Thesis defense for pdf!!

Aspects of Bowfin and Northern Sunfish Biology and Ecology

Chapter 1

Population Characteristics of Bowfin (Amia calva) from a Great Lakes Coastal Wetland, with an Investigation of Captive Breeding

and Artificial Diet

Chapter 2

Status of the Last Wild Population of Northern Sunfish (Lepomis peltastes) in New York State:

Changes in the Fish Community and Hybridization with Bluegill (L. macrochirus) in

Tonawanda Creek, Erie County

Population Characteristics of Bowfin (Amia calva) from a Great

Lakes Coastal Wetland, with an Investigation of Captive Breeding and Artificial Diet

• Maximum – Length: 939 mm (37 in)

– Weight: 9.75 kg (21lb 8oz)

– Age: 30 yrs captivity;

13 in the wild

– One of the highest recorded growth

rate of any fish

(10% BW/day from

20–200 g)

Introduction http://www.iquitfilmschool.com/adventures-with-bowfin-north-americas-underdogfish/



• Common throughout

most of the eastern

US

http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/factsheet.aspx?SpeciesID=305

Introduction: Range



• Only living member of Order: Amiiformes – Triassic period

(~251 MYBP)

Introduction: Phylogeny

http://whozoo.org/fish/fishtaxa.htm



• Air-breathing – highly vascularized swim

bladder

http://bio.sunyorange.edu/updated2/comparative_anatomy/anat.html1/R_LUNGS.htm

Introduction: Biology



• Sexually dimorphic year-round

Female Male

Introduction: Biology



• Males build and guard nests – Where water is ~0.5–1 m

– He chews away stalks of vegetation,

fans away muck, and creates a bowl with

fibrous roots for eggs to adhere

• Young stay in tight schools defended my male

until they reach ~100 mm

Introduction: Reproduction



http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/4/6/1290055/-The-Daily-Bucket-Baby-Bowfin-and-Other-Adventures-at-the-Dock

Introduction: Reproduction

http://www.nanfa.org/fif/bowfin.shtml



• Commercial harvest for

bowfin roe (eggs) as a

black caviar alternative

has boomed – Sturgeon caviar limited

due to overexploitation

– Industry is expanding into

Georgia and up Mississippi

– Could expand into

Great Lakes

Introduction: Commercial Harvest




https://www.markys.com/Caviar/american-bowfin-black-caviar-1-oz..html#op16206



• Like sturgeon, they are long-lived

• Therefore, highly susceptible to overharvest

• In light of new industry, four populations have recently been described using a reliable aging method




• To evaluate the potential impact of commercial harvesting in the Great Lakes – Objective 1: To describe age and growth from a Lake

Ontario population and compare to those recently described

• To develop an in-captivity alternative to commercial harvesting (i.e. aquaculture) – Objective 2: To explore the ability of wild bowfin to

survive and reproduce in the laboratory, and – Objective 3: To determine whether adult bowfin would

accept an artificial diet in place of live fish.

Goals and Objectives

• 55 bowfin: (51 from Braddock Bay) • Of the 51: 26 female, 25 male • 579 (±90) mm long, 1880 (±1018) g weight, 4.2 (±1.4) yrs old

Methods: Population Characteristics

• Data from aging used to determine growth characteristics – Bowfin do not display annuli on scales

– Otoliths are irregularly shaped

– The best hard structure to use is thin sections of the first pectoral fin ray

– Gular plate also acceptable, but not as reliable


• Data from aging used to determine growth characteristics – Bowfin do not display annuli on scales

– Otoliths are irregularly shaped

– The best hard structure to use is thin sections of the first pectoral fin ray

– Gular plate also acceptable, but not as reliable







Length at capture

Age 4

Age 3

Age 2

Age 1

Back-calculated length at:

Results: Population Characteristics

Back-calculated length-at-age

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Len

gth

(m

m)

Age (yrs)

Lake Ontario

UMR Pool 11

UMR Pool 13

Mingo Swamp*

Lake Lindsay Grace

Barataria Estuary*

Conclusions: Population Characteristics

• This bowfin population from Lake Ontario grows slower than those from lower latitudes

• This population resembles those from the Upper Mississippi River, which the authors (Koch et al. 2009) warned were vulnerable to over exploitation

• If the industry expands into the Great Lakes, more surveys with larger sample sizes should be conducted to assess the populations’ Maximum Sustainable Yield, recruitment, age of maturity, etc.

