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Resource partitioning in a spring spawning freshwater fish assemblage dominated by catostomids (Catostomus commersoni, C. catostomus)

For three consecutive years, I monitored the spring stream residency and spawning of five species of fishes using a tributary stream of the Gouin Reservoir (north central Quebec). Timing of spawning of the distantly related species was different whereas the spawning activity of the closely related suckers overlapped in time and space. Intra- and inter-specific egg predation by the two sucker species was observed as well as predation by lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) on sucker eggs. Synchronisation of the spawning of the suckers may allow them to "swamp" egg predators with drifting eggs. Abundance of spawning fish was affected by water management practices in the reservoir. When water levels were low, fewer fish of all species had access to the stream possibly because of the development of rapids. / The courtship behavior of the two sucker species was described and compared in the same period, to determine if behavioral isolating mechanisms which prevented hybridization existed.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.60700
Date January 1992
CreatorsDion, René
PublisherMcGill University
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
Formatapplication/pdf
CoverageMaster of Science (Department of Renewable Resources.)
RightsAll items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated.
Relationalephsysno: 001287475, proquestno: AAIMM74545, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest.

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