Seasonal changes in abundance and age structure of burbot Lota lota (L.) and stone loach Barbatula barbatula (L.) in the littoral zone of a large pre-alpine lake

Abstract – Seasonal changes in the abundance and age structure of the stone loach and burbot populations in the littoral of Lake Constance, Germany were examined. The abundance of both species was lowest during the summer months and highest during autumn. The stone loach population in the littoral comprised age classes 1 to 3 plus, in autumn, age class 0. The burbot population showed distinct seasonal changes in both length and age composition. During spring and summer, only age class 1 was present in the littoral whereas, in autumn, only age class 0 was caught. This remarkably strict habitat segregation of two age classes by season is discussed with respect to a possible mechanism for avoiding conspecific predator risk in a cannibalistic species.