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Laboratory and Basic Science Research Commons™
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- Experiments (15)
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- Sander vitreus (5)
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- Perca flavescens (4)
- Bad Medicine Lake (3)
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Articles 1 - 18 of 18
Full-Text Articles in Laboratory and Basic Science Research
Enhancing Walleye (Ogaa) Recruitment: Evaluating Assisted Reproduction As A Mitigation Strategy, Douglass Keiser
Enhancing Walleye (Ogaa) Recruitment: Evaluating Assisted Reproduction As A Mitigation Strategy, Douglass Keiser
Biology Graduate Theses
Over the past several decades, cold- and cool-water fish populations across the Upper Midwest, including Minnesota and Wisconsin, have shown troubling signs of decline. Among the most affected is the walleye/Ogaa (Sander vitreus), a species deeply embedded in the ecological balance, cultural identity, and economic vitality of the region, and central to the lifeways, treaty-reserved rights, and resource stewardship of Tribal Nations, including Ojibwe communities across the Upper Midwest. Despite ongoing stocking efforts and harvest regulations, many lake systems have experienced persistent declines in natural recruitment, prompting resource agencies to investigate the underlying causes. One such system is …
Emerald Bowfin Amia Ocellicauda Ecology In Three Minnesota Lakes: Abundance, Age Analysis, Diet Composition, And Stable Isotope Food Web, Griffin Blegen
Emerald Bowfin Amia Ocellicauda Ecology In Three Minnesota Lakes: Abundance, Age Analysis, Diet Composition, And Stable Isotope Food Web, Griffin Blegen
Biology Graduate Theses
The Emerald Bowfin Amia ocellicauda is a predatory fish species native to Minnesota that has often been discriminated against. This research expands ecological knowledge of Bowfin in Minnesota and provides population data to guide future management. Bowfin were sampled in the spring of 2024 and 2025 and a multi-census mark–recapture model was used to estimate abundance in three lakes. Estimated populations were 196 individuals in Little Toad Lake (95% CI: 116, 242) or 4.4 fish/littoral ha (95% CI: 2.7,5.7), 657 in Lake Sarah (95% CI: 436, 1014) or 4.2 fish/littoral ha (95% CI: 3.0, 6.7), and 612 in Gun Lake …
Trophic Structure And Mercury Bioaccumulation In Walleye And Yellow Perch In The Upper And Lower Red Lake Basins, Marissa Pribyl
Trophic Structure And Mercury Bioaccumulation In Walleye And Yellow Perch In The Upper And Lower Red Lake Basins, Marissa Pribyl
Biology Graduate Theses
Mercury is a persistent global contaminant that biomagnifies through aquatic food webs, with dietary and environmental factors serving as the primary drivers of accumulation in fishes. Trophic structure and methylmercury dynamics in Walleye (ogaa; Sander vitreus) and Yellow Perch (asaawens; Perca flavescens) were investigated in the Upper and Lower Red Lake basins in Red Lake, Minnesota, during 2024-2025. Diets of Walleye and Yellow Perch were assessed through stomach dissections, and tissue samples from both species were analyzed for total mercury concentrations. Additional analyses included shiners (gigoozens; Notropis spp., Hudsonius spp.) along with a variety of freshwater fish and …
An Approach To Estimate Angling Effort, Catch, And Harvest Of Burbot Lota Lota, Collin J. Mitchell
An Approach To Estimate Angling Effort, Catch, And Harvest Of Burbot Lota Lota, Collin J. Mitchell
Biology Graduate Theses
Once commonly thought of as a nuisance, Burbot Lota lota are now being frequently targeted by anglers in Minnesota. However, the amount of angling effort directed at Burbot, the distribution of effort, catch, and harvest are unknown. Historically, creel surveys have been used to estimate angling effort, catch, and harvest. Additionally, digital cameras have been used independently and supplementally to estimate angling effort, catch, and harvest. In this study, we estimate angling effort, catch, and harvest of Burbot using creel survey techniques and motion-activated digital cameras on Bad Medicine Lake, Minnesota, while also investigating and exploring the limitations of these …
Movement And Activity Of Burbot, (Mizay; Lota Lota) In A Spring-Fed Minnesota Lake, Abigail M. Fountain
