Abstract
The diurnal movements and spatial distribution of adult pikeperch, Sander lucioperca, in the Elbe River, Czech Republic was observed using radio telemetry. The hypothesis that light intensity, within four different intervals (dawn, day, dusk, night), would determine the spatial distribution of pikeperch in a riverine environment were tested across a time span of 12 months. During the day, fish were located in deep water of the main channel, moving towards shallower waters during twilight and residing in the littoral zone, closest to the riverbanks, at night. Movement activity followed the behavioural pattern in a drainage canal with maximum at twilight and minimum at night. This suggests that nocturnal positions of adult pikeperch in the shallows were not associated with hunting but more likely with resting.
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Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank an anonymous referee and A. Slavíková for valuable comments on earlier versions of the manuscript, AJE (American Journal Experts) for the language assistance and technical staff at the Water Research Institute in Prague for assistance with the fieldwork. The study was financially supported by grant from the Ministry of Environment of the Czech Republic (SP/2e7/229/07).
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Horký, P., Slavík, O. & Bartoš, L. A telemetry study on the diurnal distribution and activity of adult pikeperch, Sander lucioperca (L.), in a riverine environment. Hydrobiologia 614, 151–157 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-008-9503-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-008-9503-0