Life Sciences Commons^™

Estimating Daily Growth Of Age-0 Channel Catfish In A Free-Flowing, Commercially Exploited Midwestern River, Kaleb B. Wood

Masters Theses

The larval stage in fishes is an important stage in the life history, as their survival dictates the ability of the population to sustain itself as an adult population. While there is a plethora of information available for juvenile and adult life stages of Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), very little is understood about their larval life stage. This study sought to determine overall density, growth rates, and size structure of cohorts of age-0 Channel Catfish during a study year on the Wabash River. In 2018, I sampled age-0 Channel Catfish using a benthic trawl from May to September. …

Asian Carp Population Status And Reproductive Potential In Illinois River Tributaries, Clinton Wesley Morgeson

Masters Theses

Large floodplain rivers are among the most complex natural systems characterized by exchange between the river and its floodplain. Information regarding fishes in main channel habitats is abundant, however much less understanding extends into their tributaries. Tributaries of large rivers provide critical habitats for main channel fishes, important for foraging, spawning, and refuge. In addition to native diversity, large rivers are host to multiple exotic species invasions, threatening biodiversity, ecosystem function, and habitat quality. Two notorious invaders are Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and Bighead Carp (H. nobilis), collectively Asian Carp, presenting an imminent threat of invasion …

The Influence Of Environmental Ph And Bicarbonate Concentration On The Excretion Of Nitrogenous Waste Products In Two Species Of Freshwater Teleost, Paul D. Fabsits

Masters Theses

The catabolism of amino acids derived from dietary protein results in the production of ammonia and bicarbonate ion, waste products that an animal must eliminate. Often, animals excrete a nitrogenous waste product that is correlated with water availability: Freshwater fish, living where water is abundant, usually excrete ammonia while terrestrial animals excrete urea or uric acid. Recent studies report that fish inhabiting alkaline waters (pH 10) characterized by high bicarbonate concentrations do not excrete ammonia, instead synthesize urea, an energetically expensive process. The conversion to urea excretion by a normally ammonotelic animal is likely to be stimulated by a specific …

The Relative Weight (Wr) Condition Index As A Predictor Of Growth, Prey Abundance And Environmental Conditions, Hongsheng Liao

Masters Theses

We evaluated the relative weight (W_r) condition index for assessment of growth, prey availability and environmental conditions in fish populations. Standard weight (W_s) equations for pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) and golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas) from 302 pumpkinseed and 285 golden shiner populations, with well over 10,000 fish of each species, were developed with regression-line-percentile (RLP) technique. The proposed W_s equation in metric units for pumpkinseed is log₁₀W_s = -5.179 + 3.237 log10TL, and for golden shiner is log10W_s = -5.593 + 3.302 log10TL. The English-unit versions of these equations were also developed. …

Growth And Survival Of Larval Fishes: The Role Of Zooplankton Abundance And Competition, Michael T. Welker

Masters Theses

Interactions among larval gizzard shad, bluegill and zooplankton prey were examined via a controlled mesocosm experiment and field sampling in Lake Shelbyville, Illinois. In the mesocosm experiment gizzard shad growth and survival were negatively correlated with shad density and positively correlated with macrozooplankton prey. Bluegill growth was also positively correlated with prey availability, but survival was uniformly high despite differences in zooplankton abundance and fish density. Declines in macrozooplankton and copepod biomass were related to fish density. In Lake Shelbyville limnetic overlap of larval gizzard shad and bluegill was limited to a three week period, with the interval of greatest …

Copper Accumulation By Gizzard Shad (Dorosoma Cepedianum) In The Charleston Side Channel Reservoir, Mark T. Christ

Masters Theses

Exposure to trace heavy metals is being extensively studied in relation to their adverse and toxic effects on organisms. Processes affecting compartmentalization, biogeochemical cycling, and transport of trace metals in ecological systems must be elucidated if the impact of trace metal releases on biota are to be understood. Because elemental cycles are often closely linked to hydrologic processes, freshwater and marine systems serve as both vectors and sinks for trace metals in the environment. The regular addition of a heavy metal into an aquatic ecosystem will undoubtedly increase its persistance for availability to the existing biota. Once in the environment, …

The Southern Redbelly Dace, Phoxinus Erythrogaster (Rafinesque), In Clark County, Illinois, Susan C. Darrow

Masters Theses

Population and feeding ecology of the southern redbelly dace, Phoxinus erythrogaster (Rafinesque), was studied at Rocky Branch Nature Preserve, sections 29 and 30, T12N, R12W in Clark County, Illinois. Three stations designated along the eastern portion of Rocky Branch stream were seined bimonthly July through September, 1987. The length/frequency distribution curve constructed for the 358 dace collected determined Age class 0 to be dace less than 39mm, age classes I and II were indistinguishable because of overlap of fish lengths, and age class III was determined to be dace between 69 and 74mm. Other species encountered in abundance during this …

Avoidance Learning And Memory In Largemouth Bass (Micropterus Salmoides) Fed Bufo Tadpoles, Randy John Gawlik

Masters Theses

Tadpoles of the American toad (Bufo americanus) have been shown to be distasteful to largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) predators who learn, on the short term, to avoid them. How long bass retain this learned avoidance of Bufo larvae is unknown so an experimental design was constructed in an attempt to answer this question.

Largemouth bass were divided into four treatment groups. Two groups were initially fed exclusively larvae of Bufo americanus (one group was fed large tadpoles, the other group fed small larvae). Similarily, the other two groups were initially fed spring peeper (Hyla crucifer …

Analysis Of The Capture-Recapture Method Of Determining Fish Population Size In A Pond Community, Richard E. Hall

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Ecology Of The Pirate Perch, Leslie D. Frankland

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Social Rank Of Male Swordtails (Xiphophorus Helleri) On Sexual Behavior, Janet N. Marum

Masters Theses

The relationship between social rank and sexual behavior of the male swordtail (Xiphophorus helleri) was studied. Initially three tanks were established with three males and two females in each. Social rank, aggressive and sexual levels were recorded by observation of the interactions which occurred in the tanks. A second series of observations were made with the fish regrouped according to their initial rank, that is, dominant males grouped together, middle ranking males together and the lowest ranking males together. Aggressive and sexual levels were the highest for the highest ranking males in all tanks and in both trials, …

The Effect Of Thermal Increases On The Acute Toxicity Of Copper And Hexavalent Chromium To Channel Catfish (Ictalurus Punctatus), Alan Kirk Millis

Masters Theses

48-hr, 96-hr, and incipient median tolerance limits of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus Rafinesque) to copper and hexavalent chromium were determined at temperatures of 50, 60, 70, and 80 F. Standard static bioassay procedures were used. The incipient TLm for copper ranged from 0.56 ppm to 2.15 ppm and from 22.5 to 39.5 ppm for hexavalent chromium. The 48-hr and 96-hr results were somewhat higher. The highest resistance for both metals occurred at 70 F. At 80 F, however, there was a sharp decrease in tolerance. Increased oxygen consumption and opercular movement offer a possible explanation since they would …