SynopsisYoung-of-the-year fish communities in naturally vegetated sites were compared with those inhabiting nearby sites where lakeshore development (i.e., construction of homes, boat docks, and beaches) reduced nearshore macrophyte species richness and abundance. The study was conducted in a 2266 hectare, glacially formed, eutrophic lake in northwestern Iowa during the summers of 1987 and 1988. Study sites were divided into 3 depth zones, and fishes were collected by seining (O-l m), plexiglass traps (1-2 m), and a nonclosing Tucker trawl (2-3 m). Species richness and total fish abundance were consistently greater in natural than in developed sites in both nearshore (O-l m) and intermediate (l-2 m) depth zones, but differed little between natural and developed sites in the offshore (2-3 m) depth zone. Nearly 50% of the species sampled, including yellow perch Perca flavescens and bluegill Lepomis macrochirus, inhabited limnetic areas as larvae before migrating inshore as juveniles. Eighteen of the 20 fish species collected as juveniles were in greater abundance in natural than in developed sites. Smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieui was the only game species consistently found in equal or greater abundance in developed sites. Within all sites, juvenile fishes were generally most abundant where macrophyte abundance and species richness were greatest. Findings from this study demonstrate the importance of nearshore aquatic vegetation to fishes during their first summer of life. If nearshore vegetation beds of lakes continue to be regarded as a nuisance and indiscriminately removed, important fish nursery habitat will be lost. The short-term result will likely be reduced year-class strength of vegetation-dependent species. More importantly, the long-term effects will be changes in fish community richness and composition which will, in turn, alter the lake's fishery.
Pond culture of bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) does not provide researchers with an adequate means of obtaining eggs or larvae for laboratory studies. Intensive laboratory culture of bluegill larvae through their critical period (when they switch from endogenous to exogenous feeding), however, presents unique problems, requiring different approaches from those used for rearing many other fish species. Consequently, ecological and toxicological studies of larval bluegills are uncommon. We present a laboratory protocol for maintaining bluegill brood stock capable of producing eggs and larvae throughout the year. A unique automatically feeding, self-cleaning rearing chamber for larval bluegills and the use of Artificial Plankton Microcapsules* as the first exogenous food source are discussed. Initiation of exogenous feeding is the key to successful larval bluegill culture in the laboratory. Successful laboratory culture methods will facilitate future larval bluegill research.
--Seventy percent of the otolaryngology--head and neck surgery residents surveyed at six institutions believe that an 80-hour workweek, including being on call every third night with no more than 24 hours of continuous work without sleep, approximates a reasonable, maximum work schedule. Residents working the longest hours expressed concern about rendering substandard care and developing negative attitudes toward patients. Noneducational inefficiencies were identified and solutions were proposed. Demands of residency training, even within guidelines established as reasonable, can have detrimental effects on residents' educational activities and personal life.
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