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Full-Text Articles in Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology

Hunter Harvest Effect On The Breeding Bird Population Of Northern Pintail Anas Acuta In North America, Matthew Wang Jan 2018

Hunter Harvest Effect On The Breeding Bird Population Of Northern Pintail Anas Acuta In North America, Matthew Wang

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Hunter harvest and the effects that it can have on population dynamics is a relationship used by wildlife professionals when making management decisions. Hunter harvest can be compensatory or additive on wildlife populations and instances where hunter harvest has been a key role in a population decline, and sometimes demise, is an occurrence studied in wildlife management. Waterfowl numbers in North America have increased 17% since 1960, but during that same time frame the Northern Pintail population has decreased 40%. Hunter harvest data has been recorded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 1961, while they have simultaneously been …

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Relationship Between Zooplankton And Walleye Rearing Pond Success, Danny Tuckett Jan 2017

Relationship Between Zooplankton And Walleye Rearing Pond Success, Danny Tuckett

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Walleye Sander vitreus are an important sport fish in Minnesota. This has led to the raising of Walleye in ponds to later be stocked into lakes. This study was done to determine the relationship between Walleye prey (zooplankton) and the success of Walleye in 11 stocked ponds in the Ortonville, MN area. There was no management of the ponds until harvest, which starts in late September and ends in November. There were significant positive relationships between rotifer density (P = 0.03) and nauplii density (P = 0.04) to kg of Walleye harvested. The setting where nauplii and rotifer density are …

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Minnesota Fish Taxonomic Key 2017 Edition, Warren Lamb Jan 2017

Minnesota Fish Taxonomic Key 2017 Edition, Warren Lamb

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Minnesota’s landscape is maze of lakes and river that are home to a recorded total of 163 species of fish. This document is a complete and current dichotomous taxonomic key of the Minnesota fishes. This key was based on the 1972 “Northern Fishes” key (Eddy 1972), and updated based on Dr. Jay Hatch’s article “Minnesota Fishes: Just How Many Are There?” (Hatch 2016). Any new species or family additions were also referenced to the 7th edition of the American Fisheries society “Names of North American Fishes” (Page et al. 2013) to assess whether a fish species is currently recognized by …

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Redd Habitat Selection For Brook Trout In The Necktie River Bemidji, Mn, William Varela, Zachary Buckley Jan 2017

Redd Habitat Selection For Brook Trout In The Necktie River Bemidji, Mn, William Varela, Zachary Buckley

Journal of Earth and Life Science

The presence of quality suitable habitat is important for the success of naturally reproducing Brook Trout populations. Therefore, measuring redd habitat Brook Trout select for was the focus of this study. Brook Trout redds were observed during the spawning season of 2016. We identified a total of 18 redds in the Necktie River in late October and early November. Specific environmental variables associated with redd selection were measured: velocity, in-stream cover, canopy cover, bank overhang, river width, substrate type and size, temperature, and max-depth. The same environmental variables were measured for 30 randomly selected sites. Redds were distributed in riffles …

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Burbot Growth Rates In A Northern Mesotrophic Lake, Samuel J. Peterson Jan 2017

Burbot Growth Rates In A Northern Mesotrophic Lake, Samuel J. Peterson

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Burbot Lota lota has a circumpolar distribution throughout cold-water areas and is the only freshwater member of the family Gadidae. There are currently very few management techniques applied to Burbot throughout their northern extent. Growth is an indicator of fish health, biomass, and habitat quality; therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the growth rate of Burbot in Lake Bemidji. Burbot (n = 45) were collected along three sites on Lake Bemidji for years 2015-2017. Age was determined from sagittal otoliths, the marginal zones of which were opaque from December to May and translucent from June to November. …

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Effects Of Catch-And-Release Angling On Egg Densities In Largemouth Bass Nests, Tyler Robinson Jan 2017

Effects Of Catch-And-Release Angling On Egg Densities In Largemouth Bass Nests, Tyler Robinson

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Predation during early life stages of Centrarchidae offspring are a major cause of decreased reproductive success. For five-weeks Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides defend their broods from invaders such as Yellow Perch Perca flavescens and Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus. The focus of this study was to determine if predation upon Largemouth Bass broods increased as removal time from the nest via catch-and-release angling increased. Sampling was conducted on the Whitefish Chain, MN from 7 May - 7 June 2016, where a total of 29 nests were located and sampled. Three treatment groups were used; immediate catch-and-release, three-minute, and a seven- minute …