Methods: Captive Breeding Recall: • Goal: To develop an in-captivity alternative to wild harvest

• Objective 2: To explore the ability of wild bowfin to survive and reproduce in captivity, and

So I tested 2 aquaculture ponds...

Methods: Captive Breeding • 0.04 hectares (1/10th acre) • 2 m depth • Clay lined with ~10 cm organic muck • 2 ♂ ; 3 ♀

Methods: Captive Breeding • 0.04 hectares (1/10th acre) • 2 m depth • Clay lined with ~10 cm organic muck • 2 ♂ ; 3 ♀

Methods: Captive Breeding

...and 5 indoor tanks

Tank 1 (not shown): 152 cm x 76 cm x 121 cm; 1,415 L (1 ♂ 2 ♀) Tank 2 (left): 182 cm diameter x 90 cm; 2,341 L (1 ♂ 2 ♀)


...and 5 indoor tanks Tanks 3–5: 127 cm x 81 cm x 91 cm, 567 L 1 ♂ 1 ♀


...and 5 indoor tanks





Results: Captive Breeding

There was no evidence of breeding in any tank or pond

Conclusions: Captive Breeding

• For commercial propagation, bowfin will require hormone-induced breeding (i.e. Dabrowski 2012)

• Bowfin can “skip” spawning — In wild, only 5/123 females bred in a season in southeastern Louisiana (Davis 2006)

• Many issues with water quality led to mortality and most likely triggered skipped spawning

• Ponds likely did not provide proper nesting area — Steep banks, relatively small, too confined

Methods: Artificial Diet

Recall: • Goal: To develop an in-captivity alternative to wild harvest

— Objective 3: To determine whether adult bowfin would accept a prepared diet in place of live fish.


Recall: • Goal: To develop an in-captivity alternative to wild harvest

— Objective 3: To determine whether adult bowfin would accept a prepared diet in place of live fish.

I tested 2 artificial diets and a control diet of live prey (3 treatments) • Commercially available: Purina Mills® Aquamax • Handmade: Ground Fish • Live: goldfish, minnows, sunfish, tadpoles, and crayfish


12 adult bowfin: 1 female and 3 males each treatment • 1 bowfin per tank • 86-days from July 2nd to September 25th 2013 • Tracked consumption of each pellet and mass of feed • Tanks: 121 cm x 60 cm x 30 cm; 226 L (4’ x 2’ x 1’; 58 gal)

— Flows, lights, and gravel substrate was provided equally in each tank


12 adult bowfin: 1 female and 3 males each treatment • 1 bowfin per tank • 86-days from July 2nd to September 25th 2013 • Tracked consumption of each pellet and mass of feed • Tanks: 121 cm x 60 cm x 30 cm; 226 L (4’ x 2’ x 1’; 58 gal)

— Flows, lights, and gravel substrate was provided equally in each tank

Methods: Artificial Diet: making the ground fish pellets




I tracked each item of food and prey for consumption • Aquamax and Ground Fish pellets were weighed and

tethered to a fishing string • Prey items were weighed and assumed to have been eaten

when missing (screens were placed on all tank drains)

Results: Artificial Diet

All groups had an average loss in weight

-1000

-750

-500

-250

0

250

500

750

1000

-20%

-15%

-10%

-5%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

X3 Y4 Y6 Y9 X1 Y11 Y3 Y5 X2 Y1 Y10 Y7

Die

t C

on

sum

ed

(g)

Pe

rce

nt

Ch

ange

in In

itia

l We

igh

t

Aquamax Ground Fish Control

But the Ground Fish diet lost significantly less weight Kruskal-Wallace one-way ANOVA, F [2,9] = 9.19, P = 0.007

Results: Artificial Diet

All diets were consumed, with the Ground Fish diet more preferred than the Aquamax

