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At least 523 records · Page 29Linked to original sources
USGS2020

Nest predation and adult mortality relationships with post-natal metabolic rates and growth among songbird species

Metabolism is thought to mediate the connection between environmental selection pressures and a broad array of life history tradeoffs, but tests are needed. High juvenile predation correlates with fast growth, which may be achieved via fast juvenile metabolism. Fast offspring metabolism and growth can create physiological costs later in life that should be minimized in species with low adult mortality. Yet, relationships between juvenile metabolism and mortality at offspring versus adult stages are unexplored. We found that post-natal metabolism was positively correlated with adult mortality but not nest predation rates among 43 songbird species on three continents. Nest predation, but not adult mortality, explained additional variation in growth rates beyond metabolism. Our results suggest that metabolism may not be the mechanism underlying the relationships between growth and mortality at different life stages.

Journal of Experimental Biology↗
USGS1997

Growth of red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus, to maturity on experimental diets

Red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus , were raised from juveniles averaging 2.5 g to adults averaging 6.1 kg. Growth rates with simple experimental starter and grower feeds were similar to those with one of the best-performing commercial starter feeds for marine fish. Over the size range of 4.3-2,243 g, experimental feed cost per unit of growth gradually increased from $0.88/kg to $ 1.54/kg live weight (1996 prices). Thereafter, feed conversion and cost fluctuated, apparently because of temperature variation and fish maturation. Growth from 4.3 to 4,740 g was accomplished in 27 months with an average feed cost of $1.74/kg growth. Raising the fish beyond 4.7 kg was more costly because of worsening feed conversion. Thus, considering feeding costs, an increase in harvest size of red drum from the usual 1.0-2.0 kg range up to 4.0-5.0 kg seems feasible.

Journal of Applied Aquaculture↗
USGS2011

Growth anomalies on the coral genera Acropora and Porites are strongly associated with host density and human population size across the Indo-Pacific

Growth anomalies (GAs) are common, tumor-like diseases that can cause significant morbidity and decreased fecundity in the major Indo-Pacific reef-building coral genera, Acropora and Porites. GAs are unusually tractable for testing hypotheses about drivers of coral disease because of their pan-Pacific distributions, relatively high occurrence, and unambiguous ease of identification. We modeled multiple disease-environment associations that may underlie the prevalence of Acropora growth anomalies (AGA) (n = 304 surveys) and Porites growth anomalies (PGA) (n = 602 surveys) from across the Indo-Pacific. Nine predictor variables were modeled, including coral host abundance, human population size, and sea surface temperature and ultra-violet radiation anomalies. Prevalence of both AGAs and PGAs were strongly host density-dependent. PGAs additionally showed strong positive associations with human population size. Although this association has been widely posited, this is one of the first broad-scale studies unambiguously linking a coral disease with human population size. These results emphasize that individual coral diseases can show relatively distinct patterns of association with environmental predictors, even in similar diseases (growth anomalies) found on different host genera (Acropora vs. Porites). As human densities and environmental degradation increase globally, the prevalence of coral diseases like PGAs could increase accordingly, halted only perhaps by declines in host density below thresholds required for disease establishment.

PLoS ONE↗
USGS2011

A nuclear localization of the infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus NV protein is necessary for optimal viral growth

The nonvirion (NV) protein of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) has been previously reported to be essential for efficient growth and pathogenicity of IHNV. However, little is known about the mechanism by which the NV supports the viral growth. In this study, cellular localization of NV and its role in IHNV growth in host cells was investigated. Through transient transfection in RTG-2 cells of NV fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP), a nuclear localization of NV was demonstrated. Deletion analyses showed that the 32 EGDL 35 residues were essential for nuclear localization of NV protein, and fusion of these 4 amino acids to GFP directed its transport to the nucleus. We generated a recombinant IHNV, rIHNV-NV-ΔEGDL in which the 32 EGDL 35 was deleted from the NV. rIHNVs with wild-type NV (rIHNV-NV) or with the NV gene replaced with GFP (rIHNV-ΔNV-GFP) were used as controls. RTG-2 cells infected with rIHNV-ΔNV-GFP and rIHNV-NV-ΔEGDL yielded 12- and 5-fold less infectious virion, respectively, than wild type rIHNV-infected cells at 48 h post-infection (p.i.). While treatment with poly I:C at 24 h p.i. did not inhibit replication of wild-type rIHNVs, replication rates of rIHNV-ΔNV-GFP and rIHNV-NV-ΔEGDL were inhibited by poly I:C. In addition, both rIHNV-ΔNV and rIHNV-NV-ΔEGDL induced higher levels of expressions of both IFN1 and Mx1 than wild-type rIHNV. These data suggest that the IHNV NV may support the growth of IHNV through inhibition of the INF system and the amino acid residues of 32 EGDL 35 responsible for nuclear localization are important for the inhibitory activity of NV.

