Trophic interactions between yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and their benthic prey in a littoral zone community

1998 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan E Cobb ◽  
Mary C Watzin
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rates ◽  
Benthic Community ◽  
Littoral Zone ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Resource Limitation ◽  
Fish Predation ◽  
High Density ◽  
Density Treatment ◽  
Benthic Prey

Yellow perch (Perca flavescens) growth rates in northern Lake Champlain have declined in recent years while densities have increased, suggesting resource limitation. At high densities, predators have the potential to influence prey communities, but these effects can be highly complex. Using in situ mesh cages in an unmanipulated littoral zone setting, we examined the effects of two densities (0.5 and 1.5/m2) of yellow perch on (i) their growth and (ii) the abundance of major prey groups in the benthic community. Yellow perch growth rates were significantly lower in the high-density treatment than in the low-density treatment. Because site characteristics were not manipulated, measured covariates reflecting sediment and vegetation variation between cages were used to help clarify treatment effects on benthos. Fish predation on invertebrate prey was significant only in the high-density predator treatment for three of the six prey groups examined (predatory chironomids, prey chironomids, and isopods). For this littoral zone community, availability and abundance of benthic prey strongly influenced yellow perch growth rates; but the effect of yellow perch predation on benthic community structure was only moderate.

Changes in the Benthic Community of a Small Precambrian Lake following the Introduction of Yellow Perch, Perca flavescens

1984 ◽  
Vol 41 (10) ◽  
pp. 1496-1501 ◽  
Author(s):  
John R. Post ◽  
Dan Cucin
Keyword(s):  
Benthic Community ◽  
Littoral Zone ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Fish Predation ◽  
Density Data ◽  
Lake Algonquin ◽  
Benthic Biomass ◽  
One Year

The introduction and proliferation of yellow perch, Perca flavescens, in Little Minnow Lake, Algonquin Park, Ontario, resulted in changes in biomass and size structure of the benthic community. Biomass, mean organism weight, and density data are presented for nine groups of benthic macroinvertebrates for two years before and one year after perch introduction. An approximately 60% reduction in total benthic biomass and an approximately 50% reduction in mean weights occurred in the littoral zone after perch introduction. Vertically migrating profundal benthos showed an approximately 30–60% reduction in mean organism weight but no significant change in biomass. We conclude that fish predation can significantly alter species composition, skew size structure towards smaller invertebrates, and reduce total benthic biomass.

Branching complexity and morphological characteristics of coarse woody structure as lacustrine fish habitat

2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (9) ◽  
pp. 2110-2123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael G Newbrey ◽  
Michael A Bozek ◽  
Martin J Jennings ◽  
James E Cook
Keyword(s):  
Littoral Zone ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Fish Habitat ◽  
Lepomis Macrochirus ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Smallmouth Bass ◽  
Micropterus Dolomieu ◽  
Rock Bass ◽  
Ambloplites Rupestris

The objective of this study was to quantify the physical characteristics of coarse woody structure (CWS) as fish habitat in a north temperate lake. Sixteen species of fish were observed in submerged CWS habitat. Branching complexity, distance above the bole, area below the bole, distance to other CWS, and water depth around CWS were significantly related to abundance of schooling cyprinids (Cyprinidae), rock bass (Ambloplites rupestris), smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), yellow perch (Perca flavescens), and walleye (Sander vitreus). Branching complexity was the most common characteristic of CWS related to richness, diversity, and total adult abundance of fish taxa, but was not correlated with the total lengths of fish found in submerged trees. Branching-complexity values ranged from 1 (simple) to 500 (moderately complex) in the littoral zone; for comparison, a living riparian conifer had a branching-complexity value of over 1000. Most CWS in the littoral zone was composed of simple trees without branching, but fish tended to inhabit CWS with branching-complexity values greater than 45. This study shows the importance of CWS with fine branching as littoral-zone fish habitat.

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.

Changes in Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) Populations of Lake Michigan, 1954–75

1977 ◽  
Vol 34 (10) ◽  
pp. 1821-1829 ◽  
Author(s):  
LaRue Wells
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Lake Michigan ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Commercial Production ◽  
Alosa Pseudoharengus ◽  
Exploitation Competition ◽  
Sport Fishery ◽  
High Production