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

X3 Y4 Y6 Y9 X1 Y11 Y3 Y5 X2 Y1 Y10 Y7

Pe

rce

nt

Co

nsu

mp

tio

n

Aquamax Ground Fish Control

Conclusions: Artificial Diet

The loss of weight is likely due to • methods that only allowed one piece to be

consumed at time • stressful conditions of captivity:

— tank size — water conditions — disturbances

Conclusions: Artificial Diet

The loss of weight is likely due to • methods that only allowed one piece to be

consumed at time • stressful conditions of captivity:

— tank size — water conditions — disturbances

More research is needed to develop ideal feeds and feed rates for adult bowfin in captivity (broodstock and grow-out)

Chapter 2

Status of the Last Wild Population of Northern Sunfish (Lepomis peltastes) in New York State:

Changes in the Fish Community and Hybridization with Bluegill (L. macrochirus) in Tonawanda

Creek, Erie County

Introduction

Status of the Last Wild Population of Northern Sunfish (Lepomis peltastes) in New York State: Changes in the Fish

Community and Hybridization with Bluegill (L. macrochirus) in Tonawanda Creek, Erie County

Introduction



longear sunfish

northern sunfish

Conservation Timeline

• Recovery program initiated – Assess status in Lower

Tonawanda Creek

– establish hatchery ponds

– Restock previous range and new suitable sites

Captured 23 Northern Sunfish

2005; Scott Wells SUNY Brockport

2005; Doug Carlson NYSDEC

2005–2013; 19,000 fingerlings

Introduction: Recovery program



Erie (NYSB) Canal

= Moira River strain, = Tonawanda Creek strain, = Huron River strain

Lower Tonawanda Creek


2013: To reassess New York’s last remaining wild population of northern sunfish in lower Tonawanda Creek.

2014: The population could not be detected, attempt to detect the species in other areas that had been stocked by NYSDEC.


2013: To determine the status of New York’s last remaining wild population of northern sunfish in lower Tonawanda Creek.

2014: The population could not be detected, detect the species in other areas that had been stocked by NYSDEC.

— Species again was not detected, investigate the cause of the northern sunfish’s decline in lower Tonawanda Creek.

— The objectives for achieving this goal were to:

• Determine if the fish community in lower Tonawanda Creek had changed from 2005 to 2013, and

• Investigate whether hybridization of northern sunfish with other Lepomis spp. had occurred in lower Tonawanda Creek.

Erie

Can

al (N

YBC)

Water

shed

2

Grand Island

On

tario

, C

ana

da

Nia

ga

ra R

ive

r

Tonawanda Creek (TWC) Watershed 1

Ransom Creek

Mud Creek

Murder Creek

A B C D E

GH

Ledge Creek

I

A B C

D

E

Ellicott Creek (ELC) Watershed 3

B

F

C D E A

F

Cayuga Creek (CYC) Watershed 4

Buffalo River

Cazenovia

Creek

Buffalo C

reek

Little Buffalo

Creek

Slate Bottom Creek

Cayuga Creek

A

B

C DE

Buffalo

Niagara Falls

10 Kilometers

2005 L. peltastes detected

Huron River strain stocked

Tonawanda Creek strain stocked

Methods: Changes in Fish Community

Recall: To determine if the fish community in lower Tonawanda Creek had changed from 2005 to 2013

• 46.12 hours of boat & backpack electroshocking power-on time 2013 & 2014

— 2014 data was presence/absence, so not used in calcs

— 2013 data from sites where northern sunfish were captured in 2005, using the same collection methods, were used to:

• Compare Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) of each species

• Compare Simpson’s Index of Diversity

• Create multivariate comparisons of the communities

• (18.58 hours of effort from 2013 used in these comparisons)

Results: Changes in Fish Community

CPUE comparisons using t-tests (2-sample, 2-tailed, df = 50)

• Overall CPUE increased from 398 to 611 fish/hour (P = 0.014)

