Life Sciences Commons^™

Climate-Driven Impacts On Himalayan Aquatic Biodiversity: A Case Study Involving Snowtrout (Cyprinidae: Schizothorax), Riri Wiyanti Retnaningtyas

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Monitoring biodiversity, to include its relative dispersal and contraction, has become a conservation task of great importance, particularly given the catastrophic and ongoing loss of habitat due to climate change. However, the timing, direction, and magnitude of these rates vary across taxa and ecosystems. Predicting specific impacts of climate change can thus be difficult and this, in turn, hampers management action. Metrics are needed to not only quantify contemporary requirements of species, but also predict potential distributions that fluctuate in lockstep with climate.

Montane ecosystems in the Himalayas are highly impacted by climate change, yet remain largely understudied due to …

Feasibility Of Custom Aquaponics For Home Use, Jesse Blanchard

Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Undergraduate Honors Theses

The primary goal of this research is to access the feasibility of implementing and operating small scale aquaponic systems in a home setting to serve as a means of producing high quality fresh produce and fish protein to supplement similar store-bought products. Factors such as system cost, skill level and management requirements will be addressed alongside customizable, educational and sustainable aspects of aquaponic systems to determine whether home aquaponic systems are a feasible option for the home grower. To elaborate, feasibility in this research will refer to both economic costs relative to costs of the system. Outlined in this short …

Managing Lake Fertility Within The Guidelines Of A Nutrient Management Plan And Based On Algal Nutrient Limitation, Bradley J. Austin, J. Thad Scott, Brian E. Haggard

Technical Reports

The specific objectives were to first, monitor nutrients, algal biomass, and water clarity in lakes Cove, Spring, and Wedington. Second, evaluate whether algal growth in each of the lakes was limited by N, P, or both N and P. This research was conducted to help USFS better manage lake fertilization to maximize algal growth and improve the fisheries within these lakes.

Parasites Of The Spotted Sucker, Minytrema Melanops (Cypriniformes: Catostomidae) From Arkansas And Oklahoma, Chris T. Mcallister, Donald G. Cloutman, Anindo Choudhury, Tomas Scholz, Stanley E. Trauth, Thomas J. Fayton, Henry W. Robison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

During October 2015, March and April 2016 and again between March and April 2017, 15 Spotted Sucker (Minytrema melanops) were collected from sites in the Ouachita (n = 5), Red (n = 1), and St. Francis (n = 5) river drainages, Arkansas, and the Arkansas River drainage, Oklahoma (n = 4), and examined for protozoan and metazoan parasites. Found were Calyptospora sp., Myxobolus sp., Pseudomurraytrema alabarrum, Biacetabulum banghami, Penarchigetes oklensis, and Acanthocephalus sp. New host and distributional records are documented for these parasites.

Additional Records Of Acanthocephalan Parasites From Arkansas Fishes, With New Records From Missouri Fishes, Chris T. Mcallister, Michael A. Barger, Henry W. Robison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Over the last decade, our research consortium has provided information on acanthocephalan parasites of Arkansas vertebrates, including records from some of the state’s fishes. Here, we continue to provide data on new geographic and new host records of acanthocephalans from Arkansas fishes. In addition, for the first time, we report records of acanthocephalans for some Missouri fishes. We document 2 new state records as well as 10 new host records for some fish acanthocephalans.

Anatomical Distribution Of Clinostomum Metacercariae In The Tissues Of Pond-Raised Channel Catfish (Ictaluris Puctatus), J. Singleton, James J. Daly Sr., K. Wagner

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Interactive Effects Of Flow Regime, Climate Change, And Angler Harvest On Smallmouth Bass At The Southern Range Extent, Christopher Middaugh

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Ozark-Ouachita Interior Highlands of Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri are the southern extent of native Smallmouth Bass Micropterus dolomieu range. Smallmouth Bass are an important species economically and ecologically, but it is unknown how climate change may affect them in this region and in particular how Smallmouth Bass may be affected differently across streams from various flow regimes. Here I present three projects investigating how climate change, flow regime, and angler harvest may interact to affect Smallmouth Bass over the coming century. I first modeled present and future water temperatures and calculated growth rate potential for Smallmouth Bass from streams …

Production Of A Soybean Meal With High-Protein And Low Anti-Nutritional Factors For Fish Feed, Maria De Las Mercedes Castro

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Aquaculture is one of the fastest growing areas of the food production system. According to the FAO, its rise is expected to continue through the year 2030 in order to maintain per-capita consumption levels required for the increasing population. Fishmeal--obtained from wild-harvested fish--has been the source of protein for fish feed. However, data indicates that these fish harvests are in decline, which could restrain that growth. The possibility of a shortage of fishmeal prompted the industry to look into possible alternatives. Soybean meal appears as a promising substitute since it is an affordable high quality source of protein. However, the …

Walmart's Sustainability Journey: Peter Redmond And The Search For Sustainable Seafood, David G. Hyatt

Wal-Mart Sustainability Case Project

In “Peter Redmond and the Search for Sustainable Seafood,” students examine the responses of Peter Redmond, Vice President and Divisional Merchandise Manager of Deli and Seafood, to organizational pressures to make seafood more sustainable at Walmart.

