Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item Reproductive ecology of hatchery-origin pallid sturgeon upstream of Fort Peck Reservoir, Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2020) Cox, Tanner Lewis; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Christopher S. Guy; Christopher S. Guy and Molly A. H. Webb were co-authors of the article, 'First maturity, spawning periodicity, and follicular atresia of hatchery-origin pallid sturgeon in the Missouri River above Fort Peck Reservoir, Montana' submitted to the journal 'Journal of applied ichthyology' which is contained within this thesis.; Christopher S. Guy and Molly A. H. Webb were co-authors of the article, 'Reproductive ecology and behavior of hatchery-origin pallid sturgeon in the Missouri River above Fort Peck Reservoir, Montana' submitted to the journal 'Journal of applied ichthyology' which is contained within this thesis.Conservation propagation of pallid sturgeon above Fort Peck Reservoir has successfully recruited a new generation of spawning-capable pallid sturgeon to a location that would otherwise have fewer than 30 remaining. Successful recovery of pallid sturgeon will now rely on spawning in locations that provide adequate drift distance for larvae to recruit. Prior to this study, all reproductively-active female pallid sturgeon underwent ovarian follicular atresia. The reasons for and prevalence of ovarian follicular atresia were unclear, spawning periodicity of females remained undescribed, and remaining prepubescent fish indicated that age- and size-at-first maturity would vary more than currently described. Furthermore, spawning location, spawning-related interactions among conspecifics, and substrate composition at spawning locations remained undescribed. We used data on reproductive status and location to describe age- and size-at-first maturity, the prevalence of ovarian follicular atresia during first gametogenic cycles, spawning periodicity for female and male pallid sturgeon, where spawning occurs, if spawning locations are related to discharge, if substrate characteristics at the spawning locations were similar to other river reaches, and if female, male, and atretic female pallid sturgeon use the river similarly. Pallid sturgeon matured at older ages and larger sizes than described for other populations with females maturing at 18 years old and males at 15; however, prepubescent pallid sturgeon as old as 20 were documented. During the presumed-first gametogenic cycle, 62.5% of female pallid sturgeon underwent follicular atresia. Females had biennial reproductive cycles, and males had annual and biennial reproductive cycles. Reproductively-active male and female pallid sturgeon were found in similar locations, while locations of atretic female pallid sturgeon varied. The furthest upstream locations of pallid sturgeon including locations in the Marias River occurred during 2018 when discharge was at an unprecedented high. Spawning occurred in locations less than 131 km from the river-reservoir transition zone, which does not provide adequate drift-distance for larvae. Altering discharge and water temperature at Tiber Dam to mimic observed values in 2018 may increase use of the Marias River by pallid sturgeon during spawning, which would provide adequate drift distance to larvae.Item An expansion of nonlethal tools for use on juvenile pallid sturgeon in the upper basin of the Missouri River(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2020) Djokic, Matea Asahi; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Christine Verhille; Kevin Kappenman, Joshua Heishman, Kezia Manlove and Christine Verhille were co-authors of the article, 'Investigations and implications of blood biochemistry, energetic reserves, and visual assessments to assess hatchery-reared juvenile pallid sturgeon health' which is contained within this thesis.; Kevin Kappenman, Joshua Heishman, T. Gibson Gaylord and Christine Verhille were co-authors of the article, 'An assessment of the distell fatmeter for use in juvenile pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus)' submitted to the journal 'Transactions of the American Fisheries Society' which is contained within this thesis.Pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) are an endangered species endemic to the Missouri and Mississippi drainages in North America. Mitigation activities including conservation spawning and stocking programs were implemented to prevent extinction of the species. Monitoring of growth, survival, and condition are conducted annually to determine efficacy of managerial efforts to recover pallid sturgeon. My thesis aimed to establish a knowledge base of juvenile pallid sturgeon physiological bioindicators that can supplement field monitoring of growth, size, and condition measurements. Ultimately, I aimed to resolve mechanisms underlying population fluctuations (e.g. growth rate) caused by environmental changes or management actions. Fisheries managers have observed reduced growth rates of recently stocked hatchery origin pallid sturgeon (HOPS) relative to earlier