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Effect Of Abiotic Factors On Bluegill Size Structure In Nine Central Minnesota Lakes, Ryan Henry Jan 2017

Effect Of Abiotic Factors On Bluegill Size Structure In Nine Central Minnesota Lakes, Ryan Henry

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Bluegill are the most targeted species of fish in Minnesota. In recent years, the abundance of slow growing, small Bluegill has increased within the state. Angler harvest of Bluegill can reduce the average length of Bluegill up to four times the original length. Abiotic factors such as maximum depth, average water clarity, littoral area, and percent littoral area can influence the dynamics of a lake system. There has been limited research on whether these abiotic factors can influence the size structure of a Bluegill population. The objective of this study is to determine if there is a direct relationship between …

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Survival Of Walleye Eggs In Upper Red Lake And The Tamarac River, Phillip Oswald Jan 2016

Survival Of Walleye Eggs In Upper Red Lake And The Tamarac River, Phillip Oswald

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Walleyes experience spawning runs each spring in the Tamarac River, a tributary of the Red Lakes. However, data about walleye egg survival in the lake and river is lacking. Mesh cages were placed in both the Tamarac River and Upper Red Lake to compare survival rates. A total of twenty cages were set, ten in the river and ten in the lake. Each cage contained one hundred fertilized eggs which were checked every third day to measure survival. Temperature (°C), dissolved oxygen (mg/L), and pH were measured at each cage location. The river had an average survival rate of 22% …

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Influence Of Depth And Retrieval Speed On Yellow Perch Barotrauma Recovery Time In Winter, Bradley J. Klingsheim Jan 2015

Influence Of Depth And Retrieval Speed On Yellow Perch Barotrauma Recovery Time In Winter, Bradley J. Klingsheim

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Physoclistous fish are often affected by barotrauma because the swim bladder is not connected to the esophagus. Barotrauma is increasingly being used in assessing mortality in fish brought from deep water. Barotrauma is the physical damage that occurs because of the over inflation of the gas bladder resulting from a rapid decrease in ambient pressure. The two important factors influencing barotrauma effects are water depth and decompression. In this study, two experiments were conducted on yellow perch (Perca flavescens) at three depth locations on Grace Lake, Bemidji, Minnesota. Fish were measured for barotrauma recovery time (s) following capture by hook …

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Assessing The Contributions Of Two Stocked Strains On A Minnesota-Wisconsin Border Water, Douglas Zentner Jan 2015

Assessing The Contributions Of Two Stocked Strains On A Minnesota-Wisconsin Border Water, Douglas Zentner

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Stocking has long been used as a management tool in the United States even though many of its effects remain cryptic. Past comparisons between stocked strains were generally based on the survival and growth rates of physically marked individuals. More recently the use of genetic markers to assess contributions of stocked individuals has been employed by fisheries managers. Using 13 microsatellite markers we assessed the contributions of two muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) strains (Wisconsin and Leech) stocked into the St. Louis River Estuary. Ancestry in the adult samples remained relatively constant with differences only observed between the 2008 and …

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Using Wild I.D. As A Reliable Source For Mark And Recapture Studies On Northern Pike (Esox Lucius), Martin Evans Jan 2015

Using Wild I.D. As A Reliable Source For Mark And Recapture Studies On Northern Pike (Esox Lucius), Martin Evans

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Mark and recapture studies are a very popular method fisheries biologists use to assess certain fish populations in lakes. This process can be very labor intensive and expensive. Wild I.D. is free software developed by Dartmouth College that uses SIFT program to find unique features in photographs. Initially developed for identification of African land mammals the program gives each photo a score and percent match to other photos. Northern pike were used in this study to determine if the program can recognize simulated recapture events. Photos of sample fish were taken at two separate locations, the photos were then copied …

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Effects Of Cooler Northern Waters On Growth Rates In Bluegill And Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Alec Spurbeck Jan 2015

Effects Of Cooler Northern Waters On Growth Rates In Bluegill And Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Alec Spurbeck

Journal of Earth and Life Science

The Centrarchidae family range spans all across the United States making them a favorite target for many recreational anglers. In northern Minnesota, most water bodies do not reach optimal growth temperatures for the sunfishes, putting them right on the edge of their suitable range and potentially slowing overall growth. Therefore, the main objectives of this study were to 1) determine if sunfish growth rates respond to the severity of winter and 2) investigate growth differences between two sunfish species. Growth rates of bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) and pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) were estimated from Big Sugar Bush Lake, …

