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Summer diet of juvenile lake sturgeon reintroduced into the Genesee and St. Regis Rivers, New York USA
Author(s) -
Dittman Dawn E.,
Chalupnicki Marc A.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of applied ichthyology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.392
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1439-0426
pISSN - 0175-8659
DOI - 10.1111/jai.14205
Subject(s) - biology , lake sturgeon , predation , threatened species , juvenile , chironomidae , ecology , acipenser , benthic zone , taxon , sturgeon , fishery , habitat , larva , fish <actinopterygii>
The restoration of threatened species involves understanding multiple aspects of the life history and ecology of the target species. One important consideration in the restoration of threatened species is feeding ecology. We examined the summer diet of reintroduced juvenile lake sturgeon ( Acipenser fulvescens ) in the Genesee ( n = 119, ages 1 and 2) and the St. Regis rivers ( n = 40, ages 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7) of New York State, USA, in the summer of 2005. The most common taxa consumed were Diptera (88% of prey biomass) in the Genesee River and Ephemeroptera (35% of prey biomass) and Diptera (29%) in the St. Regis River. Diptera: (Chironomidae) was the major prey taxon in both benthic communities. Selectivity analysis showed a positive selection of Diptera by Genesee River lake sturgeon and an avoidance of Diptera by St. Regis River lake sturgeon. The St. Regis River lake sturgeon showed avoidance of Coleoptera, but positive selection of Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera, and Oligochaeta. Results indicate that the reintroduced juvenile lake sturgeon are growing and successfully finding prey in these two rivers and appear to actively select specific prey types.