PLoS ONE↗
USGS2025

The relationship between body condition, body composition, and growth in amphibians

Body condition of animals is often assumed to reflect advantages in survival or reproduction, but body condition indices may not reflect body composition, or condition may be unrelated to fitness-associated traits. The relationship between body condition indices and composition has rarely been quantified in amphibians, and body condition has not previously been related to growth in adult amphibians. We used laboratory (quantitative magnetic resonance) and field methods to evaluate the relationship between body composition and the four common body condition indices for wildlife studies (body mass index, Fulton’s index, scaled mass index, and residual index) in two frog and one salamander species in Montana, USA. We then assessed the relationship between body condition and summertime somatic growth during a 3-yr mark-recapture study of one of our study species (Columbia spotted frogs, Rana luteiventris ). Correlation of body condition indices with fat and lean mass differed across species, sexes, and whether components were represented as percentages or were scaled based on size. Scaled mass index, residual index, and Fulton’s index were most often well correlated ( r > 0.6) with scaled body components, but Fulton’s index was strongly correlated with body length. Scaled mass and residual indices predicted scaled fat relatively well and were uncorrelated with body length. Heavier condition predicted higher growth rates of Columbia spotted frogs, regardless of the index used. Frogs of heavy body condition (90 th percentile residual index) grew 0.04 and 0.05 mm/day greater than frogs of light condition (10 th percentile) for average length males and females, respectively. Frogs of short body length (10 th percentile) grew 0.11 and 0.19 mm/day more than long (90 th percentile) males and females, respectively. By examining the relationship between body condition indices and body composition and revealing a link between condition and future growth, our results provide an empirical basis for choosing the most appropriate condition index, as well as a potential link to fitness-related traits.

PLoS ONE↗
USGS1986

Growth of tiger muskellunge fed different amounts of protein at three water temperatures

Growth rates of tiger muskellunge (muskellunge Esox masquinongy ♀ x northern pike E. lucius ♂) fed diets containing 35, 45, or 55% crude protein for 5 weeks at 17, 20, or 23°C were compared. Fish fed diets containing 45 or 55% protein grew faster at all temperatures than those fed 35% protein. Growth of tiger muskellunge fed a diet containing either 45 or 55% protein did not increase significantly at optimum growth temperatures (20 or 23°C). At 17°C, below the optimum temperature range, growth did increase when the percentage of protein in the diet was increased.

Progressive Fish-Culturist↗
USGS1992

Effects of day length and cleaning regimen on the growth of yearling parr Atlantic salmon

Yearling Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ) were reared with 8 or 16 h of light each day in laboratory tanks that were cleaned daily or weekly, and growth was measured weekly for 10 weeks. Growth was greatest for fish on the 16‐h light and weekly cleaning routine. Reduced frequency of tank cleaning (weekly) significantly enhanced growth but accounted for only 8.5% of the partitioned variance, compared with 78.9% for increases in day length alone. Results of this study suggest that the increased growth observed at longer day lengths was primarily due to the stimulatory effects of increased amounts of light.

Progressive Fish-Culturist↗
USGS1983

Growth and survival of Atlantic salmon fed semimoist or dry starter diets

Growth and survival were compared for first‐feeding fry of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) fed a closed‐formula commercial preparation, BioDiet, or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service high nutrient density diets 398 or 406 for 14 weeks. Growth of fry fed BioDiet for 2, 3, 4, or 6 weeks from first feeding and then fed diet 406 for the rest of the 14‐week study was also examined. Growth was fastest in fish fed exclusively diets 398 or 406 for 14 weeks, or BioDiet for 2 weeks followed by diet 406 for 12 weeks; survival was about 68, 82, and 92% respectively, for these three groups. These results indicate that in Atlantic salmon fry growth was most rapid and survival highest among fish fed BioDiet for the first 2 or 3 weeks followed by diet 406.