Movement And Activity Of Burbot, (Mizay; Lota Lota) In A Spring-Fed Minnesota Lake, Abigail M. Fountain
Biology Graduate Theses
Burbot (Mizay; Lota lota) are a relatively unmanaged freshwater fish, important in many local Indigenous cultures, but often overlooked or maltreated in research, conservation, and fishing practices. As such, relatively little research has been conducted on Burbot, despite ecological significance as an indicator species. A recent resurgence in popularity as a target species, however, has prompted new research to inform management policies. The objectives of this study were to summarize Burbot movement by identifying patterns in swimming activity and identify possible predictors of the movement observed. This study investigated the movements of 39 individuals implanted with acoustic transmitters in Bad …
The Influence Of Rusty Crayfish And Zebra Mussel Invasion On Yellow Perch Population Dynamics In North-Central Minnesota Lakes, Kendra Fink
Biology Graduate Theses
Over the last 50 years, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources standard fisheries survey catch rates of Yellow Perch have declined. Yellow Perch Perca flavescens are an important, widespread game fish, are essential prey species for Walleye Sander vitreus and other piscivorous fish and rely greatly on benthic resources through many life stages. Aquatic invasive species (AIS) like rusty crayfish Faxonius rusticus and zebra mussels Dreissena polymorpha have the potential to change water quality, vegetation and prey assemblages in aquatic systems and could cause shifts in energy flow, subsequently altering growth, condition, and maturity of native fish species. In this study, …
Environmental Influences On The Growth Of Inland Cisco Populations In Three Minnesota Sentinel Lakes, Edward Carlson
Environmental Influences On The Growth Of Inland Cisco Populations In Three Minnesota Sentinel Lakes, Edward Carlson
Biology Graduate Theses
Cisco Coregonus artedi are a pelagic cold-water fish that are widely distributed throughout many inland lakes across the northern Midwest and play an important role as forage for large piscivores. Inland Cisco populations have been observed to vary in their overall size and recruitment potential based on the system in which they are found. Cisco are sensitive to oxythermal stress and with climate change, land use, and invasive species effects becoming more prevalent in Minnesota, aspects of lake ecosystems are changing, ultimately making Cisco more susceptible to these stressors. To investigate how different factors were affecting the population dynamics of …
An Assessment Of Burbot Life History In Minnesota With A Focus On Movement Dynamics And Spawning Vulnerability, Tyler Robinson
An Assessment Of Burbot Life History In Minnesota With A Focus On Movement Dynamics And Spawning Vulnerability, Tyler Robinson
Biology Graduate Theses
Burbot have a circumpolar range spanning from rivers of Alaska to lentic systems in Minnesota. Although Burbot population dynamics have been studied, their movement dynamics have been rarely investigated. Our objectives were to assess seasonal home range changes of Burbot in a closed-lentic system and quantify the scale of spawning aggregations. Sixty-six Burbot were implanted with acoustic transmitters in Bad Medicine Lake, Minnesota, with 32 surviving the length of the study period between 10 April 2019 to 11 June 2020. The peak spawning date for Burbot in Bad Medicine Lake was estimated to be mid-March, when home range estimates were …
Spatial And Temporal Variability Of Mercury In Upper And Lower Red Lake Walleye, Tyler Orgon
Spatial And Temporal Variability Of Mercury In Upper And Lower Red Lake Walleye, Tyler Orgon
Biology Graduate Theses
Mercury is a global pollutant that is released into our environment by natural and anthropogenic processes resulting in extensive studies conducted on mercury cycling in aquatic ecosystems which has led to the issuance of human-health-based fish-consumption advisories. We examined total mercury concentrations in Walleye Sander vitreus from Upper and Lower Red Lakes, located in north central Minnesota, between 2019 and 2020. Upper and Lower Red Lake form a contiguous water body consisting of two large (483.1 and 665.6 km2, respectively) basins that are naturally connected by a 1.4 km-wide strait. Both basins are important fisheries for recreation, subsistence, and commercial …
