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SEASONAL FORAGING BY CHANNEL CATFISH ON TERRESTRIALLY BURROWING CRAYFISH IN A FLOODPLAIN-RIVER ECOSYSTEM
Citation:
Flotemersch, J E. AND D. C. Jackson. SEASONAL FORAGING BY CHANNEL CATFISH ON TERRESTRIALLY BURROWING CRAYFISH IN A FLOODPLAIN-RIVER ECOSYSTEM. ECOHYDROLOGY AND HYDROBIOLOGY 3(1):61-70, (2003).
Impact/Purpose:
The goal of this research is to develop methods and indicators that are useful for evaluating the condition of aquatic communities, for assessing the restoration of aquatic communities in response to mitigation and best management practices, and for determining the exposure of aquatic communities to different classes of stressors (i.e., pesticides, sedimentation, habitat alteration).
Description:
The seasonal use of terrestrially burrowing crayfish as a food item by channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus was studied in channelized and non-channelized sections of the Yockanookany River (Mississippi, USA). During seasonal inundation of the floodplains, the crayfish occupied open water on the floodplains. Adult catfish aggregated in locations where the river channel and floodplain were coupled and subsequently foraged heavily on the crayfish. Decoupling floodplains from the river by flood control activities such as channelization, dredging and levee construction can modify channel catfish stock interactions with terrestrially burrowing crayfish and reduce potential benefits from this foraging.