Habitat Modeling Of Three Endemic Crayfish Species In The Black River Drainage Of Missouri And Arkansas: Factors Affecting Distribution And Abundance, Matthew Stephen Nolen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Ozark faunal region of Missouri and Arkansas harbors a high level of aquatic biological diversity, especially in regards to endemic crayfish. Orconectes eupunctus, Orconectes marchandi, and Cambarus hubbsi are three such endemics that are threatened by a limited natural distribution and the invasions of Orconectes neglectus. I sought to determine how natural and anthropogenic factors influence these three species across multiple spatial scales. Local and landscape data were used in decision tree analyses (CART) to determine their influence effect on presence/absence and density of the three species. Predictive models were validated using k-fold cross validation. O. eupunctus presence was …

Letter From The Dean, Lalit Verma

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Identification Of Florida Largemouth Bass Alleles In Arkansas Public And Private Aquaculture Ponds, Ronald L. Johnson, Randall Staley

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The Florida subspecies of the largemouth bass (LMB) has often been introduced into waters outside of its range, with escape of individuals into associated waterways common. Sustaining pure lines within controlled hatchery settings is also difficult. The present study investigated LMB populations by way of allozyme analysis of three diagnostic loci of 115 LMB in three public and seven private aquaculture ponds within Arkansas. The goal was to determine the success of hatcheries in maintaining pure subspecies. None of the pond populations studied were fixed for all alleles. Private ponds had northern LMB allele frequencies of up to 0.40 in …

Spawning Frequency And Fecundity Of Blue Tilapia, Thomas J. Aureli, Les Torrans

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Recent Collections Of Fishes From The Spring River Drainage In Northeast Arkansas, Steve C. Baker, Michael L. Armstrong

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Blue Tilapia/Channel Catfish Polyculture On Production, Food Conversion, Water Quality And Channel Catfish Off-Flavor, Les Torrans, Fran Lowell

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) monoculture ponds stocked with 10,000/ha of mixed- size catfish were compared to ponds stocked additionally with blue tilapia (Tilapia aurea). Ponds stocked with 5000/ha young-of-the-year blue tilapia produced 236 kg/ha less catfish, but tilapia biomass increased by 1020 kg/ha, averaging 233 g/fish. Ponds stocked with sexually mature tilapia in Aprilto provide forage to the catfish had increased catfish production but a poorer food conversion radio. Ponds stocked with sexually mature tilapia in June or July had catfish production and FCR's similar to the controls. Dissolved oxygen was significantly lower than the controls in all polyculture treatments. …

Efficiency Of Different Storage Methods For Preserving Lake Trout (Salvelinus Namacush) Eye Tissue, Basil L. Joiner, Joseph R. Sylvester, Harold L. Kincard

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Usefulness Of Microfiche Reader/Printer For Studying Fish Species, Raj V. Kilambi, Marvin L. Galloway

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of A Fin Ray Scarring Technique For Individually Marking Fish, Les Torrans, Fran Lowell, Howard Clemens

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Stunting On The Growth Of Blue Tilapia (Tilapia Aurea, Cichlidae), Les Torrans, Fran Lowell

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Report On Fish Collections From The Ouachita River Basin, Arkansas, John A. Baker

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Collections of fishes were made throughout the Ouachita River system of southern Arkansas during July and August 1983. Seventeen sites were sampled using boat arid backpack electroshocker, experimental gill nets, hoop nets, and seines. A total of 8011 fish representing 79 species and one hybrid combination was taken in the study. Comments are presented on the distribution, habitat, and ecology of fishes collected.

Effects Of Temperature And Crowding On The Pathogenicity Of Edwardsiella Ictaluri In Channel Catfish (Ictalurus Punctatus), Sharon L. Johnson, Lawrence W. Hinck

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Channel catfish were injected with Edwardsiella ictaluri and stocked at increasing temperatures and densities. Bacteriological examination of kidney, liver and spleen revealed the greatest numbers of organisms in fish from the highest temperature and stocking density tested. Survival time was the shortest for fish held at the highest temperature and stocking density. Increased temperature and crowding were directly proportional to the number of organisms recovered from the organs and inversely proportional to fish survival time.

Effects Of Commercial Fish Removal On Sport Fish Populations In Two Arkansas Reservoirs, Tommie Crawford

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Commercial netting occurred October through April, 1971-1976 on Nimrod Lake and from October through April, 1973-1977 on Blue Mountain Lake in west central Arkansas. Using 7.6 cm or larger mesh gill and/or trammel nets, commercial fishermen harvested commercial fishes (buffalofishes [Ictiobus spp.]; common carp [Cyprinus carpio], carpsuckers [Carpiodes spp.]; drum [Aplodinotus grunniens]; gars [Lepisosteus spp.]; suckers [Catostomidae); and catfishes [Ictalurus spp. and Pylodictis olivaris]). During the study period, cove rotenone samples were conducted on an annual basis. Fishes collected were placed into age classes and enumerated. Data were then grouped into general categories (black basses [Micropterus spp], crappie [Pomoxis spp.], …

Temperature Preference And Tolerance Of Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon Idella), Marvin L. Galloway, Raj V. Kilambi

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Grass carp, acclimated at 24 °C, were tested for temperature preference in a laboratory, horizontal gradient tank. After a 6-day period of exploration the grass carp gravitated to a final thermal preferendum of 35 °C. In the temperature tolerance test the ultimate upper incipient lethal temperature (TL50), was estimated as 41.5°C. The results are compared to those of a similar study with hybrid carp (female grass carp x male bighead carp).