0.0

50.0

100.0

150.0

200.0

250.0

300.0

no

n-n

ativ

e c

ypri

nid

s

nat

ive

cyp

rin

ids

red

ho

rse

wh

ite

su

cke

r

no

rth

ern

ho

g su

cker

bro

wn

bu

llhea

d

chan

nel

cat

fish

tad

po

le m

adto

m

bri

nd

led

mad

tom

pik

es

cen

tral

mu

dm

inn

ow

ban

de

d k

illif

ish

bro

ok

silv

ersi

de

wh

ite

per

ch

rock

bas

s

gre

en s

un

fish

pu

mp

kin

seed

blu

egill

No

rth

ern

su

nfi

sh

smal

lmo

uth

bas

s

larg

em

ou

th b

ass

wh

ite

cra

pp

ie

bla

ck c

rap

pie

dar

ters

an

d lo

gper

ch

yello

w p

erch

wal

leye

fre

shw

ater

dru

m

rou

nd

go

by

2005

2013

#/h

ou

r b

oat

ele

ctro

sho

ckin

g

• 4 sampling dates

• All green sunfish > 24 mm marked

• Proportion of marked:unmarked indicates size of population

Methods: Changes in Fish Community Ministudy: Multiple mark-recapture assessment of green sunfish (Schnabel method)

Results:

• Population estimated to be 8,606 green sunfish in the 3.7 km stretch of lower Tonawanda Creek (95% CI:

6,297–12,116)

• Equates to 1.2 (95% CI: 0.9–1.7) green sunfish/meter shoreline


Simpson’s Index of Diversity; modified t-test (Brower & Zar 1984)

• Significantly lower in 2013 than 2005 (P = 0.004)

• Species richness also decreased

2005 2013

Simpson’s index of diversity (Ds) 0.790 0.715

# samples 12 40

Average richness (# spp./sample) 13.42 10.92

Cumulative richness (# spp.) 25 24

Simpson’s t value 3.05

Degrees of freedom (df) 47

Significance (P) 0.004


Multivariate analyses using Bray-Curtis similarity matrix (Primer 6)

• Significant difference in communities detected using ANOSIM (R = 0.806, P = 0.001)

• Using SIMPER, differences attributed to...

2005 2013 2005 vs 2013

Overall similarity Overall dissimilarity

64.4% 72.0% 42.1%

Species’ contributions

green sunfish 7.7% 22.4% 9.5%

darters and logperch 9.2% - 7.8%

bluegill sunfish 5.7% 14.7% 7.4%

non-native cyprinids 10.2% - 7.0%

northern sunfish 5.5% - 6.5%

pikes - 5.1% 5.4%

smallmouth bass 6.7% - 5.2%

rockbass 5.2% 11.3% 4.9%

pumpkinseed 6.5% 7.8% 4.7%

redhorse 7.8% 9.3% 4.1%

black crappie - - 4.1%

largemouth bass 8.7% 3.9% 4.0%

native cyprinids 17.8% 17.8% 3.3%

round goby - - 2.4%


Multivariate analyses using Bray-Curtis similarity matrix (Primer 6)

• Significant difference in communities detected using ANOSIM (R = 0.806, P = 0.001)

• Using SIMPER, differences attributed to... • Non-metric multidimensional scaling showed strong separation

between the two year’s samples

Conclusions: Changes in Fish Community

The community in lower Tonawanda Creek has changed significantly from when northern sunfish were last detected • Due to an overwhelming increase in non-native

green sunfish • Other shifts:

— ↑ bluegill (competitors)

— ↑ round goby & white perch (invasives)

— ↑ pikes (predators)

— ↓ darters and logperch, redhorse suckers, madtoms, and native cyprinids (indicator species)

Conclusions: Changes in Fish Community

• This community may not support northern sunfish unless conditions change

• Future recovery efforts should identify new waters suitable for northern sunfish containing no green sunfish or round gobies

• Stocking and resampling should continue with a more regimented schedule

Hybridization study

Recall: To investigate whether hybridization of northern sunfish with other Lepomis spp. had occurred in lower Tonawanda Creek.

