Premium
Growth and mortality of juvenile sunfishes ( Lepomis sp.) under heavy predation
Author(s) -
Belk M. C.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
ecology of freshwater fish
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.667
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1600-0633
pISSN - 0906-6691
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0633.1993.tb00088.x
Subject(s) - micropterus , juvenile , biology , predation , interspecific competition , lepomis , lepomis macrochirus , bass (fish) , centrarchidae , competition (biology) , ecology , habitat , population density , population , fishery , fish <actinopterygii> , demography , sociology
The relationship among growth, energy storage and mortality of juvenile bluegills ( Lepomis macrochirus , Rafinesque) experiencing heavy predation was experimentally investigated in a large reservoir where piscivorous largemouth bass ( Micropterus salmoides , Lacépède) were abundant. I conducted experiments evaluating interspecific competition, density‐dependent growth and lipid content and habitat‐specific growth and mortality rates of juvenile bluegills in this reservoir. Enclosure experiments showed that the growth rates of bluegills were unaffected by presence of other Lepomis species but decreased with increasing bluegill density. However, at densities corresponding to those found in the reservoir, the growth rates of bluegills were high, and competition appeared to be relatively unimportant. The percentage lipid content of bluegills was unaffected by the presence of other species, density of bluegills or habitat. The growth rates of bluegills in vegetated refuge areas were significantly higher and mortality rates were significantly lower compared with open water habitats. The low densities and high growth rates of juvenile bluegills in refuge environments suggests that there is a strong lethal effect of predators on this population of bluegills.