Drift Dynamics of Larval Pallid Sturgeon and Shovelnose Sturgeon in a Natural Side Channel of the Upper Missouri River, Montana

2008 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 808-826 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick J. Braaten ◽  
David B. Fuller ◽  
Landon D. Holte ◽  
Ryan D. Lott ◽  
William Viste ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Missouri River ◽  
Side Channel ◽  
Shovelnose Sturgeon ◽  
Pallid Sturgeon

scholarly journals Size-Dependent Trophic Patterns of Pallid Sturgeon and Shovelnose Sturgeon in a Large River System

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
William E. French ◽  
Brian D. S. Graeb ◽  
Katie N. Bertrand ◽  
Steven R. Chipps ◽  
Robert A. Klumb
Keyword(s):  
South Dakota ◽  
Trophic Position ◽  
Fork Length ◽  
Missouri River ◽  
River System ◽  
Large River ◽  
Diet Shift ◽  
Fish Prey ◽  
Shovelnose Sturgeon ◽  
Pallid Sturgeon

Abstract This study compared patterns of δ15N and δ13C enrichment of pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus and shovelnose sturgeon S. platorynchus in the Missouri River, United States, to infer their trophic position in a large river system. We examined enrichment and energy flow for pallid sturgeon in three segments of the Missouri River (Montana/North Dakota, Nebraska/South Dakota, and Nebraska/Iowa) and made comparisons between species in the two downstream segments (Nebraska/South Dakota and Nebraska/Iowa). Patterns in isotopic composition for pallid sturgeon were consistent with gut content analyses indicating an ontogenetic diet shift from invertebrates to fish prey at sizes of >500-mm fork length (FL) in all three segments of the Missouri River. Isotopic patterns revealed shovelnose sturgeon did not experience an ontogenetic shift in diet and used similar prey resources as small (<500-mm FL) pallid sturgeon in the two downstream segments. We found stable isotope analysis to be an effective tool for evaluating the trophic position of sturgeons within a large river food web.

Establishing ecologically relevant management boundaries: linking movement ecology with the conservation ofScaphirhynchussturgeon

2016 ◽  
Vol 73 (6) ◽  
pp. 877-884 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony P. Porreca ◽  
William D. Hintz ◽  
Gregory W. Whitledge ◽  
Neil P. Rude ◽  
Edward J. Heist ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Environmental History ◽  
Mississippi River ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Missouri River ◽  
Shovelnose Sturgeon ◽  
Ecological Requirements ◽  
Pallid Sturgeon

We investigated the environmental life history of widely distributed threatened and endangered sturgeons in large rivers of the central United States that experience different regulatory regimes and management priorities. Using microchemistry techniques, our goal was to assess how to improve species conservation by dampening the incongruity that often occurs between management and species’ ecological requirements, particularly at large spatial scales. Pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus), shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus), and their hybrids were analyzed for88Sr and44Ca and related to a geographically relevant range of Sr:Ca values for the Missouri and Mississippi rivers to quantify large-scale environmental history. We found natal origin of 81% of all wild sturgeon collected was the lower Missouri River. Pallid and hybrid sturgeon used the middle and upper Mississippi rivers more frequently as they aged, whereas shovelnose sturgeon occupied the lower Missouri River more often throughout life. Our results highlight a mismatch between conservation boundaries and sturgeon river use. Managers should consider expanding current protections for pallid sturgeon to include the unprotected sections of the Mississippi River and that research and conservation actions consider the importance of Mississippi River habitats to Scaphirhynchus sturgeon throughout their life history. Our findings have implications for conserving wide-ranging riverine species at large spatial scales using the framework described here.

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