Aug 13, 2017 - containing extensive tidal flats that harbor a major prey ... Colorado Parks and Wildlife, 317 West Prospect Road, Fort. Collins, CO 80526, USA.
Environ Biol Fish DOI 10.1007/s10641-017-0665-3
Energetic requirements of green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris) feeding on burrowing shrimp (Neotrypaea californiensis) in estuaries: importance of temperature, reproductive investment, and residence time Joshua M. Borin & Mary L. Moser & Adam G. Hansen & David A. Beauchamp & Stephen C. Corbett & Brett R. Dumbauld & Casey Pruitt & Jennifer L. Ruesink & Cinde Donoghue
Received: 23 March 2017 / Accepted: 13 August 2017 # The Author(s) 2017. This article is an open access publication
Abstract Habitat use can be complex, as tradeoffs among physiology, resource abundance, and predator avoidance affect the suitability of different environments for different species. Green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris), an imperiled species along the west coast of North America, undertake extensive coastal migrations and occupy estuaries during the summer and early fall. Warm water and abundant prey in estuaries may afford a growth opportunity. We applied a bioenergetics model to investigate how variation in estuarine temperature, spawning frequency, and duration of estuarine
residence affect consumption and growth potential for individual green sturgeon. We assumed that green sturgeon achieve observed annual growth by feeding solely in conditions represented by Willapa Bay, Washington, an estuary annually frequented by green sturgeon and containing extensive tidal flats that harbor a major prey source (burrowing shrimp, Neotrypaea californiensis). Modeled consumption rates increased little with reproductive investment (