In the early and mid-1960s the abundance of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) in Lake Michigan declined abruptly. The decline began in the northern part of the lake and spread progressively southward. Circumstantial evidence suggests that the nonnative alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), by interfering with perch reproduction, was the primary cause of the decline. The alewife was first reported in northeastern Lake Michigan in 1949, and had become extremely abundant throughout the lake before an enormous die-off in 1967 reduced its numbers by an estimated 70%. An intensive fishery hastened the decline of perch. In most areas the decline was immediately preceded by a period of conspicuously high commercial production. This high production appears to have been related in part to increased growth rates of perch resulting from much lower density of younger fish. A sport fishery for perch in shallow water collapsed a few years before the species declined in abundance. The most logical explanation is that heavy concentrations of alewives physically displaced the perch from nearshore areas. Although perch populations increased in some areas in the 1970s, a full recovery is unlikely unless alewife numbers are further reduced. Key words: Percidae, Lake Michigan, Perca, population dynamics, exploitation, competition

Effect of Walleye (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum) Predation on Juvenile Mortality and Recruitment of Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) in Oneida Lake, New York

1980 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larry A. Nielsen
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Fish Predation ◽  
Frequency Of Occurrence ◽  
Juvenile Mortality ◽  
Oneida Lake ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
Class Strength ◽  
Lines Of Evidence

The abundance of 12 year-classes of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) in Oneida Lake, New York, was estimated at intervals between ages 0 and II from catch and area swept by trawls. Rankings of abundance of year-classes changed between the ends of the first and third growing seasons, suggesting that ultimate year-class strength was influenced strongly by mortality of age I and II fish. Predation by walleyes was probably the principal cause of mortality of age I and II perch. Although frequency of occurrence of age I and II perch in stomachs of walleyes was low, several lines of evidence suggested that density of juvenile perch also was low and that walleyes consumed a large proportion of each perch cohort. Rates of mortality were modified by perch length, perch density, and density of age 0 perch, all of which relate to intensity of walleye predation.Key words: yellow perch, walleye; mortality, predation; Oneida Lake

Comparison of activity rates of 1+ yellow perch (Perca flavescens) from populations of contrasting growth rates using underwater video observations

1999 ◽  
Vol 56 (6) ◽  
pp. 1122-1132 ◽  
Author(s):  
N Aubin-Horth ◽  
J Gingras ◽  
D Boisclair
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rates ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Daily Consumption ◽  
Lower Growth ◽  
Average Growth ◽  
Video Observations ◽  
Consumption Rates ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Two Populations

We compared the stereocinematographic (SCG) method to estimate activity rates of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) with the more traditional bioenergetic approach. We also compared activity rates of perch from two populations with contrasting growth rates to test the hypothesis that fish with lower growth rates are characterized by higher activity rates. We attempted to corroborate the SCG method by comparing values of energetic costs obtained with observations of fish movements with estimates obtained using the difference between field-derived consumption and growth rates (bioenergetic method). Independent estimates of consumption and activity rates were obtained for Lakes Hertel (average growth = 172 J·day-1) and Memphremagog (average growth = 595 J·day-1). Daily consumption rates averaged 720 J·day-1 in Lake Hertel and 1457 J·day-1 in Lake Memphremagog. SCG and bioenergetic methods provided similar activity estimates for Lake Hertel (<2.5% difference) and diverged by 0.4-82% for Lake Memphremagog depending on initial values of fish weight or consumption inputted in the bioenergetic equation. Regardless of the method employed, activity rates of fish from Lake Hertel were proportionally higher (24% of consumption rates) than those from Lake Memphremagog (on average 13% of consumption rates). Our work supported the suggestion that populations with slower growth rates may be associated with proportionally higher activity rates.

Effect of Competition Between Two Freshwater Fishes on Prey Consumption and Abundance

1986 ◽  
Vol 43 (7) ◽  
pp. 1363-1372 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Mark Hanson ◽  
William C. Leggett
Keyword(s):  
Interspecific Competition ◽  
Intraspecific Competition ◽  
Littoral Zone ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Lepomis Gibbosus ◽  
Fish Biomass ◽  
Gut Fullness ◽  
Total Fish ◽  
Food Consumed

The effect of inter- and intraspecific competition on the type and quantity of food consumed by fish, and on the abundance of macroinvertebrate prey, was examined by manipulating densities of yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) stocked into littoral zone enclosures at levels approximating 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 times the measured total fish biomass on the littoral zone. In intraspecific competition experiments, neither species showed a change in the type of prey eaten (principally macroinvertebrates). The amount of food eaten by yellow perch reared at high (26 g/m2) densities was significantly depressed relative to that of perch reared at low (6.5 g/m2) and natural (13 g/m2) densities. There were no significant differences in the amount of food eaten by pumpkinseed at the three fish densities. The gut fullness of pumpkinseed reared at high densities, however, was biased to a significant but unknown degree by the inclusion of a nonfood item, macrophyte fragments, in the estimates. No other fish consumed macrophytes. In interspecific competition experiments, the gut fullness of yellow perch and pumpkinseed reared together (combined density 13 g/m2) did not differ from that of fish reared alone at low or natural densities. The diet (principally macroinvertebrates) of the superior competitor, pumpkinseed, did not change relative to that of pumpkinseed reared alone. The inferior competitor, yellow perch, exhibited a significant change in diet. Microcrustaceans (an energetically inferior food) comprised 30–53% of the diet (by weight) of yellow perch reared with pumpkinseed compared with < 1% of the diet of perch reared alone. Total macroinvertebrate biomass and abundance were unaffected by differences in fish biomass in the enclosures.