Progressive Fish-Culturist↗
USGS1996

First-year growth, recruitment, and maturity of walleyes in western Lake Erie

In some lakes, first-year growth of walleyes Stizostedion vitreum has been identified as an important factor governing recruitment of juveniles to the adult population. We developed a regression model for walleye recruitment in western Lake Erie by considering factors such as first-year growth, size of the spawning stock, the rate at which the lake warmed during the spring, and abundance of gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum . Gizzard shad abundance during the fall prior to spring walleye spawning explained over 40% of the variation in walleye recruitment. Gizzard shad are relatively high in lipids and are preferred prey for walleyes in Lake Erie. Therefore, the high degree of correlation between shad abundance and subsequent walleye recruitment supported the contention that mature females needed adequate lipid reserves during the winter to spawn the following spring. According to the regression analysis, spring warming rate and size of the parental stock also influenced walleye recruitment. Our regression model explained 92% of the variation in recruitment of age-2 fish into the Lake Erie walleye population from 1981 to 1993. The regression model is potentially valuable as a management tool because it could be used to forecast walleye recruitment to the fishery 2 years in advance. First-year growth was poorly correlated with recruitment, which may reflect the unusually low incidence of walleye cannibalism in western Lake Erie. In contrast, first-year growth was strongly linked to age at maturity.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗
USGS1997

Effects of surgically and gastrically implanted radio transmitters on growth and feeding behavior of juvenile chinook salmon

We examined the effects of surgically and gastrically implanted radio transmitters (representing 2.3-5.5% of body weight) on the growth and feeding behavior of 192 juvenile chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha (114-159 mm in fork length). Throughout the 54-d study, the 48 fish with transmitters in their stomachs (gastric fish) consistently grew more slowly than fish with surgically implanted transmitters (surgery fish), fish with surgery but no implanted transmitter (sham-surgery fish), or fish exposed only to handling (control fish). Growth rates of surgery fish were also slightly impaired at day 21, but by day 54 they were growing at rates comparable with those of control fish. Despite differences in growth, overall health was similar among all test fish. However, movement of the transmitter antenna caused abrasions at the corner of the mouth in all gastric fish, whereas only 22% of the surgery fish had inflammation around the antenna exit wound. Feeding activity was similar among groups, but gastric fish exhibited a coughing behavior and appeared to have difficulty retaining swallowed food. Because growth and feeding behavior were less affected by the presence of surgically implanted transmitters than by gastric implants, we recommend surgically implanting transmitters for biotelemetry studies of juvenile chinook salmon between 114 and 159 mm fork length.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗
USGS1998

Ontogenic and spatial patterns in diet and growth of lake trout in Lake Michigan

Lake trout Salvelinus namaycush in nearshore waters of Lake Michigan grow faster than lake trout residing offshore on Sheboygan Reef, which is in midlake. We examined the stomachs of lake trout, spanning ages 1 through 16, caught in both nearshore and offshore environments of Lake Michigan during 1994 and 1995 to determine whether diet differences may be responsible for the difference in growth rate. A comparison of the diets, coupled with bioenergetics modeling, indicated that juvenile lake trout on Sheboygan Reef experienced slow growth due to low food availability rather than to cold water temperatures. The availability of appropriate‐size prey appeared to regulate lake trout growth. Small prey fish were probably not readily available to small (200‐ to 399‐mm total length) lake trout on Sheboygan Reef, a substantial portion of whose diet consisted of invertebrates; in contrast, nearshore juveniles had a nearly 100% fish diet. Growth rate on the reef remained slow through intermediate lake trout sizes (400–599 mm total length), presumably due to low availability of rainbow smelt Osmerus mordax on the reef. Once lake trout achieved total lengths of approximately 600 mm, they grew slightly faster on Sheboygan Reef than near shore, indicating that large (>170‐mm total length) prey fish were readily available to lake trout in the reef area. On a wet‐weight basis, alewife Alosa pseudoharengus dominated the diet of large (≥600 mm total length) lake trout from both the nearshore and offshore regions of the lake, although bloater Coregonus hoyi composed over 30% of the diet on Sheboygan Reef and in southeastern nearshore Lake Michigan. Size of alewife prey increased with lake trout size. The bloater population currently represents the bulk of the biomass of the adult prey fish community, so our diet analysis suggests that large lake trout are continuing to select alewives.

Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin↗
USGS1999

Growth, smoltification, and smolt-to-adult return of spring chinook salmon from hatcheries on the Deschutes river, Oregon

The relationship between smoltification and smolt-to-adult return (SAR) of spring chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha from the Deschutes River, Oregon, was examined for four release groups in each of three successive years. Fish were reared, marked with coded wire tags, and released from Round Butte Hatchery, Pelton Ladder rearing facility, and Warm Springs National Fish Hatchery. Smolt releases occurred in nearly the same place at similar times, allowing a direct comparison of SAR to several characters representing smolt quality. Return rates varied significantly among facilities, varying over an order of magnitude each year. The highest average SAR was from Pelton Ladder, the lowest was from Warm Springs. Each of the characters used as metrics of smoltification - fish size, spring growth rate (February-April), condition factor, plasma hormone concentration (thyroxine, cortisol, and insulin-like growth factor-I [IGF-I]), stress challenge, gill Na+,K+-ATPase activity, and liver glycogen concentration - varied significantly among facilities and seasonally within hatchery groups. However, only spring growth rate, gill ATPase activity, and plasma IGF-I concentration showed significant relationships to SAR. These characters and SAR itself were consistently lower for fish released from Warm Springs Hatchery than for fish from Round Butte Hatchery and Pelton Ladder. This demonstrates that differences in the quality of fish released by facilities may have profound effects on subsequent survival and suggests that manipulations of spring growth rate may be used to influence the quality of smolts released from facilities.

Oregon↗
USGS2005

Electroshocking and PIT tagging of juvenile Atlantic salmon: Are there interactive effects on growth and survival?

Electroshocking and tagging of fish with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags are two commonly used methods for conducting mark-recapture studies in freshwater environments and are frequently used in combination. We conducted an experiment to test for the effects of electroshocking, tagging, and a combination of electroshocking plus tagging on the growth and survival of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar parr. We used five treatments that included the presence or absence of PIT tags and electroshocking at 300 or 500 V plus a control group. Fish were measured, weighed, and electroshocked on four occasions separated by approximately 2-month intervals. The average (??1 SD) fork length was 62.1 ?? 1.9 mm and the average weight was 2.5 ?? 0.3 g at the start of the experiment; at the end of the experiment, length averaged 120.5 ?? 11.6 mm and weight averaged 20.9 ?? 6.1 g. We did not detect any significant effects of electroshocking on growth or survival over the course of the experiment. However, there was evidence that tagging negatively influenced survival over the first interval after initial tagging and that survival was positively correlated with fish size. In addition, tagged fish seemed to suffer a minor depression in growth over the first interval, although differences in size among tagged and untagged fish were nonsignificant throughout the course of the experiment. We suggest that the size at tagging may have a greater effect on survival and growth of small (<80-mm) Atlantic salmon parr than the amount of exposure to electroshocking. ?? Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2005.

North American Journal of Fisheries Management↗
USGS2016

Germination and growth of native and invasive plants on soil associated with biological control of tamarisk (Tamarix spp.)

Introductions of biocontrol beetles (tamarisk beetles) are causing dieback of exotic tamarisk in riparian zones across the western United States, yet factors that determine plant communities that follow tamarisk dieback are poorly understood. Tamarisk-dominated soils are generally higher in nutrients, organic matter, and salts than nearby soils, and these soil attributes might influence the trajectory of community change. To assess physical and chemical drivers of plant colonization after beetle-induced tamarisk dieback, we conducted separate germination and growth experiments using soil and litter collected beneath defoliated tamarisk trees. Focal species were two common native (red threeawn, sand dropseed) and two common invasive exotic plants (Russian knapweed, downy brome), planted alone and in combination. Nutrient, salinity, wood chip, and litter manipulations examined how tamarisk litter affects the growth of other species in a context of riparian zone management. Tamarisk litter, tamarisk litter leachate, and fertilization with inorganic nutrients increased growth in all species, but the effect was larger on the exotic plants. Salinity of 4 dS m −1 benefitted Russian knapweed, which also showed the largest positive responses to added nutrients. Litter and wood chips generally delayed and decreased germination; however, a thinner layer of wood chips increased growth slightly. Time to germination was lengthened by most treatments for natives, was not affected in exotic Russian knapweed, and was sometimes decreased in downy brome. Because natives showed only small positive responses to litter and fertilization and large negative responses to competition, Russian knapweed and downy brome are likely to perform better than these two native species following tamarisk dieback.

