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Lake Bemidji

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Full-Text Articles in Laboratory and Basic Science Research

Comparison Of Calcified Structures To Estimate Ages Of Northern Pike Esox Lucius In Various Lakes, Kaed Rauk Jan 2026

Comparison Of Calcified Structures To Estimate Ages Of Northern Pike Esox Lucius In Various Lakes, Kaed Rauk

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Northern pike Esox lucius are a dominant predatory fish in many aquatic systems. They can have significant impacts on the ecosystems they inhabit and are also a popular game fish among anglers. However, northern pike are a difficult species to age accurately. This study aimed to compare calcified aging structures to identify trends and determine which structure provides the most accurate age estimates. A total of 119 northern pike were sampled, and multiple structures from each fish were independently aged by two readers. The coefficient of variation (CV) was calculated for each structure to assess precision. Sectioned sagittal otoliths exhibited …

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Size Of Age-0 Sander Vitreus Pre And Post Dreissena Polymorpha Infestation On Brainerd And Bemidji Area Lakes, Quady Bernu Jan 2025

Size Of Age-0 Sander Vitreus Pre And Post Dreissena Polymorpha Infestation On Brainerd And Bemidji Area Lakes, Quady Bernu

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Walleye Sander vitreus is the Minnesota state fish and a vital predator fish in lake ecology. Zebra mussels, Dreissena polymorpha were first found in Minnesota inland lakes in the 1980’s. These mussels have had huge impacts on water clarity as well as phytoplankton and zooplankton population levels which affect how age-0 fish feed, especially a low light feeding predator fish like walleye. A study took place on age-0 walleye size and it supported the conclusion that age-0 walleye were negatively impacted by zebra mussels in Minnesota’s large lakes. The goals of this study were to determine how the size of …

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Relationship Of Utricle And Trap Door Size On Common Bladderworts Utricularia Macrorhiza, Tegwen Romportl Jan 2025

Relationship Of Utricle And Trap Door Size On Common Bladderworts Utricularia Macrorhiza, Tegwen Romportl

Journal of Earth and Life Science

The common bladderwort Utricularia macrorhiza is a carnivorous aquatic plant that captures organisms with its bladders. This study was aimed at setting the stage for future research which might determine if U. macrorhiza could be a biological method of control for invasive species. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between utricle and trap door sizes and to gather data on the size ranges of these two morphological features. A regression analysis was used to obtain results which showed there was enough evidence to suggest that the size of bladderwort trap doors have a significant, positive relationship …

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Have Rusty Crayfish Affected The Diets Of Yellow Perch?, Matthew D. Kvam Jan 2023

Have Rusty Crayfish Affected The Diets Of Yellow Perch?, Matthew D. Kvam

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Freshwater ecosystems are some of the most susceptible to invasive species. It is one of the reasons they face the highest levels of species endangerment. Rusty crayfish Faxonius rusticus are one such invasive species, they fragment food webs and negatively affect native species. However, it seems as though native species are beginning to rely on them as a source of food. Yellow perch Perca flavescens, an important forage and game species, is one such species that is highly affected by these invasions. At smaller sizes yellow perch primarily feed on invertebrates whose populations are degraded by rusty crayfish. Therefore, the …

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Effects Of Velocity And Substrate Size On The Formation Of Zebra Mussel Druses, Ian Mott Jan 2023

Effects Of Velocity And Substrate Size On The Formation Of Zebra Mussel Druses, Ian Mott

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Zebra Mussels Dreissena polymorpha are an invasive bivalve species that are highly successful at dominating new environments. These invaders have been known to colonize substrate so thoroughly that all they have to attach to are members of their own species. When large mats of interconnected mussels completely cover a riverbed, it can have a drastic effect on the surrounding environment. This study serves to create a better understanding of the hydrologic parameters needed for Zebra Mussels to create these ecosystem-transforming colonies known as druses. Data was collected on a small stretch of the Upper Mississippi River in Northern Minnesota, previously …

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Analysis Of Hematocrit Levels In Walleye Sander Vitreus From Similar Waterbodies, Alyssa Hauser Jan 2022