cohorts. Based on high survival rates of historic stocked HOPS, some fisheries biologists hypothesize that growth rates of recent HOPS cohorts reflect compensatory density dependence in growth caused by overstocking. However, size, growth, and condition metrics commonly tracked on wild-captured sturgeon cannot assess underlying mechanisms driving trends in population growth rate. The purpose of this hatchery-based research was to explore nonlethal physiological measurements to expand the toolset available to managers to assess the status of physiological processes within HOPS that may reflect ecosystem effects on these fish. I investigated a suite of physiological bioindicators that could reflect key physiological processes (nutrition, tissue damage, and chronic stress) expected to respond to common ecosystem stressors. I determined reference intervals for 13 blood biochemical analytes on a population of healthy hatchery-reared juvenile pallid sturgeon (n = 41). Inter-individual variation in blood biochemical analytes and five additional physiological variables were analyzed to determine composite variables predictive of growth. To investigate nonlethal tools to quantify whole-body energetic reserves of juvenile pallid sturgeon, I determined best-fit predictive models to estimate whole-body energy (df = 33; R 2 = 0.40; p < 0.001) and lipid (df = 33, R 2 = 0.45, p < 0.001) content using Distell Fatmeter and mass measurements. Research presented in this thesis aims to provide a preliminary understanding of expected ranges of various physiological bioindicators and methods for nonlethally measuring these bioindicators in hatchery-reared juvenile pallid sturgeon.Item Description of the reproductive structure, size, growth, and condition of hatchery-origin white sturgeon in the lower Columbia River, British Columbia, Canada(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2020) Maskill, Paige Anne Camas; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Christopher S. Guy; James A. Crossman, Christopher S. Guy and Molly A. H. Webb were co-authors of the article, 'Describing the reproductive structure of the hatchery-origin population of white sturgeon in the lower Columbia River, British Columbia, Canada' which is contained within this thesis.Conservation aquaculture has been successful in preventing extirpation of endangered white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus in the lower Columbia River (LCR), Canada. The goals of this project were to 1) determine if the hatchery-origin (HO) population has reached puberty as many fish are of an age and body size to begin contributing to spawning and 2) assess the size, absolute growth rate (AGR), and relative condition factor (Kn) of the population. The reproductive structure (sex and stage of maturity) of the HO population was assessed using multiple tools (gonadal biopsy analyzed histologically, ultrasound, endoscopy, and plasma sex steroids). The accuracy of each tool was determined by comparing the assigned sex to the true sex determined by histological analysis of a gonadal biopsy. A subobjective was to determine whether gonadal development was homogenous (assessed in fish captured in LCR and Lake Roosevelt, WA, USA). All fish assessed were pre-meiotic males (n=158) or pre-vitellogenic females (n=174) and had yet to reach puberty. Endoscopy and gonadal biopsy analyzed histologically were the most accurate tools with accuracies > 97%. Gonadal development was homogenous in females but 38% of the males exhibited non-homogenous testicular development, with a few precocious cysts that contained germ cells in an advanced stage of development compared to the predominant phase seen throughout the biopsy. The size, AGR, and Kn were compared among sex, age, and river zone. While the mean Kn indicated that the HO white sturgeon were in average condition relative to all HO fish within the LCR, they were lower in condition compared to the full transboundary population (Canada and USA). This reflects a difference in the environmental or physiological conditions of the fish in the LCR and those captured throughout the transboundary reach. Results of this work will be important to determine the reproductive dynamics of the hatchery-origin population over time (e.g., age and size at puberty, sex ratio), and specifically when these fish will begin spawning in the wild. Additionally, this information will help to develop other standardized monitoring programs which can track the reproductive structure of a population over time using tools with known accuracy rates.Item Feeding ecology and food-web interactions of the fish assemblage in the upper Missouri River and lower Yellowstone River with an emphasis on pallid sturgeon conservation(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2018) Dutton, Adeline Jean; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Christopher S. Guy; Christopher S. Guy was a co-author of the article, 'Diet overlap and gape size of pallid sturgeon and shovelnose sturgeon in the Missouri River and Yellowstone River' submitted to the journal 'Journal of applied