Evidence of density-dependent cohort splitting in age-0 yellow perch, (Perca flavescens): potential behavioural mechanisms and population-level consequences

1997 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 867-875 ◽  
Author(s):  
J R Post ◽  
MRS Johannes ◽  
D J McQueen
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Interference Competition ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Population Level ◽  
High Density ◽  
Spatial Behaviour ◽  
Growth Data ◽  
Density Dependent

Two sequential cohorts of age-0 yellow perch (Perca flavescens), differing approximately threefold in density, were observed for their ontogeny of spatial distribution, growth, and diet in Lake St. George, Ontario. The lower density cohort exhibited typical ontogenetic spatial behaviour patterns consisting of an early pelagic phase followed by a complete migration to the littoral zone by midsummer. The high-density cohort appeared to split into a faster growing littoral component and a slower growing pelagic component which persisted throughout the growing season and into the next spring. The differences in spatial behaviour between these two cohorts could not be explained by spatial patterns in prey availability. The overwinter mortality rate for the high-density cohort was approximately double that observed for the low-density cohort. No direct observations of behaviour were made of the two cohorts, but distribution and growth data, along with arguments from competition theory, support the hypothesis that interference competition is the density-dependent mechanism responsible for the aberrant ontogeny of spatial distribution of the high-density cohort. The occurrence of interference competition in which competitively superior individuals can monopolize optimal habitats, relegating other individuals to suboptimal habitats, infers an asymptotic stock and recruitment relationship.

Ontogenetic Diet Shift in Lake Erie Age-0 Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens): A Size-Related Response to Zooplankton Density

1992 ◽  
Vol 49 (9) ◽  
pp. 1932-1937 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Wu ◽  
David A. Culver
Keyword(s):  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Diet Shift ◽  
Fish Size ◽  
Ontogenetic Diet Shift ◽  
Zooplankton Density ◽  
Benthic Prey

Through field studies, we demonstrated that age-0 yellow perch (Perca flavescens) in western Lake Erie underwent an ontogenetic diet shift from exclusively zooplankton to mainly benthic prey during June through August. This shift coincided with a decline in zooplankton populations in the lake. Further, laboratory experiments on feeding ontogeny suggest that the diet shift was related to fish size. Yellow perch less than 30 mm total length did not consume benthic prey either during the feeding experiments or in the field studies, while fish greater than 50 mm did at low zooplankton densities. Interactions between fish size and zooplankton density, therefore, likely determine the ontogenetic diet shift in young-of-the-year yellow perch. Growth of yellow perch declined following the zooplankton decline. Reduced growth during this life stage may extend the period of vulnerability of yellow perch to its predators, thus reducing survival and, ultimately, recruitment.

scholarly journals Growth rate and abundance of common fishes is negatively related to dissolved organic carbon concentration in lakes

2016 ◽  
Vol 73 (8) ◽  
pp. 1230-1236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre-Olivier Benoît ◽  
Beatrix E. Beisner ◽  
Christopher T. Solomon
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Lake Trout ◽  
Perca Flavescens ◽  
Resource Limitation ◽  
Salvelinus Namaycush ◽  
Early Growth ◽  
Organic Carbon Concentration

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) can limit food web productivity in lakes, potentially imposing resource limitation on fishes. We asked whether the abundance or early growth rate of three fish species was negatively related to DOC in 59 lakes in southern Quebec, Canada, where DOC concentrations ranged from 4 to 16 mg·L−1 for lakes containing walleye (Sander vitreum) and yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and from 2.6 to 9 mg·L−1 for lakes containing lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush). Estimates of abundance and growth rate were more precise for walleye and lake trout than for yellow perch because of differences in sample size. Abundance was negatively related to DOC for walleye and perhaps also for lake trout and yellow perch. Early growth rate was negatively related to DOC for walleye and lake trout, but not for yellow perch. These results support a growing body of literature suggesting that the productivity of fish populations may be negatively related to DOC concentrations in lakes.

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