• Sunfish species are known to hybridize in nature, especially when one species becomes overbearingly abundant and/or the habitat is degraded

• Sunfish nest in colonies, sometimes mixing with other species when habitat is limited

• Alternative mating tactics are common – cuckolding:

• small, non-nest building males • dull coloration to mimic females • sneak into an egg-bearing nest, fertilize, and run away

• Studies have shown hybridization to occur due to cuckolding, particularly by bluegill males

Background: Hybridization study

• Several suspected hybrids were captured during sampling

• A detailed key was developed using meristics, morphometrics, and general descriptions from texts

• Suspected specimens did not fit the key

– These, along with pure-bred specimens of each species, were:

• photographed

• frozen

• had DNA samples taken

• delivered to the NYS museum for further morphometric analysis

Methods: Hybridization study

Methods: Hybridization study

DNA analysis used microsatellite techniques to identify mitochondrial and nuclear alleles as belonging to one of the four sunfish species

Results: Hybridization study

27 specimens were indeed hybrids: (in father x mother order)

• 8 bluegill x northern • 8 bluegill x green • 8 bluegill x pumpkinseed • 3 green x pumpkinseed

Pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus

Green Lepomis cyanellus

Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus

Northern Lepomis peltastes

Juveniles (5 – 7 cm)





Maturity (8 – 12 cm)

adult shown





Mature Adult (14 – 18 cm)

Conclusions: Hybridization study

• The remnant population of northern sunfish in lower Tonawanda Creek was only detectable in 2013 & 2014 by genetic evidence left in hybrid specimens

• The proportion of northern hybrids is relatively higher than other species’ crosses — Supporting the theory that hybridization occurs when one

species is scarce and another highly dominant

• Remaining questions: — Why only the four parental crosses? — Why did bluegills hybridize with northern sunfish and not the

massively abundant green sunfish? — Why were bluegills always the male parent?

• Remaining research (in progress): — Use morphometric analysis, proofed by genetics, to help researchers recognize and identify hybrid sunfish

Dedications: This thesis is dedicated to, first, my parents for their undying love, support, and guidance: my mother who taught me to thirst for knowledge and my father who taught me to explore natural phenomena. Second, I also dedicate this thesis to the love of my life, Noelle Hatton, who not only helped with both chapter’s field and lab work, but has unwaveringly stood by me through the writing process.

Acknowledgements: Dr. James Haynes for encouraging me to develop a thesis project that captured my interests, for providing an immeasurable amount of support and guidance, and for his patience. Dr. Jacques Rinchard for providing the facility and major components of my bowfin project’s setup, as well as his support and guidance. Dr. Douglas Wilcox for providing financial support and scientific input, as well as lending me much of the field gear for capturing my bowfin.

Bowfin Research: Ant`hony Marsocci, Noelle Hatton, Corey Calby, Andie Graham, Erik Long, Shane Barney, Colleen Kolb, Taylor Ouderkirk, Lauren Brewer, Miranda Papp, Matt Piche, Jacob van Slooten, Joshua Perry, Evan Rea, Robert Cornish, Lier Yo, Kelly Owens, Amberlee Todd, William Giese, Frank Lawrence. Expert opinions: Dr. Allyse Ferrera of Nicholls State University, Thibodaux, Louisiana and Dr. Michael Quist of the University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho. Lowes, Brockport and Bruce Butcher of Sandy Creek Marina.

Northern Sunfish Research: NYSDEC Fish Biologists Douglas Carlson, for his mentorship of me through this project and Scott Wells for his guidance. Funding from the Niagara River Habitat Enhancement and Restoration Fund, with special thanks to Timothy DePriest, NYSDEC HERF committe chair. Anthony Marsocci, Catherine Jirovec, Noelle Hatton, Andrea Graham, Katherine Bailey, Coral Reina, Kelly Owens, Gregory Lawrence, Scott Buckingham, Jeffery Maharan, Jonathan Bateman, Matthew Piche, Robert Cornish, Alyssa Vogel, Dena VanCurran, Sage Hallenbeck, Mathew Pavalitis, Alexander Silva, James Hatton. Erie County Department of Parks, Recreation, and Forestry.

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Thesis defense for pdf!!