Analysis Of Hematocrit Levels In Walleye Sander Vitreus From Similar Waterbodies, Alyssa Hauser

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Walleye Sander vitreus are a popular fish among anglers and hold a prominent place in Minnesotan’s identity as their state fish. Because of this, multiple management practices are used to ensure the continued health of their populations within Minnesota waters. In this study, the process of analyzing hematocrit levels was used to determine if the analysis of hematological parameters could be a useful tool in detecting differences in population health. To evaluate this, blood samples were acquired from age-0 and age-1 fish from two similar lakes and run through a hematocrit centrifuge to separate platelets from plasma to read the …

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The Effects Of Diet On Yellow Perch Morphology Throughout Lake Bemidji, Quiana L. Radaich Jan 2022

The Effects Of Diet On Yellow Perch Morphology Throughout Lake Bemidji, Quiana L. Radaich

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Morphology is very important as it looks at the arrangement of an organism’s parts to determine their functionality, development, and how they could have changed through evolution. It is also important for the identification of species as it can show how closely species are related. This study examines if the morphology of yellow perch changes throughout Lake Bemidji. Along with examining a subset of five stomachs for each group (A-F) of yellow perch collected to determine if diet was a driving force behind morphological changes. The data collected in this study suggested that morphology does change throughout Lake Bemidji and …

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Zebra Mussel Length-Weight Relationships Across Various Substrate Types In Lake Bemidji, Mitch Kehne Jan 2022

Zebra Mussel Length-Weight Relationships Across Various Substrate Types In Lake Bemidji, Mitch Kehne

Journal of Earth and Life Science

As of November 2021, zebra mussels were confirmed in 270 Minnesotan lakes with another 232 lakes listed as infested due to their connection or proximity to where zebra mussels have been found. With lack of effective treatments to impede their spread, zebra mussels continue to colonize new areas causing ecological as well as economic harm. The goal of this study was to establish a length-weight relationship for the zebra mussel population in Lake Bemidji using shell length (SL) and wet weight (WW), as well as to assess substrate type and log transformed shell length as predictors of log transformed zebra …

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Feeding Patterns And Diet Overlap Of Muskellunge And Co-Occurring Piscivores In Minnesota Lakes, Kamden Glade Dec 2021

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 …

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Predicting Total Length Of Fish In Minnesota Lakes Using Bony Structure Dimensions, Jay Holland Jan 2021

Predicting Total Length Of Fish In Minnesota Lakes Using Bony Structure Dimensions, Jay Holland

Journal of Earth and Life Science

This study seeks to establish a relationship between a fish’s total length to the size of various bony structures of prey fishes. Three important prey fish species in Minnesota were selected for examination in this study, including Black Crappie Pomoxis nigromaculatus, Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus, and Yellow Perch Perca flavescens. Length and weight dimensions of each fish’s otoliths, cleithra, and vertebrae were associated to total lengths of the fish they came from. In many dietary studies, the need for these relationships is strongly related to the disfigurement or degradation of prey fish in stomach samples. With accurate enough regression equations, researchers …

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Walleye Sander Vitreus Visceral Fat Accumulation, Cole Daleiden, Seth Renner Jan 2020

Walleye Sander Vitreus Visceral Fat Accumulation, Cole Daleiden, Seth Renner

Journal of Earth and Life Science

For ectothermic species, proper lipid retention is critical to surviving in regions with limited growing seasons. Visceral fat is the dominant form of this energy storage in fish. Build up and depletion of these lipids occur seasonally as activity levels change throughout winter and spring. Due to this annual pattern, the purpose of this study is to determine a trend in the amount of visceral fat Walleye Sander vitreus accumulate in a time of year when metabolic rates are low and transition into the spawning process has yet to occur. Angling was the method of capture conducted during the months …

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The Distribution Of Macroinvertebrates In The Schoolcraft/Mississippi River-Lake System, Sarah Roley Apr 2003

The Distribution Of Macroinvertebrates In The Schoolcraft/Mississippi River-Lake System, Sarah Roley

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

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