Invasive Plant Science and Management↗
USGS2017

Influence of lake surface area and total phosphorus on annual bluegill growth in small impoundments of central Georgia

The relationships between environmental variables and the growth rates of fishes are important and rapidly expanding topics in fisheries ecology. We used an informationtheoretic approach to evaluate the influence of lake surface area and total phosphorus on the age-specific growth rates of Lepomis macrochirus (Bluegill) in 6 small impoundments in central Georgia. We used model averaging to create composite models and determine the relative importance of the variables within each model. Results indicated that surface area was the most important factor in the models predicting growth of Bluegills aged 1–4 years; total phosphorus was also an important predictor for the same age-classes. These results suggest that managers can use water quality and lake morphometry variables to create predictive models specific to their waterbody or region to help develop lake-specific management plans that select for and optimize local-level habitat factors for enhancing Bluegill growth.

Georgia↗
USGS2007

Impacts of a gape limited Brook Trout, Salvelinus fontinalis, on larval Northwestern salamander, Ambystoma gracile, growth: A field enclosure experiment

The formation of amphibian population structure is directly affected by predation. Although aquatic predators have been shown to have direct negative effects on larval salamanders in laboratory and field experiments, the potential impacts of gape-limited fish on larval salamander growth has been largely underexplored. We designed an enclosure experiment conducted in situ to quantify the effects of gape-limited Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) on larval Northwestern Salamander (Ambystoma gracile) growth. We specifically tested whether the presence of fish too small to consume larvae had a negative effect on larval growth. The results of this study indicate that the presence of a gape-limited S. fontinalis can have a negative effect on growth of larval A. gracile salamanders. Copyright 2007 Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles.

Journal of Herpetology↗
USGS2005

Sex ratio and early growth patterns of Roseate Tern chicks during five breeding seasons at Falkner Island, Connecticut, USA

Roseate Tern ( Sterna dougallii ) nests were monitored at Falkner Island, Connecticut, USA between 1998 and 2002. A total of 586 chicks were sexed and their growth measured during the first three days. These data were used to derive growth parameters and predict survival to fledging with high confidence. In contrast to a previous study in Massachusetts, we found no sex-ratio bias at hatching in any single year or in all years combined, nor was there a bias at fledging in all years combined, or in any single year. This difference is interesting because both colonies exhibit a female-biased sex ratio at breeding. After controlling for other factors, there was no difference in early growth or survival between male and female chicks, consistent with our previous studies and with the hypothesis that differences in growth and survival between males and females observed in other species are due to sexual size dimorphism.

Connecticut↗
USGS2006

Testing the junk-food hypothesis on marine birds: Effects of prey type on growth and development

The junk-food hypothesis attributes declines in productivity of marine birds and mammals to changes in the species of prey they consume and corresponding differences in nutritional quality of those prey. To test this hypothesis nestling Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) and Tufted Puffins (Fratercula cirrhata) were raised in captivity under controlled conditions to determine whether the type and quality of fish consumed by young seabirds constrains their growth and development. Some nestlings were fed rations of Capelin (Mallotus villosus), Herring (Clupea pallasi) or Sand Lance (Ammodytes hexapterus) and their growth was compared with nestlings raised on equal biomass rations of Walleye Pollock (Theragra chalcograma). Nestlings fed rations of herring, sand lance, or capelin experienced higher growth increments than nestlings fed pollock. The energy density of forage fish fed to nestlings had a marked effect on growth increments and could be expected to have an effect on pre- and post-fledging survival of nestlings in the wild. These results provide empirical support for the junk-food hypothesis.

Waterbirds↗