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Spatial And Temporal Factors Influencing Northern Pike Fry Density Estimates, Nate Stott Jan 2015

Spatial And Temporal Factors Influencing Northern Pike Fry Density Estimates, Nate Stott

Journal of Earth and Life Science

The Tamarac River in northern Minnesota is an important spawning site for northern pike (Esox lucius) in the Red Lake system. However, little is known about fry production in the river. This study investigates migration densities and spatial and temporal factors influencing northern pike fry density estimates. Northern pike fry were collected with drift nets between 28 May and 4 June 2014. Thirty northern pike fry were randomly selected to have total length measured from each sample. Northern pike fry were observed in the first sample day. Northern pike fry density maxima occurred on 29 May at midnight …

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A Genetic Based Approach To Management And Stocking Of Muskellunge, Douglas Zentner Jan 2015

A Genetic Based Approach To Management And Stocking Of Muskellunge, Douglas Zentner

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Fish stocking has long been used as a management tool among fisheries biologists and continues to be met with popular public opinion. Despite perceived simplicity, the full effects of stocking remain cryptic for many fish populations. Stocking has frequently been used to maintain or establish successful muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) populations. Coupled with other management practices the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) has established Minnesota as a premier muskellunge fishery. From 1958 to 2012 the MNDNR stocked three strains of muskellunge in Big Mantrap Lake, MN. The first from Shoepack Lake, MN (hereafter Shoepack-strain) was used until the …

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Effects Of River Current Inflow On Dissolved Oxygen And Temperature Of Refuge Zones For Cisco In Lake Bemidji, Bryant C. Swenson Jan 2014

Effects Of River Current Inflow On Dissolved Oxygen And Temperature Of Refuge Zones For Cisco In Lake Bemidji, Bryant C. Swenson

Journal of Earth and Life Science

The objectives of this study were to (1) determine if the inflow current from the Mississippi River affects temperature and dissolved oxygen in Lake Bemidji, (2) determine how the amount of suitable cisco Coregonus artedi habitat changes over the summer in Lake Bemidji, and (3) predict how much cisco habitat would be available under a climate warming scenario. Summer fish kill of cisco occurs in most years on Lake Bemidji resulting from low dissolved oxygen in the hypolimnion and high water temperatures in the epilimnion. Dissolved oxygen and temperature profiles provided evidence to suggest the north basin is more suitable …

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The Effect Of Barometric Pressure On Feeding Activity Of Yellow Perch, Daniel Vanderweyst Jan 2014

The Effect Of Barometric Pressure On Feeding Activity Of Yellow Perch, Daniel Vanderweyst

Journal of Earth and Life Science

This is the first study to our knowledge that has attempted to relate feeding activity of fish to barometric pressure. This study was conducted with the expectation that a difference in food ingestion would occur in a game fish species at different barometric pressures. The overall objective of this study is to determine if barometric pressure influences the feeding activity of a popular game fish. Yellow perch (Perca flavescens) were collected by seine and trap net from Lake Bemidji 12 September through 24 October 2013. The range in size and weight of yellow perch used for this study …

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Use Of Cast Nets And Seine Hauls To Estimate Abundance Of Age-0 Yellow Perch, Michael Vaske Jan 2014

Use Of Cast Nets And Seine Hauls To Estimate Abundance Of Age-0 Yellow Perch, Michael Vaske

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Knowledge about fish population dynamics is essential for developing management plans and evaluating management success. In many lakes, yellow perch (Perca flavescens) are the main forage for many upper level predators and recreational fish species. To better manage recreational fisheries, an accurate estimate of prey abundance is necessary. The objectives of the study were to sample the littoral and limnetic zone to better estimate population of age-0 yellow perch, and obtain an estimate of the proportion of yellow perch being missed by traditional littoral seining methods. Littoral seines were conducted at three randomly selected locations in the south …

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Changing Body Condition In Walleye With Reference To Ideal Sample Size Requirements, Kevin Longtin Jan 2014

Changing Body Condition In Walleye With Reference To Ideal Sample Size Requirements, Kevin Longtin

