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The Effects of Temperature on Evacuation Rates and Absorption Efficiency of Flathead Catfish University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Dissertations & Theses in Natural Resources Natural Resources, School of Spring 4-24-2020 The Effects of Temperature on Evacuation Rates and Absorption Efficiency of Flathead Catfish Zach Horstman University of Nebraska - Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/natresdiss Part of the Hydrology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons, Other Environmental Sciences Commons, and the Water Resource Management Commons Horstman, Zach, "The Effects of Temperature on Evacuation Rates and Absorption Efficiency of Flathead Catfish" (2020). Dissertations & Theses in Natural Resources. 315. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/natresdiss/315 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Natural Resources, School of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations & Theses in Natural Resources by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. THE EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE ON EVACUATION RATES AND ABSORPTION EFFICIENCY OF FLATHEAD CATFISH By Zachary D. Horstman A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Master of Science Major: Natural Resource Sciences Under the Supervision of Professor Jamilynn B. Poletto Lincoln, Nebraska May 2020 THE EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE ON EVACUATION RATES AND ABSORPTION EFFICIENCY OF FLATHEAD CATFISH Zachary D. Horstman M.S. University of Nebraska, 2020 Advisor: Jamilynn B. Poletto Knowledge of fish gastric evacuation rates are a necessary component for both field and laboratory studies when trying to understand feeding rates, modeling energy budgets, and understanding trophic dynamics of aquatic ecosystems. Many freshwater fish encounter a broad range of environmental temperatures across life history stages, but the mechanistic link between temperature and physiological processes often remains poorly understood. We designed three recirculating aquatic systems capable of rearing Flathead Catfish Plyodictis olivaris in order to quantify gastric evacuation rates and gross energy absorption at three temperatures (17º C, 22º C and 25º C). We examined the relationship between temperature and its influences on consumption, gastric evacuation rates, and meal passage through the intestines of juvenile Flathead Catfish fed a single ration of food. We then used bomb calorimetry to examine the absorption efficiencies of juvenile Flathead Catfish by quantifying the proportion of calories remaining in dissected stomach and intestinal contents through time and by treatment. Temperature significantly affected consumption, gastric evacuation rates, and the amount of calories remaining in the intestinal contents of juvenile Flathead Catfish. Insight into the gastric evacuation rates of juvenile Flathead Catfish provides managers with a better understanding of consumption demands of these important top predators. Furthermore, our results begin to shed light on the bioenergetics of juvenile Flathead Catfish. i Acknowledgments I would first like to thank my wife, Carly, for all the love and support she has provided me as I have pursued my passion for fisheries. She has been a positive light throughout the process and my number one supporter. I am so grateful for her patience, understanding, sense of humor, and positive attitude throughout this journey. I would truly not be where I am today without her by my side. I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Jamilynn Poletto, who has supported me and provided me with this opportunity to develop and grow as a researcher. I want to thank my committee members, Dr. Mark Pegg and Dr. Marty Hamel, for their help throughout my academic career; you have both provided me with opportunities to succeed within the field. Thank you Dr. Kevin Pope, Dr. Chris Chizinski, Dennis Ferraro and countless other faculty for helping shape my understanding of applied ecology and statistical methods. I am grateful for all the invaluable lessons I have learned from each of you. Thank you to the staff at the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission who have been supportive of me in my time working there. Thank you, Rick Holland and Thad Huenemann, for the opportunity to begin my career while finishing my graduate program. I would also like to thank Joe Spooner and all the staff in the Missouri River and Southeast District office for their encouragement. I am grateful for the close-knit community that the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and the School of Natural Resources has provided me. Thank you to my ii lab mate and friend, Alex Engel, for your jovial attitude, giving nature, inquisitive questions, and constant support. I have learned a great deal working with you, and from you, over the past few years. Thank you to Israt Jahan, Annie Madsen, and Lyndsie Wszola for your support and help within the Poletto Lab. Thank you to my classmates Esther Perisho, Jake Werner, Quintin Dean, Henry H. Hansen, Lindsay Ohlman, Dave Keiter, Derek Kane, Brittany Buchanan, and many other students that I have shared experiences with in and out of the classroom. Thank you to the past cohorts of students within the Pegg lab that have provided me with great examples to learn from within the fisheries profession. Thank you to the lab technicians Octavious Bartek, Jessie Hall, Cat Berrick, and Ryan Thomas for all your help with late night fish dissections and constant fish husbandry assistance. This journey would not have been possible without all of you. Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends who have helped me throughout my educational career. My passion for the outdoors began long before I imagined pursuing a career in fisheries, so I appreciate the support you gave to help get me to where I am now. I cannot thank you all enough for the love and shared experiences that have shaped me into the person I am today. iii Table of Contents LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................ IV LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................. VII LIST OF APPENDICES ........................................................................................ X CHAPTER 1: GENERAL INTRODUCTION AND STUDY OBJECTIVES ....... 1 LITERATURE CITED ........................................................................................... 8 CHAPTER 2: THE EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE ON GASTRIC EVACUATION RATES AND GUT PASSAGE TIME OF FLATHEAD CATFISH PLYODICTIS OLIVARIS..................................................................... 14 ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................... 14 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 15 METHODS ........................................................................................................... 19 RESULTS ............................................................................................................. 30 DISCUSSION ....................................................................................................... 37 LITERATURE CITED ......................................................................................... 45 CHAPTER 3: THE EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE ON ABSORPTION EFFICIENCIES OF FLATHEAD CATFISH PLYODICIS OLIVARIS ............... 79 ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................... 79 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 80 METHODS ........................................................................................................... 85 RESULTS ............................................................................................................. 92 DISCUSSION ....................................................................................................... 97 LITERATURE CITED ....................................................................................... 103 GENERAL CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................. 121 APPENDICES .................................................................................................... 124 iv LIST OF TABLES Table 2-1. Summary information of the mean total length (mm) and weight (g) of Flathead Catfish, mean Goldfish weight (g), and mean ration size (meal size as % body weight of Flathead Catfish), count of male, female, and unknown Flathead Catfish among all treatments combined (n = 210 Flathead Catfish). ....................................................................................................................... 51 Table 2-2. Results of an ANOVA (α = 0.05) of sex, age, and temperature on gonadosomatic index values of Flathead Catfish.......................................... 52 Table 2-3. Summary information of water quality parameters. Mean and standard deviation (SD) of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH levels for each system throughout the duration of the experiment. Differences among means were tested with ANOVA (α = 0.05). .................................................................... 53 Table 2-4. Generalized linear model (family binomial) selection, using
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