Feeding Patterns And Diet Overlap Of Muskellunge And Co-Occurring Piscivores In Minnesota Lakes, Kamden Glade
Feeding Patterns And Diet Overlap Of Muskellunge And Co-Occurring Piscivores In Minnesota Lakes, Kamden Glade
Biology Graduate Theses
Muskellunge Esox masquinongy are the largest member of the family Esocidae found in Minnesota and are managed for trophy angling opportunities with large minimum size requirements, limited harvest, and stocking to support existing populations or expand angling opportunities. While Muskellunge impacts at the community level appear minimal based on available literature, relatively little is known about Muskellunge diets, eat the le particularly in Minnesota. In this study, we used gastric lavage to examine gut contents of Muskellunge, Northern Pike Esox lucius, Walleye Sander vitreus, and Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides. Diets were quantified using an index of relative importance (IRI) and …
Assessing The Dispersal And Recruitment Of Stocked Walleye Fry In A Northern Minnesota Chain Of Lakes, Joseph W. Amundson
Assessing The Dispersal And Recruitment Of Stocked Walleye Fry In A Northern Minnesota Chain Of Lakes, Joseph W. Amundson
Biology Graduate Theses
As part of Minnesota's Walleye Sander vitreus egg take practice, 10% of eggs taken for hatchery purposes are stocked back into the donor lake. For Andrusia, part of the Cass Lake Chain of Lakes (Chain), this practice can result in elevated fry densities (mean: 17,000 fry/littoral hectare). However, if fry are able to disperse and use all available littoral hectares throughout the Chain, fry densities would be intermediate to typical stocking densities for Minnesota lakes (1,200 - 2,400 fry/littoral hectare). In 2016-2018, 3-3.5 million fry were mass-marked by immersion in oxytetracycline (OTC) prior to stocking into Andrusia to allow differentiation …
Spatial And Temporal Variability In Post-Larval Yellow Perch Density, Steve Hauschildt
Spatial And Temporal Variability In Post-Larval Yellow Perch Density, Steve Hauschildt
Biology Graduate Theses
Yellow Perch Perca flavescens are important as forage for other species and for sport fishing in many northern lakes. However, estimating post-larval Yellow Perch populations can be difficult because of many environmental factors that cause unexplained variation. The objective of this study was to help reduce unexplained variation by determining a post-larval Yellow Perch population density estimate on Blackduck Lake, MN, provide guidance to help determine the number of trawls required for trawling-based recruitment indices to achieve varying levels of precision, and test for the effects of wind speed and direction on post-larval Yellow Perch spatial variability. This study estimated …
Adult Walleye Abundance And Subsequent Fry Production In The Tamarac River, Mn, Phillip Oswald
Adult Walleye Abundance And Subsequent Fry Production In The Tamarac River, Mn, Phillip Oswald
Biology Graduate Theses
Walleye reproductive success is of critical interest for the Red Lakes as this system is maintained entirely by natural reproduction and supports robust commercial and recreational fisheries. The Tamarac River, a major tributary to the Red Lakes, hosts a substantial Walleye spawning migration annually. The river drains the largest peat bog in the lower 48 states and thus experiences low dissolved oxygen at times. It is largely unknown how the potential anoxic bog water affects Walleye reproductive success each year and subsequent year class strength. Fyke nets were set from 2014-2018 to assess the relative abundance of adult Walleye spawning …
Growth Of Pelagic Age-0 Yellow Perch In Relation To Hatch Dates And Water Temperature In North-Central Minnesota Lakes, Ethan Karppinen
Growth Of Pelagic Age-0 Yellow Perch In Relation To Hatch Dates And Water Temperature In North-Central Minnesota Lakes, Ethan Karppinen
Biology Graduate Theses
