Size of age-0 crappies (Pomoxis spp.) relative to reservoir habitats and water levels
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Abstract
Variable year-class strength is common in crappie Pomoxis spp. populations in many reservoirs, yet the mechanisms behind this variability are poorly understood. Size-dependent mortality of age-0 fishes has long been recognized in the population ecology literature; however, investigations about the effects of environmental factors on age-0 crappie size are lacking. The objective of this study was to determine if differences existed in total length of age-0 crappies between embayment and floodplain habitats in reservoirs, while accounting for potential confounding effects of water level and crappie species. To this end, we examined size of age-0 crappies in four flood-control reservoirs in northwest Mississippi over 4years. Age-0 crappies inhabiting uplake floodplain habitats grew to a larger size than fish in downlake embayments, but this trend depended on species, length of time a reservoir was dewatered in the months preceding spawning, and reservoir water level in the months following spawning. The results from our study indicate that water-level management may focus not only on allowing access to quality nursery habitat, but that alternating water levels on a multiyear schedule could increase the quality of degraded littoral habitats.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Size of age-0 crappies (Pomoxis spp.) relative to reservoir habitats and water levels |
| Series title | Journal of Freshwater Ecology |
| DOI | 10.1080/02705060.2014.923791 |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Year Published | 2014 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Oikos Publishers |
| Publisher location | La Crosse, WI |
| Contributing office(s) | Coop Res Unit Atlanta |
| Description | 10 p. |
| First page | 525 |
| Last page | 534 |
| Online Only (Y/N) | N |
| Additional Online Files (Y/N) | N |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |