapolations of the metabolic allometry of adult perch to larval and juvenile perch were inappropriate. YOY active metabolism had the same weight dependent slope as adults but was 4.4 times adult standard respiration. Adult active respiration is typically 1–2 times standard. YOY consumption rates were also higher than predicted from adult allometry. Model simulations demonstrate that consumption and growth dynamics of larval and juvenile fish are more sensitive to variation in temperature and prey availability than are adults.

scholarly journals Oversummer growth and survival of juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) across a natural gradient of stream water temperature and prey availability: an in situ enclosure experiment

2020 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 413-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. Lusardi ◽  
Bruce G. Hammock ◽  
Carson A. Jeffres ◽  
Randy A. Dahlgren ◽  
Joseph D. Kiernan
Keyword(s):  
Water Temperature ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Coho Salmon ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Stream Water ◽  
Oncorhynchus Kisutch ◽  
Thermal Conditions ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Growth And Survival

Conservation efforts for Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) increasingly prioritize maintenance of cool water temperatures that protect all freshwater life stages. However, development of appropriate temperature standards requires a robust understanding of the interactions among water temperature, ecosystem productivity, and fish performance. We used a series of in situ enclosures to examine how natural spatiotemporal gradients in thermal conditions and prey availability affected the summer growth and survival of age-0+ coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). Coho salmon absolute growth rates peaked at a mean daily average water temperature (mean T) of 16.6 °C and an associated maximum weekly maximum temperature (MWMT) of 21.1 °C. Juvenile growth under these thermal conditions was sixfold greater than the growth rates observed for conspecifics rearing in the coolest study reach (mean T = 13.0 °C; MWMT = 16.0 °C). Even at the highest rearing temperature (mean T = 18.1 °C; MWMT = 24.0 °C), growth rates remained positive and above the study-wide average, although overall survival was reduced. Among the predictor variables examined, invertebrate prey abundance was the predominant factor influencing age-0+ coho salmon growth. These results suggest that abundant prey resources may mitigate the negative effects of elevated water temperature on fish growth in riverine environments. Given the likelihood of increasing stream temperatures with climate change, productive ecosystems may provide critical refuges for juvenile salmonids.

scholarly journals Do models parameterized with observations from the system predict larval yellow perch (Perca flavescens) growth performance better in Lake Erie?

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-94
Author(s):  
Jose R. Marin Jarrin ◽  
Timothy B. Johnson ◽  
Stuart A. Ludsin ◽  
Julie M. Reichert ◽  
Kevin L. Pangle
Keyword(s):  
Growth Performance ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Larval Growth ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Mechanistic Modeling ◽  
Fish Growth ◽  
Western Lake ◽  
Western Lake Erie

Growth performance can influence survival during early life. As such, a range of statistical to mechanistic modeling approaches has been used to predict growth performance, with few studies evaluating prediction accuracy. We tested the ability of three models to estimate observed larval yellow perch (Perca flavescens) growth and length in western Lake Erie (United States – Canada). We found that a general linear model developed using yellow perch data from western Lake Erie performed best followed closely by a semimechanistic individual-based model (IBM) specific to Lake Erie yellow perch and worse by a general multispecies IBM. We suspect that the statistical model performed better because, unlike IBMs, it does not require prey availability data, probably poorly represented by zooplankton samples, and because the IBMs are imperfectly parameterized. Our findings indicate that caution should be exercised when using general IBMs given that the models parameterized with observations from the system of interest outperformed the general IBM in providing accurate fish growth and length estimates, pointing to the need for research that can improve existing mechanism-based models of larval growth.

scholarly journals Managed Wetlands Can Benefit Juvenile Chinook Salmon in a Tidal Marsh

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole M. Aha ◽  
Peter B. Moyle ◽  
Nann A. Fangue ◽  
Andrew L. Rypel ◽  
John R. Durand
Keyword(s):  
San Francisco ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Chinook Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha ◽  
Nursery Habitat ◽  
San Francisco Estuary ◽  
Rice Fields ◽  
Fish Growth ◽  
Juvenile Chinook Salmon ◽  
Juvenile Chinook

AbstractLoss of estuarine and coastal habitats worldwide has reduced nursery habitat and function for diverse fishes, including juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Underutilized off-channel habitats such as flooded rice fields and managed ponds present opportunities for improving rearing conditions and increasing habitat diversity along migratory corridors. While experiments in rice fields have shown enhanced growth rates of juvenile fishes, managed ponds are less studied. To evaluate the potential of these ponds as a nursery habitat, juvenile Chinook salmon (~ 2.8 g, 63 mm FL) were reared in cages in four contrasting locations within Suisun Marsh, a large wetland in the San Francisco Estuary. The locations included a natural tidal slough, a leveed tidal slough, and the inlet and outlet of a tidally muted managed pond established for waterfowl hunting. Fish growth rates differed significantly among locations, with the fastest growth occurring near the outlet in the managed pond. High zooplankton biomass at the managed pond outlet was the best correlate of salmon growth. Water temperatures in the managed pond were also cooler and less variable compared to sloughs, reducing thermal stress. The stress of low dissolved oxygen concentrations within the managed pond was likely mediated by high concentrations of zooplankton and favorable temperatures. Our findings suggest that muted tidal habitats in the San Francisco Estuary and elsewhere could be managed to promote growth and survival of juvenile salmon and other native fishes.

Retardation and Recovery of Growth in Brook Trout Fry (Salvelinus fontinalis) Exposed for Various Durations to Acidified Water

1986 ◽  
Vol 43 (10) ◽  
pp. 2048-2050 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. H. Tam ◽  
P. D. Payson ◽  
R. J. J. Roy
Keyword(s):  
Growth Inhibition ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Brook Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Fontinalis ◽  
Low Ph ◽  
Fish Growth ◽  
Control Fish ◽  
Treated Fish ◽  
Test Fish ◽  
Neutral Water

Brook trout fry (Salvelinus fontinalis) were exposed to pH 4.66 for various durations up to 141 d and then returned to neutral water. Growth of test fish was in general significantly lower than that of control fish for exposures up to days 45–78. In four of six groups of acid-treated fish, growth eventually recovered and the growth rates were not different from that of control fish. The results suggested that growth inhibition was induced early in the exposure to sublethally low pH and that recovery in the latter phase of the experiment occurred whether pH remained acidic or was readjusted to neutral.

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