ichthyology' which is contained within this thesis.; Christopher S. Guy and Eric A. Scholl were co-authors of the article, 'Quantitative food-web linkages among primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers in the upper Missouri River and lower Yellowstone River' submitted to the journal 'Journal of freshwater ecology' which is contained within this thesis.A conservation propagation program started in the late 1990s for the endangered Pallid Sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus because the species was not recruiting in the Missouri River. Stocking has been successful and several studies have suggested that the survival of stocked Pallid Sturgeon in the upper Missouri River is relatively high. Stocking of hatchery-origin Pallid Sturgeon may have created an uncharacteristic population structure, which could lead to intraspecific and interspecific competition between juvenile Pallid Sturgeon, Shovelnose Sturgeon, and other fish species in the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers. The purpose of this study was to describe the diets of Pallid Sturgeon and Shovelnose Sturgeon, determine if gape size differed between species, and assess diets of many secondary and tertiary consumers to describe the food web of the upper Missouri and lower Yellowstone rivers. Pianka's index of diet overlap was highest in segments near Fort Peck Dam in the Missouri River. Diet overlap was low in the Missouri River below the confluence with the Yellowstone River and in the Yellowstone River. Gape size was slightly different between Pallid Sturgeon and Shovelnose Sturgeon suggesting it was not the mechanism for the shift to piscivory in Pallid Sturgeon. Chironomidae were the most abundant primary consumer in the upper Missouri River and lower Yellowstone River. Hydropsychidae were not abundant in either river system, but were frequently consumed by Goldeye, Channel Catfish, Shovelnose Sturgeon, and Stonecat in the Missouri River and Shovelnose Sturgeon in the Yellowstone River. Emerald Shiner were the most abundant secondary consumer in both rivers and the most frequently consumed secondary consumer by Pallid Sturgeon, in the Missouri River. In addition, Pallid Sturgeon in the Missouri River consumed Channel Catfish, Shovelnose Sturgeon, and either Sicklefin Chub or Sturgeon Chub. In the Yellowstone River, Pallid Sturgeon consumed Channel Catfish, Scaphirhynchus spp., and Stonecat. These results provide a foundation into key linkages among predators and prey to better understand the effects of stocking Pallid Sturgeon in the upper Missouri River and lower Yellowstone River.Item Reproductive ecology of hatchery-origin and wild pallid sturgeon in the Missouri River above Fort Peck Reservoir, Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2017) Holmquist, Luke Mathew; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Christopher S. Guy; Molly A. H. Webb (co-chair); Christopher S. Guy and Molly A. H. Webb were co-authors of the article, 'Reproductive ecology of hatchery-origin and wild pallid sturgeon in the upper Missouri River above Fort Peck Reservoir, Montana' submitted to the journal 'Journal of applied ichthyology' which is contained within this thesis.; Christopher S. Guy and Molly A. H. Webb were co-authors of the article, 'First maturity and spawning periodicity of hatchery-origin pallid sturgeon in the upper Missiouri River above Fort Peck Reservoir, Montana' submitted to the journal 'Journal of applied ichthyology' which is contained within this thesis.I evaluated movement and habitat use of hatchery-origin and wild Pallid Sturgeon in the upper Missouri River, upstream of Fort Peck Reservoir, Montana, in order determine how the ecology of hatchery-origin fish changes with sexual maturation, and if the reproductive ecology of reproductively-active hatchery-origin Pallid Sturgeon is similar to the few remaining reproductively-active wild Pallid Sturgeon. I also evaluated the influence of the timing and magnitude of peak discharge on spawning season movement of reproductively-active male Pallid Sturgeon.Item Community structure and habitat associations of fishes of the lower Tongue and Powder rivers(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2000) Trenka, Ryan JosephItem Habitats and movements of pallid and shovelnose sturgeon in the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers, Montana and North Dakota(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1996) Bramblett, Robert GlennHabitat use and movements of the endangered pallid sturgeon and the closely related shovelnose sturgeon are poorly known. Using radio and sonic telemetry, I obtained observations of microhabitat and macrohabitat use and movements on 24 pallid and 27 shovelnose sturgeon in the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers in Montana and North Dakota. Pallid sturgeon preferred sand and avoided gravel/cobble substrates. Shovelnose sturgeon preferred gravel/cobble and avoided sand substrates, although individual shovelnose sturgeon were variable in substrate use. Pallid sturgeon used depths ranging from 