Program Type
Undergraduate
Faculty Advisor
Kyler Hecke
Document Type
Poster
Location
Face-to-face
Start Date
25-4-2023 10:15 AM
Abstract
SPATIOTEMPORAL COMPARISON OF REDFIN DARTER (ETHEOSTOMA WHIPPLEI) DIETS FROM TWO SPATIALLY-DISTINCT STREAMS IN THE ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEY.
Ben S. Johnson1*, Ethan H. Dodson1,2, and Kyler B. Hecke1, 1Arkansas Tech University, Department of Biological Sciences, Russellville, AR bjohnson69@atu.edu, 2Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, 213 AR-89, Mayflower, AR
Diet-data collection is increasingly difficult for darters, as most methods require the dissection of each specimen and the removal of the digestive tract, which is fatal. As a result, the diets of many darter species have been relatively understudied. The Redfin Darter (Etheostoma whipplei) is one species where there is very little information on its diet. We wanted to use a non-lethal diet extraction method to see how the diet of this species seasonally varied between two spatially-distinct streams, Bakers Creek and Shoal Creek, tributaries of Lake Dardanelle (Arkansas River) in Arkansas. We employed two sampling gears (kick-nets and seines) to collect this species in October and January. Small-scale gastric lavage was used to extract diet data from all individuals at two different streams. All prey items were preserved and identified to the genus level (if possible). Bray-Curtis dissimilarity was used to assess the composition of prey items in fish from the two streams. A total of 176 different prey items from 17 fish (37-69 mm), covering 10 orders were extracted from Redfin Darters sampled in Bakers Creek in October (2022). During January, a total of 227 different prey items from 20 fish (36-68 mm), covering 7 orders were extracted from Redfin Darters in Bakers Creek. In Shoal Creek, a total of 187 different prey items from 18 fish (32-67 mm), covering 10 orders were extracted from Redfin Darters sampled. During February, a total of 227 different prey items from 16 fish (33-70 mm), covering 8 orders were extracted from Redfin Darters in Bakers Creek. The composition of prey items from the two streams were relatively similar during October (Bray-Curtis distance = 0.125) and January/February (Bray-Curtis distance = 0.353). Diets were also relatively similar on a temporal scale at Bakers Creek (Bray-Curtis distance = 0.353; October to January) and Shoal Creek (Bray-Curtis distance = 0.335; October to February). Diets from both streams were comprised mostly of Chironomids, suggesting that this prey item is an important part of Redfin Darter diets. There appear to be no spatiotemporal differences in Redfin Darter diets between these two streams, suggesting that these two streams support similar aquatic-macroinvertebrate communities. This research is will aid in the understanding of Redfin Darter diets, by establishing a baseline of their diet, and how it varies spatially and temporally.
Recommended Citation
Johnson, Ben S. and Dodson, Ethan H., "Comparison of Redfin Darter (Etheostoma whipplei) Diets from Two Spatially Distinct Streams in the Arkansas River Valley" (2023). ATU Research Symposium. 58.
https://orc.library.atu.edu/atu_rs/2023/2023/58
Included in
Comparison of Redfin Darter (Etheostoma whipplei) Diets from Two Spatially Distinct Streams in the Arkansas River Valley
Face-to-face
SPATIOTEMPORAL COMPARISON OF REDFIN DARTER (ETHEOSTOMA WHIPPLEI) DIETS FROM TWO SPATIALLY-DISTINCT STREAMS IN THE ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEY.
Ben S. Johnson1*, Ethan H. Dodson1,2, and Kyler B. Hecke1, 1Arkansas Tech University, Department of Biological Sciences, Russellville, AR bjohnson69@atu.edu, 2Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, 213 AR-89, Mayflower, AR
Diet-data collection is increasingly difficult for darters, as most methods require the dissection of each specimen and the removal of the digestive tract, which is fatal. As a result, the diets of many darter species have been relatively understudied. The Redfin Darter (Etheostoma whipplei) is one species where there is very little information on its diet. We wanted to use a non-lethal diet extraction method to see how the diet of this species seasonally varied between two spatially-distinct streams, Bakers Creek and Shoal Creek, tributaries of Lake Dardanelle (Arkansas River) in Arkansas. We employed two sampling gears (kick-nets and seines) to collect this species in October and January. Small-scale gastric lavage was used to extract diet data from all individuals at two different streams. All prey items were preserved and identified to the genus level (if possible). Bray-Curtis dissimilarity was used to assess the composition of prey items in fish from the two streams. A total of 176 different prey items from 17 fish (37-69 mm), covering 10 orders were extracted from Redfin Darters sampled in Bakers Creek in October (2022). During January, a total of 227 different prey items from 20 fish (36-68 mm), covering 7 orders were extracted from Redfin Darters in Bakers Creek. In Shoal Creek, a total of 187 different prey items from 18 fish (32-67 mm), covering 10 orders were extracted from Redfin Darters sampled. During February, a total of 227 different prey items from 16 fish (33-70 mm), covering 8 orders were extracted from Redfin Darters in Bakers Creek. The composition of prey items from the two streams were relatively similar during October (Bray-Curtis distance = 0.125) and January/February (Bray-Curtis distance = 0.353). Diets were also relatively similar on a temporal scale at Bakers Creek (Bray-Curtis distance = 0.353; October to January) and Shoal Creek (Bray-Curtis distance = 0.335; October to February). Diets from both streams were comprised mostly of Chironomids, suggesting that this prey item is an important part of Redfin Darter diets. There appear to be no spatiotemporal differences in Redfin Darter diets between these two streams, suggesting that these two streams support similar aquatic-macroinvertebrate communities. This research is will aid in the understanding of Redfin Darter diets, by establishing a baseline of their diet, and how it varies spatially and temporally.