Chronology of Appearance & Habitat Partitioning by Stream Larval Fishes
Larval fish were studied on the Middle Fork of Drake's Creek from 18 March 1982 to 9 September 1982. A total of 6,057 individuals representing 28 species and six unidentified cyprinids was collected. Micropterus sp. was the dominant species representing 33% of the total. Most of the remaining t...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Others |
| Published: |
TopSCHOLAR®
1983
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/2356 https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3337&context=theses |
| Summary: | Larval fish were studied on the Middle Fork of Drake's Creek from 18 March 1982 to 9 September 1982. A total of 6,057 individuals representing 28 species and six unidentified cyprinids was collected. Micropterus sp. was the dominant species representing 33% of the total. Most of the remaining taxa were,generally,equally represented. Juvenile banded sculpins were the first larvae observed -- followed by darters, suckers, minnows, and sunfishes. The percid species, logperch, greenside darter, and Etheostoma (Ulocentra), illustrated the longest spawning periods, their larvae being taken from 24 March to 8 July. Maximum species occurrence was observed from 7 July to 15 July when over 20 species of larvae were collected. Larvae avoided the stream current, selecting for low-flow shoreline habitat areas, with few larvae being taken in stream drift. Two-way analyses of variance showed significant differences in habitat selection by nine species of larvae. The two habitats having the highest larval abundance were an emergent vegetation shoreline area and a limestone rock outcrop. |
|---|