Gape limitation and piscine prey size‐selection by yellow perch in the extreme southern area of Lake Michigan, with emphasis on two exotic prey items |
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Authors: | H. A. Truemper&dagger , T. E. Lauer&dagger |
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Affiliation: | Aquatic Biology and Fisheries Center, Department of Biology, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306, U.S.A. |
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Abstract: | The trophic linkage between yellow perch Perca flavescens and two exotic prey items, alewife Alosa pseudoharengus and round goby Neogobius melanostomus , was investigated in the extreme southern area of Lake Michigan during the summer of 2002. Yellow perch ≥100 mm total length, L T( n = 1293) exhibited size selective feeding, with 148 fish containing round gobies and 120 fish containing alewives. The mean round goby L T, preyed on by yellow perch, was 23% of the predator L T, with a range of 7 to 47%, and mean alewife L T was 32% of yellow perch L T, with a range of 18 to 46%. Although the selection of prey size by yellow perch increased proportionally with yellow perch L T, prey consumed appeared smaller than theoretically possible based on gape size. |
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Keywords: | Lake Michigan prey size selectivity yellow perch |
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