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A Bioenergetic Analysis of Factors Limiting Brown Trout Growth in an Ozark Tailwater River

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Abstract

We examined prey utilization and energy consumption by brown trout, Salmo trutta, in a cold tailwater (Little Red River, Arkansas, USA; LRR) having low biodiversity and low availability of fish as prey. Stomach content analysis and age estimation were performed on thirty brown trout (10 each of three size classes for a total of 710 trout) collected monthly from an upstream and downstream site over a 1-year period. Diet diversity was low at both sites, as 80% and 70% of all prey consumed by upstream and downstream brown trout, respectively, were isopods. Piscivory (<0.5% of individuals sampled) and consumption of terrestrial invertebrates were rare. There was no relation between diet diversity and trout age, and a very small ontogenetic shift in brown trout diet. Second, we investigated brown trout growth rates relative to prey consumption and temperature. Temperatures and availability of prey were less than required for maximal trout growth. However, prey availability limited trout growth directly, but sub-optimal temperatures probably buffered the effect of this reduced energy consumption by reducing metabolic energy expenditures. Brown trout growth was 54.8–57.0% of the maximum predicted by a bioenergetics model. Instantaneous growth rates for age 1 and adult brown trout were slightly higher for those downstream (0.195) versus those upstream (0.152). Although isopods are abundant within this tailwater to serve as a forage base, the displacement of native fish fauna and subsequent lack of establishment of cold-tolerant forage fish species due to the thermal regime of hypolimnetic release from Greers Ferry Reservoir probably serves as a major barrier to brown trout growth.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Federal Aid to Sport Fish Restoration project F−39–R. We are thankful for the assistance with collection of trout by T. Bly and S. Todd of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, T. Harmon for trout stomach analysis, and to G. Harp, Arkansas State University, for assistance with identification of invertebrates. Helpful insight was provided by T. Kwak, North Carolina Cooperative Research Unit, and anonymous reviewers, to whom we are most grateful.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Arkansas State University, State University, AR, 72467, USA

    Ronald L. Johnson

  2. Department of Biology, California State University, Fresno, CA, 93740, USA

    Steven C. Blumenshine

  3. Department of Chemistry and Physics, Arkansas State University, State University, AR, 72467, USA

    Stephen M. Coghlan

Authors
  1. Ronald L. Johnson
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  2. Steven C. Blumenshine
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Correspondence to Ronald L. Johnson.

Appendix 1

Appendix 1

Appendix Tab1 Caloric values per gram for brown trout prey items (Cummins and Wuycheck 1971), with wet weight conversions from loss of weight (reported in percent weight loss) due to preservation in ethanol (Leuvan et al. 1985).

Group

Calories

Note

EtOH Dehyd.

Note

Caloric Conversion

Fish

1493

1

NA

5

1493

Flatworms

1330

1

75

 

1773

Gastropoda

430

1

75

 

573

Bivalve

548

1

75

 

731

Gammarus

810

1

85

 

953

Isopod

671

2

85

2

789

Oligochaete

645

1

76

 

849

Leech

645

1

75

 

860

Chironomid

656

1

92

 

713

Simuliid

676

2

84

 

805

Ephemeroptera

864

2

60

 

1440

Plecoptera

864

3-Ephemeroptera

77

 

1122

Coleoptera

779

2

90

 

866

Megaloptera

658

2

77

3-Plecoptera

855

Trichoptera

709

1

79

4

897

Cricket

792

3-Coleoptera

90

3

880

Midges

439

3-Dwarf midges

75

3

585

Caterpillar

690

3-

75

3

920

Eggs

1492

1

75

5

1989

Grub

690

3-Insects

75

3

920

  1. Notes: 1. Caloric values taken directly from literature of Cummins and Wuycheck
  2. 2. Taken as proportion from ash-wt comparisons of nearest taxonomic group Eg. For Gammarus Cal/gm = 810/ Ash free dry wt. 5362 The resulting ratio for isopod conversion is 810/5362 = X/4439 We tested this hypothesis internally with several examples with ~5 % error
  3. 3. Caloric values taken from nearest taxonomic relative, provided in Appendix
  4. 4. Average of several means for this taxa
  5. 5. Taken from live weights of age 0+ trout caught from LRR-average of same length

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Johnson, R.L., Blumenshine, S.C. & Coghlan, S.M. A Bioenergetic Analysis of Factors Limiting Brown Trout Growth in an Ozark Tailwater River. Environ Biol Fish 77, 121–132 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-006-9059-7

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