Diel habitat selection of largemouth bass following woody structure installation in Table Rock Lake,Missouri |
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| Authors: | J. M. Harris C. P. Paukert S. C. Bush M. J. Allen M. J. Siepker |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, The School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA;2. U.S. Geological Survey, Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, The School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA;3. Missouri Department of Conservation, Fisheries Division, Branson, MO, USA;4. Missouri Department of Conservation, Resource Science Division, West Plains, MO, USA |
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| Abstract: | Largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides (Lacepède) use of installed habitat structure was evaluated in a large Midwestern USA reservoir to determine whether or not these structures were used in similar proportion to natural habitats. Seventy largemouth bass (>380 mm total length) were surgically implanted with radio transmitters and a subset was relocated monthly during day and night for one year. The top habitat selection models (based on Akaike's information criterion) suggest largemouth bass select 2–4 m depths during night and 4–7 m during day, whereas littoral structure selection was similar across diel periods. Largemouth bass selected boat docks at twice the rate of other structures. Installed woody structure was selected at similar rates to naturally occurring complex woody structure, whereas both were selected at a higher rate than simple woody structure. The results suggest the addition of woody structure may concentrate largemouth bass and mitigate the loss of woody habitat in a large reservoir. |
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| Keywords: | diel habitat habitat selection largemouth bass reservoir habitat telemetry woody structure |
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