Journal of Earth and Life Science

The objective of this study was to determine if walleye Sander vitreus percent dry weight, a measure of condition, differed among summer months of 2014 on Maple Lake, Minnesota. A second objective was to determine if there was a relationship between condition and body temperature, total length, or wet weight. Between three and six walleyes were collected per month by hook and line methods. All fish had internal body temperatures taken at the time of capture and were oven dried in the laboratory at 80 °C in order to measure percent dry weight. There was no relationship between condition and …

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Defining The Physiochemical, Biological And Habitat Requirements For The Upper Extant Of Oncorhynchus Mykiss Distribution, Emily Powers Jan 2014

Defining The Physiochemical, Biological And Habitat Requirements For The Upper Extant Of Oncorhynchus Mykiss Distribution, Emily Powers

Journal of Earth and Life Science

The distribution of rainbow trout is strongly influenced by their habitat. As climatic conditions change, the distribution of rainbow trout populations will change along with them. The objective of this study was to identify the particular habitat parameters that rainbow trout select for in this lotic system and to specifically assess how this relates to the upper extant of their distribution. By assessing the distribution of the upper extant specifically, future research may be conducted to better assess climatic changes on a small and/or large scale basis. A 9,000 m section of the Clearwater River was used as the study …

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Winter Survival Strategies Of Benthic Invertebrates In Temporary Habitats In A Northern Minnesota Lake, Cal Oldenburg Jan 2014

Winter Survival Strategies Of Benthic Invertebrates In Temporary Habitats In A Northern Minnesota Lake, Cal Oldenburg

Journal of Earth and Life Science

During the winter months in the northern hemisphere, above 40 degrees latitude, a freezing event occurs that can last several months. Some lakes may have large portions of the shallow littoral zone frozen completely solid down into the sediments. Invertebrates affected by these events have developed survival strategies to cope with the harsh environment. The two main strategies for invertebrates in these areas are to either migrate to a different area and recolonize the original area when it becomes available again, or to burrow into the sediments and withstand the freezing. A 1- month study took place on Lake Bemidji …

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White Bass Assessment In Regards To Changes In Water Level On Lake Traverse, Aaron Wilson Jan 2013

White Bass Assessment In Regards To Changes In Water Level On Lake Traverse, Aaron Wilson

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Until recently the white bass Morone chrysops has been somewhat ignored by anglers, more so in Minnesota than other states; most likely due to their limited distribution throughout the state. However, with more anglers becoming aware of the sporting and culinary potentials of white bass, interests have risen. With this rise in angler interest, there should be a rise in white bass assessments. Knowing what factors may be influencing white bass population dynamics will allow fisheries professionals to better manage and protect white bass fisheries. White bass are often found in rivers and impoundments were dams are present and water …

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Brown Trout Spawning Location And Relationship To Suitable Winter Habitat, Matthew L. Skoog Jan 2013

Brown Trout Spawning Location And Relationship To Suitable Winter Habitat, Matthew L. Skoog

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Brown trout are a popular game fish throughout much of the world. Understanding habitat requirements is necessary for the successful management of brown trout. This study looks at the spawning habitat preferences and relationship of redd location to wintering habitat of brown trout in the Straight River, Minnesota. Brown trout in the Straight River were found to spawn in similar habitat to brown trout looked at in previous literature. All redds were located on gravel substrate. Seventy eight percent of redds were associated with some sort of cover. Water velocities at the redd sites. (mean=0.456 ms/cm), dissolved oxygen (mean=9.78 mg/L), …

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Comparison Of A Length Size Limit Of Northern Pike Population On Two Lakes In North Central Minnesota, Ethan A. Puttonen Jan 2013

Comparison Of A Length Size Limit Of Northern Pike Population On Two Lakes In North Central Minnesota, Ethan A. Puttonen

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Fisheries managers use length size limits on northern pike (Esox lucis) to improve the size structure in select lakes. The objective of this study was to compare two similar lakes, one with a length size limit and one without, to determine if a length size limit is improving the northern pike size structure. Blueberry Lake showed a higher abundance of larger fish than Stocking Lake. Of the fish caught, 25% in Blueberry Lake were over 600 mm (24 in), and were in the protected slot. Stocking Lake had a smaller portion of fish of this size with only …

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The Ecology Of The Mottled Sculpin, Cottus Bairdii, In The Clearwater River, Beltrami County, Minnesota, Mark A. Hanson Aug 1982

The Ecology Of The Mottled Sculpin, Cottus Bairdii, In The Clearwater River, Beltrami County, Minnesota, Mark A. Hanson

Biology Graduate Theses

No abstract provided.

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