First-season growth and food of YOY pike (Esox lucius) are habitat specific within a lake

Piscivorous fish are important predators in aquatic systems and as such they can have far-reaching effects on ecosystem composition function. These depend piscivore predation rates behaviour, recruitment of young-of-the-year into piscivory hereby govern properties. Growth differ between water bodies due to e.g. general productivity, but information variation juvenile growth body condition habitats within is scant. We here evaluate growth, condition, food occurrence stomach contents an piscivore, pike (Esox lucius), over the first season two contrasting spatially separated homogenous habitat types (emergent submerged vegetation by 50 m open sand) same lake. Individual size were higher early season, whereas end their summer larger emergent vegetation, spite zooplankton, macroinvertebrates prey being overall vegetation. Pike showed habitat-specific patterns macroinvertebrate consumption (higher vegetation) date-specific zooplankton season), (lower late season) later that not a result types, did match. conclude hatched towards and, hence, these should survival probability possibly contribute more population density at older ages, also provides alternative added environment for shallow lake ecosystems.