Exposure to consistent water warming rates and access to abundant populations of edible sized zooplankton affects growth and increases the probability of survival for newly hatched Yellow Perch Perca flavescens. Seven lakes with varying physical characteristics were selected in north-central Minnesota to study abiotic (water temperature) and biotic (zooplankton community and fish growth) progressions during the spring and early summer (April-June). Mean water temperatures from ice-out to 28 June (11.98-14.62 °C) had significant relationships with mean depth (P < 0.01, R? = 0.85), max depth (P < 0.01, R? = 0.73), and total volume (P < 0.01, R2 = 0.54). Hatch periods ranged from 13 to 19 days in 2015 and 13 to 25 days in 2016. Cumulative degree-days (CDD) were used to predict Yellow Perch hatch periods and explain growth. CDD predicted 21-81% of hatch periods in 2015 and 11-50% in 2016. Mean predicted total lengths at 28 June were 19.65-30.41 mm in 2015 and 20.88-28.54 mm in 2016. There was a significant relationship between CDD and predicted total length (R? = 0.62, P < 0.01) to explain differences in Yellow Perch total length while inhabiting the pelagic zone. Observed gape measurements were highly correlated with predicted gapes from the Schael formula (R? = 0.89, P < 0.01) that was used to assess the availability of edible sized zooplankton for age-0 Yellow Perch in each lake. No predator-prey mismatches were found and earlier hatch dates produced age-0 Yellow Perch with greater predicted total lengths in late June on the majority of lakes. This suggests that earlier hatched Yellow perch have an advantage over later hatched Yellow Perch in attaining greater lengths by late June. Our study provides information on a variety of physical and biological progressions in lakes, which may be used for fisheries management practices in the future.
Population Characteristics Of A Closed Northern Pike (Esox Lucius) Catch-And-Release Population In Minnesota, John Kempe
Population Characteristics Of A Closed Northern Pike (Esox Lucius) Catch-And-Release Population In Minnesota, John Kempe
Biology Graduate Theses
Literature regarding catch-and-release populations of Northern Pike are rare and provide a unique perspective on their population dynamics. Shingobee Lake is a 64- ha mesotrophic lake with a maximum depth of 12.2 m located in northern Minnesota. Northern Pike fishing has been catch-and-release only since 2005, and there are no public accesses on the lake. Annual ice-out trap-netting occurred from 2009-2017, and a sizable amount of the Northern Pike recaptured via trapnet or angling had been previously tagged (37-59%). The lack of exploitation and high tagging percentage provided a unique opportunity to study the population dynamics of Northern Pike. Shinogbee’s …
Estimating Seasonal Variation In Condition Of Yellow Perch, Emily Anne Powers
Estimating Seasonal Variation In Condition Of Yellow Perch, Emily Anne Powers
Biology Graduate Theses
Research has shown that Yellow Perch Perca flavescens, found throughout lakes and streams of North America, are good indicators of environmental health. Due to the correlation between fish condition and ecosystem health it is essential to reliably estimate condition to better manage our fisheries. Therefore, the study objectives were to measure the seasonal changes in adult Yellow Perch percent dry weight (PDW), and compare the reliability of bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and morphometric-based estimates of condition. The seasonal fluctuations in average monthly PDW were measured over a two- year period and were sinusoidal in shape with peaks in August 2015 …
Assessment Of American White Pelican Predation And Reproductive Success Of Walleye In The Tamarac River, Mn, Jake Graham
Assessment Of American White Pelican Predation And Reproductive Success Of Walleye In The Tamarac River, Mn, Jake Graham
Biology Graduate Theses
The Tamarac River is a major tributary of the Red Lakes MN, which provides an economically important multispecies fishery. The river experiences spring spawning migrations of northern pike, walleye, and white suckers. However, limited data exists related to reproductive success of fishes in the river. Furthermore, in the previous decade large congregations of American white pelicans (AWPE) have been observed using the Tamarac River as a foraging ground each spring. Assessing reproductive success of fishes in the Tamarac River provides a more holistic understanding of fish ecology in the river and the importance of the Tamarac River to the Red …
The Ecology Of The Mottled Sculpin, Cottus Bairdii, In The Clearwater River, Beltrami County, Minnesota, Mark A. Hanson
The Ecology Of The Mottled Sculpin, Cottus Bairdii, In The Clearwater River, Beltrami County, Minnesota, Mark A. Hanson
Biology Graduate Theses
No abstract provided.