Effect Of Edwardsiella Ictaluri Infection On Plasma Corticosterone Levels In Channel Catfish (Ictalurus Punctatus), Janice L. Cooper, Stanley N. David, John K. Beadles

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) were innoculated with a new host specific bacterium, Edwardsiella ictaluri, to observe the influence of bacterial infection on plasma corticosterone levels at various temperatures. The fish were innoculated intraperitoneally. The infected fish were separated from the controls. Plasma corticosterone concentrations were determined by radioimmunoassay. The plasma corticosterone concentrations in non-innoculated catfish were about 6.15 ng/ml and nearly 5.63 ng/ml in the infected fish. The lower level of the hormone in the infected catfish was not significantly different from the control level. High temperature was a stress factor which increased plasma corticosterone levels whereas E. ictaluri retarded …

Water Quality In The Gillham Lake-Cossatot River System During Dry And Wet Periods, Stephen B. Smith, Thomas E. Moen

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Water samples were collected in the Cossatot River-Gillham Lake system during an extended dry period and after heavy rains to determine the spatial variations in certain water quality characteristics. Of particular interest was the influence of the reservoir discharge on the water quality of the tailwater compared with the effects of four tributaries entering the tailwater below the reservoir. The water quality of the Cossatot River below Gillham Lake at low-flow (dry periods) and during the first 3 days after heavy rainfall (wet period) was influenced more by the tributaries entering the tailwater than by the reservoir water release. We …

Comparison Of Two Year Classes Of Hybrid Grass Carp And Grass Carp For Aquatic Plant Control, Mike Freeze, Scott Henderson

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Two year classes of grass carp and F, hybrids resulting from bighead carp male x grass carp female were compared at various stocking densities for aquatic plant control. One and two year old grass carp exhibited higher survival rates and better growth rates than the same age hybrid grass carp. The presence of grass carp or hybrid grass carp decreased both Secchi disc transparencies and dissolved oxygen values. Grass carp had a greater negative effect upon these measurements because they removed the vegetation quicker than the hybrid grass carp. These apparent detrimental effects on water quality are necessary trade-offs for …

Size Variation Of Ungraded And Graded Channel Catfish Reared In Cages, Donald C. Greenland, Walter R. Robison, Scott H. Newton

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Graded and ungraded channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) fingerlings stocked in three partitioned floating cages were reared for 140 days during the summer, 1982. Fish were fed to satiation once daily with a commercial pelleted ration. At harvest, graded fish averaged 403 g and ungraded 362 g. Coefficients of variation indicated graded fish were more uniform in size and a significantly greater proportion of the graded fish were of salable size (> 340 g).

Evaluation Of A Frame Trawl And Tucker Trawl For Sampling Young-Of-The-Year Fish, Michael R. Dewey, Thomas E. Moen

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Relative efficiencies of two trawls — a 1.88 m² frame trawl and a 2 m² Tucker trawl— were compared for sampling young-of-the-year (YOY) shad, Dorosoma sp., crappies, Promoxis sp., and sunfishes, Lepomis sp. Seven tests with six replicate hauls for each net in each test were analyzed by non-parametric techniques. Relative efficiency ratios, calculated from mean density estimates, were compared. The Tucker trawl was the more efficient for sampling YOY shad, its relative efficiency increasing as shad length increased. Results for the other two taxa were less consistent. The larger size range of YOY shad captured compared with the size …

Spawning The Grass Carp Female X Bighead Carp Male, Mike Freeze, Scott Henderson

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Methods and procedures for artificially spawning the female grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) X male bighead carp (Aristichthys nobilis) are presented. Broodstock selection and treatment, hormone injections, ovulation, fertilization, hatching techniques and stocking rates are discussed. This paper outlines the procedures necessary to successfully produce hybrid grass carp

Selection Of Scales For Growth Analysis Of Largemouth Bass, Donald C. Jackson, Raj V. Kilambi

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Scales from four regions of the body of largemouth bass were compared for efficacy in estimating fish length at the time of scale formation and at capture. The scales from above and below the lateral line in the pectoral and caudal peduncle regions yielded intercepts of 64.73, 52.36, 19.77 and 25.81 respectively for the total length-scale radius relationship. These intercept values represent the fish length at the time of scale formation. By the regression of estimated lengths at capture on empirical lengths it was found that the caudal peduncle scales were better suited in predicting fish length.