Diet of shovelnose sturgeon and pallid sturgeon in the free-flowing Mississippi River

Hoover, Jan Jeffrey; George, Steven G.; Killgore, K. J.

doi:10.1111/j.1439-0426.2007.00893.x

Cited by 36 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…1 A stretch of riverine habitat in Ft. Loudoun Reservoir, Tennessee on the Tennessee River, which is known to reliably harbor lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescnes) (Saidak 2015); cross hatches symbolize the entirety of the study area and into the colon. This method was developed successfully for pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) and shovelnose sturgeon (S. platorynchus) in the Mississippi River by Hoover et al (2007). The bottle is gently squeezed in short pulses, and feces expelled into a dissecting pan.…”

Section: Lake Sturgeon Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Selective predation by reintroduced juvenile Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) in Ft. Loudoun reservoir, Tennessee (USA)

Amacker

Alford

2017

Environ Biol Fish

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Following water quality and minimum flow improvements to the impounded Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers, juvenile lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) have been restocked annually since 2000. Our goal was to seasonally assess foraging mode of this recovering population in Ft. Loudoun Reservoir in the Upper Tennessee River. During 2014-15, individuals were captured using trot-lines in a 13-km reach that supports the greatest density of lake sturgeon. We used colonic flushing and gastric lavage techniques to obtain diet. We took systematic benthic sediment grabs along multiple transects throughout the reach and opportunistically deployed rock cages filled with hard substrates to assess potential prey that colonize hard surfaces. Foraging modes of lake sturgeon were determined by comparing relative abundances of invertebrate taxa in the gut contents (6581 invertebrates) of 28 fish to the relative abundances of the same invertebrate taxa collected from the resource base (1667 invertebrates). Proportional similarity, Levin's niche breadth, and Manly's index were used to assess the degree of prey selectivity. Lake sturgeon fed selectively on a narrow range of available prey consisting mostly of larval chironomids (93% composition by number during warm season, 96% during cool season), some genera of which they prey upon selectively, primarily Chironomus sp., but to a lesser extent Procladius, Ablabesmyia, Coelotanypus, and Cryptochironomus spp. Meanwhile, other abundant taxa in the resource base were avoided, such as Oligochaetes, Hexagenia mayflies, and the chironomid Glyptotendipes. Our results illustrate that assessing seasonally available prey from habitat utilized by lake sturgeon is important when investigating diet preference.

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Section: Lake Sturgeon Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Selective predation by reintroduced juvenile Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) in Ft. Loudoun reservoir, Tennessee (USA)

Amacker

Alford

2017

Environ Biol Fish

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“… A comparison of food habitats for the shovelnose ( Scaphirhynchus platorynchus ) and pallid ( S. albus ) sturgeon from the Mississippi River (Hoover et al., 2007) with the results of this study for the Alabama sturgeon …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Shovelnose sturgeon feed principally on aquatic insects (e.g. Gerrity et al., 2006; Hoover et al., 2007), while the pallid sturgeon feeds on aquatic insects and fishes (e.g. Gerrity et al., 2006; Hoover et al., 2007).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Gerrity et al., 2006; Hoover et al., 2007), while the pallid sturgeon feeds on aquatic insects and fishes (e.g. Gerrity et al., 2006; Hoover et al., 2007). The comparative shovelnose and pallid sturgeon food habit study conducted in the Mississippi River (Hoover et al., 2007) provides the opportunity to compare food habits among the three currently recognized Scaphirhynchus species (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Food habits of the endangered Alabama Sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus suttkusi Williams and Clemmer, 1991 (Acipenseridae)

et al. 2007

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Summary The gut contents of 12 museum specimens of the federally (USA) endangered Alabama sturgeon were analyzed. This collective series represents 32% of the known museum specimens. Gut contents were dominated by aquatic insects and fishes. At the taxonomic level of insect orders, Dipterans (174.3/fish) were the most numerically abundant food item consumed, followed by Ephemeroptera (19.0/fish), Trichoptera (4.0/fish), Coleoptera (2.4/fish), and Odonata (2.0/fish). Weight, which better reflects the caloric value of food items consumed, showed a similar consumption pattern. Dipterans (12.5%) made up the largest percentage of the total weight of insect prey, followed by Ephemeroptera (8.9%), Trichoptera (6.0%), Odonata, (4.5%) and Coleoptera (0.9%). Volumetric values were substantially higher than weights for Odonata (13.4%) and Ephemeroptera (14.3%), but were comparable for Diptera (10.6%), Trichoptera (4.7%), and Coleoptera (2.2%). The diet of the Alabama sturgeon is similar to the pallid and shovelnose sturgeon, eating both aquatic invertebrates and fish. In terms of piscivory, the volume of fish in the diet of the Alabama sturgeon (34.5%) is intermediate between that of the shovelnose (0% fish) and the pallid sturgeon (60% fish). Based upon the habitat preference of the prey family assemblages present from the 12 guts examined, probable feeding habitats of this sturgeon include sandy to rocky bottoms, slow to swift water velocities, and the water column. Conservation of fish prey may be important to the survival and recovery of the Alabama sturgeon.

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“…Specifically, the Cyprinidae family was most represented by Macrhybopsis but the level of digestion generally prohibited further identification. Finally, Hoover et al (2007) found that pallid sturgeon in the middle Mississippi River consumed Cyprinidae, Sciaenidae, and Clupeidae.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of pallid sturgeon relative condition in the upper channelized Missouri River

Steffensen

Mestl

2016

Journal of Freshwater Ecology

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During the spring 2015 sampling efforts on the Missouri River, several adult pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) were captured in a visually emaciated condition. As pallid sturgeon recovery efforts continue throughout the Missouri River, this may negatively impact the local population and hamper recovery. Therefore, the objectives were to (1) assess the annual variation in pallid sturgeon condition, (2) determine how condition varies amongst gender and reproductive status and if condition affects fecundity, (3) determine the annual proportion of reproductive female pallid sturgeon, and (4) test several hypothesized factors which may contribute to variations in pallid sturgeon condition. Overall, the relative condition of pallid sturgeon has significantly declined over the past 12 years, except for the large adult-sized fish (> 840 mm fork length). Pallid sturgeon condition began to decline in 2013 then rapidly declined in 2014 and even more in 2015. The mean annual pallid sturgeon condition reached record lows in 2015. Females had a higher overall Kn compared to males and sexually reproductive fish had a significantly higher Kn for both genders. Overall, 28% of the females captured have been in reproductive condition; however, that frequency appears to be declining with condition. Also, relative condition was not correlated with the number of eggs released by reproductively ready females. Correlation between pallid sturgeon condition and hypothesized variables did not result in any statistically significant relationships that would explain the variations in pallid sturgeon condition. As pallid sturgeon recovery continues throughout the lower Missouri River, concern arises over whether or not the current habitat available and river management can support a viable pallid sturgeon population.

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Diet of shovelnose sturgeon and pallid sturgeon in the free-flowing Mississippi River

Cited by 36 publications

References 10 publications

Selective predation by reintroduced juvenile Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) in Ft. Loudoun reservoir, Tennessee (USA)

Selective predation by reintroduced juvenile Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) in Ft. Loudoun reservoir, Tennessee (USA)

Food habits of the endangered Alabama Sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus suttkusi Williams and Clemmer, 1991 (Acipenseridae)

Assessment of pallid sturgeon relative condition in the upper channelized Missouri River

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