0.6 to 14.5 m, while shovelnose sturgeon used depths ranging from 0.9 to 10.1 m. Median depths at pallid sturgeon locations were significantly greater than at shovelnose sturgeon locations, and there was significant variation in mean depths among individual pallid and shovelnose sturgeon. Pallid and shovelnose sturgeon used bottom current velocities ranging from 0 to 1.37 m/s, and 0.02 to 1.51 m/s, respectively. Mean bottom current velocities were significantly greater at shovelnose sturgeon locations than at pallid sturgeon locations, although analysis of variance indicated that difference was due to location in the Yellowstone River versus the Lower Missouri River. Pallid sturgeon were most often relocated in the lower 28 km of the Yellowstone River in spring and summer and in the Lower Missouri River in fall and winter. Shovelnose sturgeon were most often relocated in the 114 km of the Yellowstone River from the Intake diversion dam to the confluence in all seasons. Only rarely were either species relocated in the Upper Missouri River. Pallid sturgeon aggregations in late spring and early summer indicate that spawning may occur in the lower 13 km of the Yellowstone River. Home range of both species ranged to over 250 km. Both species moved during both day and night and less during fall and winter than during spring and summer. Linear regression models suggested that discharge and photoperiod may be important environmental cues for movements of both species. Pallid sturgeon used moderately diverse, dynamic macrohabitats while shovelnose sturgeon were less selective in macrohabitat use. Substantial differences in habitat use and movements between adult pallid and shovelnose sturgeon indicate that shovelnose sturgeon have limited utility as pallid sturgeon surrogates.Item Life history, habitat and distribution of the lake sturgeon Acipenser fulvescens in the South Saskatchewan River, Alberta(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 1969) Haugen, Gordon NealItem Movement of Scaphirhynchus species in the Missouri River above Fort Peck Reservoir, Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2011) Richards, Ryan Roy; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Christopher S. Guy; Christopher S. Guy and William M. Gardner were co-authors of the article, 'Movements of Scaphirhynchus Spp. in the upper Missouri River' in the journal 'Transactions of the American Fisheries Society' which is contained within this thesis.; Christopher S. Guy, Molly A. Webb, William M. Gardner and Casey B. Jensen were co-authors of the article, 'Spawning related migration of shovelnose sturgeon in the Missouri River above Fort Peck Reservoir, Montana' in the journal 'Transactions of the American Fisheries Society' which is contained within this thesis.Some Scaphirhynchus spp. populations are endangered, in decline or extirpated. Operation of dams and reservoirs on the Missouri River has been implicated in declines in Scaphirhynchus spp. abundance. It is hypothesized that discharge from dams upstream of Scaphirhynchus spp. populations are insufficient to provide the environmental cue initiating spawning migrations. The goal of this thesis was to investigate the effects of variations in spring discharge on movements of Scaphirhynchus spp. in the Missouri River above Fort Peck Reservoir. A secondary goal was to provide information on the distribution of Scaphirhynchus spp. locations relative to larval drift distance. Twenty-four hatchery-reared juvenile pallid sturgeon, seven adult pallid sturgeon, and 192 shovelnose sturgeon were tracked from 2006 through 2009 and movements were compared among years with hydrologic conditions from above to below average discharge. Seventy-eight shovelnose sturgeon in five reproductive categories (i.e., males, confirmed spawning females, potentially spawning females, atretic females, and reproductively inactive females) were tracked in 2008 and 2009. Movements were compared among all reproductive categories within years and between years for confirmed spawning females while integrating the environmental effects of discharge and water temperature. The majority of pallid sturgeon locations in all years were within 75 km of the headwaters of Fort Peck Reservoir. Shovelnose sturgeon locations were distributed across the entire study reach, and were 100 km further upstream than pallid sturgeon locations. Based on current estimates, an insufficient length of river exists upstream of the Fort Peck Reservoir headwaters for pallid sturgeon larval drift. Movement rates of Scaphirhynchus spp. did not differ among years 2006-2009, and movements did not differ between years for confirmed spawning female shovelnose sturgeon 2008-2009, indicating that discharge did not influence movements. At the conditions in this study, movement rates of confirmed spawning female shovelnose sturgeon were highest at water temperatures suitable for spawning regardless of discharge, providing support for the hypothesis that water temperature rather than discharge is a more likely proximate cue initiating spawning migrations in Scaphirhynchus spp.