—To test potential competitive interactions between larvae of white crappie Pomoxis annularis and of gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum. we added adult gizzard shad to eight of twelve 0.1-ha ponds that had been stocked with adult white crappies. Larval white crappies and larval gizzard shad appeared within 1 week of one another and larval white crappie density did not differ between treatments. Z...

—Competition with gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum has been shown to influence survival of larval bluegills Lepomis macrochirus as well as growth and size structure of largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides, which prey on these planktivorous species. However, little is known about how the presence of gizzard shad influences bluegills beyond the larval stage. We examined bluegill–gizzard shad int...

Animals can be important in nutrient cycling in particular ecosystems, but few studies have examined how this importance varies along environmental gradients. In this study we quantified the nutrient cycling role of an abundant detritivorous fish species, the gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum), in reservoir ecosystems along a gradient of ecosystem productivity. Gizzard shad feed mostly on sedim...

—Because peak abundance of larval gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum occurs simultaneously with the midsummer decline of macrozooplankton in Ohio reservoirs, we hypothesized that zooplanktivory by larval gizzard shad caused this decline. To test this hypothesis, we compared larval food consumption with zooplankton productivity in two reservoirs. Larval gizzard shad began to influence zooplankton ...

Our objective was to quantify the contribution of autochthonous, locally-produced phytoplankton, and allochthonous, terrestrial-derived organic matter (OM) to the production of young-of-year (YOY) American shad (Alosa sapidissima) using stable isotopes. We measured the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope composition of YOY American shad in the tidal fresh water of the Mattaponi River, a tributar...

—Throughout its native range, American shad Alosa sapidissima is thought to cease feeding during anadromous migration. We examined the feeding habits of American shad during spawning migration by documenting changes in diet composition and feeding that occur in mature fish in the York River, Virginia. American shad were collected prior to and after spawning at various locations on a gradient fr...

The possible occurrence of a functional ornithine-urea cycle (OUC) and changes of activity of key amino acid metabolism-related enzymes were studied in the amphihaline shad hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha) that were collected from estuarine water of Kakdwip and from freshwater river basin of Bhrahmaputra during the breeding season. Very high concentration of urea was detected in different tissues and p...

The food source of sediment-ingesting animals is a subject of controversy, centering on the notion that the microbial biomass in sediments is insufficient to support caloric need. Gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum are omnivorous, sediment-ingesting fish that frequently impact the trophic structure of temperate lake and reservoir food webs. Prior gut content analyses of this fish have typically d...

Understanding food-web ecology is valuable to conservation by linking interactions of multiple species together and illustrating the functionality of trophic exchange. Alosa alabamae (Alabama Shad), an anadromous species, reproduces in northern Gulf of Mexico drainages from February through May, and for this study, the Pascagoula and Apalachicola rivers were chosen to sample juvenile Alabama Sh...

Agricultural activities increase exports of nutrients and sediments to lakes, with multiple potential impacts on recipient ecosystems. Nutrient inputs enhance phytoplankton and upper trophic levels, and sediment inputs can shade phytoplankton, interfere with feeding of consumers, and degrade benthic habitats. Allochthonous sediments are also a potential food source for detritivores, as is sedim...