Use of otolith microstructure to examine growth of young-of-year yellow perch (Perca flavescens): Linking diet to growth.

Recent increases in aquatic macrophyte distribution and abundance in Lake St. Clair, Ontario have the potential to influence growth of important fishery species such as yellow perch (Perca flavescens). Laboratory-based research was first conducted to validate the assumptions of daily otolith increment formation and constant proportionality of the otolith-somatic growth relationship of juvenile yellow perch under changing rations. Otolith analysis was then coupled with diet and prey community analysis to determine if growth or diet of yellow perch differed between vegetated and non-vegetated sites in Lake St. Clair. Increment formation was daily in otoliths of juvenile yellow perch. In Lake St. Clair, vegetated sites generally had higher densities of chironomids, amphipods, ephemeropterans, and trichopterans, while non-vegetated sites had higher densities of oligochaetes and nematodes and Hexagenia mayflies. Diet of juvenile yellow perch reflected the available prey community and fish from both habitats fed predominantly on zooplankton during early July, but switched to a benthic invertebrate dominated diet by late August. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)Dept. of Biological Sciences. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2000 .D35. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 40-03, page: 0647. Adviser: Peter F. Sale. Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2001