Aquatics K3: Organisms (minus macroinvertebrate ID)

nares

Similar to nostrils, but used for smelling only (no breathing)

Operculum

Bony flap that protects the gills from harm. Opens and closes to allow water to pass over the gills

Pectoral Fin

Allows for abrupt changes in side-to-side direction and speed. Brake to decrease speed while swimming.

Pelvic Fin

Stabilizes fish while swimming and allows for up-and-down movement in the water.

Vent

Removes waste and extra water. Outlet for eggs or milt (sperm) during spawning. 

Anal Fin

Stabilizes fish while swimming

Caudal Fin

Moves, propels, or pushes the fish through the water.

Adipose Fin

not present on a lot of fish species. Unknown purpose. Trout, salmon, and catfish have an adipose fin. Small thick, fleshy fin located between dorsal and caudal fins

Dorsal Fin

Maintain balance while swimming

Barbels

“Whiskers” found on the head area of fish such as catfish or bullheads. Sensory organ to help track down prey or food. Sturgeon also have barbels.

Swim Bladder

Long, skinny organ that can inflate/deflate with air to allow fish to swim at different levels in the water column.

otoliths

Fish have pairs of inner ear bones called otoliths that allow them to sense sounds in the water. Fisheries biologists can also use otoliths to age fish and determine the health of fish populations.

Lateral line

Senses vibrations or movements in the water. Allows fish to locate predators and find prey.

white crappie (Pomoxis annularis)

Other names: white perch, Sac-a-lait, Slab, and Papermouth

Description

• Deep-bodied and silvery color

  • silvery -white to silvery/dark green from belly to back, may have possible blue reflections

  • Dark vertical bars on the sides

• Males have dark coloration on through and head during spring spawning season → may mistake them for black crappie

• Five or six spines on the dorsal fin

  • Black crappie has seven to eight spines

• 1-3 lbs

• 14 inches or more

• Live up to 10 years

Habits and Habitats

• Adults feed on small fish and insects

• Crappies prefer deep water near drop offs/areas of cover

• Found in many different types of habitats

  • Reservoirs, oxbow lakes, and rivers

• Like other members of sunfish family, they are nest builders

• Produce many eggs

  • Causes overpopulation, slow growth, and small sizes in small lakes and ponds

• Spawn from March through May w/ water temperatures b/w 58-65 degrees Fahrenheit

• Can tolerate muddier water than black crappie

State Record

• Caught by Fred Bright from Memphis, Tennessee in 1957 from Enid Lake

• 5 lbs 3 oz

• 21 inches in length

Fishing Fact

• Popular baits

  • Jigs, small crank baits, and minnows

• Found around structures like

  • Logs, brush piles, and cypress trees

Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus)

Other names: White perch, calico bass, speck, strawberry bass, papermouth, speckled perch and slab

Description

• More deeper bodied than white crappie

  • White or silver underneath 

  • Bluish green or gray on top

  • Irregular black spots on body

  • “Blackstripe” or “blacknose” crappies are a genetic color variation with a distinctive dark strip from top dorsal fin to under mouth

• Seven or eight spines on dorsal fin

• 1-3 lbs

• 12 inches or more

• Live up to 10 years

Habits and Habitat

• Most active at night/early morning

• Adults feed on insects, insect larvae, and fish (sunfish and minnows)

• Prefer shallow water lakes and sloughs and are abundant where there is clear water and aquatic vegetation

• Spawn in early spring with water temperatures b/w 58-65 degrees fahrenheit

State Record

• Mississippi’s Rod and Reel record is 4 lbs 4oz

• Caught in 1991 at Arkabutla Lake by Gerald Conlee

Fishing Fact

• Same baits as white crappie

how to tell difference b/w white and black crappie

white: 5-6 spines on dorsal fin

black: 7-8 spines on dorsal fin; more deeper-bodied than white crappie

“Blackstripe” or “blacknose” crappies; genetic color variation of black crappie with a distinctive dark strip from top dorsal fin to under mouth

Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides)

Other names: Green trout, bigmouth bass, bucketmouth bass and hog

Description

• Two subspecies in Mississippi

  • Northern Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides salmoides) native to MS

  • Florida Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides floridanus) was introduced

• Green w/ dark blotches that form a horizontal stripe along the middle of the fish

  • Underside light green to almost white

  • Upper jaw extends far beyond the rear margin of the eye

• Weight greater than 10 to 15 lbs

  • Females grow faster and larger than males

• 26 inches

• Females can live 10-12 years and males live 5-7 years

Habits and Habitat

• Adults feed almost exclusively on other fish, insects, and large invertebrates such as crayfish

• Protective cover 

  • Logs, vegetation, rocks, man-made structures

• Prefer slow moving water

  • Can still survive in wide variety of habitats: streams, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs

• Spawning in spring with 60 to 75 degree fahrenheit water temp

• Males build nests, care for nest, protect it from predators, and fan eggs until they hatch

  • Next to brush piles, underwater logs, under overhanging tree limbs

  • Guards young for a week or more after the hatch

State Record

• MS Rod and Reel record is 18.15 lbs

• 1992 in Natchez State Park Lake by Anthony Denny

Fishing Fact

• Spring through fall during evenings or mornings 

• Minnows, artificial baits, and even frogs

• MISSISSIPPI's STATE FISH

Spotted Bass (Micropterus punctulatus)

Spotted Bass (Micropterus punctulatus)

• Other names: Kentucky bass, diamond bass, creek bass, red-eye bass, and spot

Description

• Slender w/ rose of dark spots on lower belly → horizontal streaks

  • Diamond-shaped blotches

  • Dark mottling back against an olive green color

  • Top and sides is dark

  • Underside is white

• 24 inches; but usually smaller than largemouth or smallmouth bass

• Live no longer than six years

• Females live longer and grow faster than males

Habits and Habitat

• Diet changes as fish grows

  • Plankton, small aquatic insects, and small crustaceans

  • To larger aquatic and terrestrial insects, crayfish, and small fish

• Live in streams and rivers

  • Prefer faster waters than largemouth bass

  • Adapted well to reservoirs and often found around rocks or rip-rap

• Spawn in mid-April through June

  • 63 fahrenheit to 78

• Female and male mature at age 2 years old

• Like other bass they are nest spawners

  • Males build and guard nests till eggs hatch

State Record

• MS Rod and Reel 8 lbs 2 oz

• Farm pond in 1975 by S. R. Grantham

Fishing Fact

• Spinner baits, jigs, crank baits, plastic worms, and live worms

Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus)

• Other names: Bream (Brim), coppernose, copperhead, bull bream, blue sunfish, and blue joe

Description

• Deep bodied

• Dark olive green with distinctive black spot on the dorsal fin

  • Intense colors on breeding males

  • Sides are blue or silver w/ vertical stripes

  • Belly is yellow, silver, or white

  • Coppernose bluegill is Florida subspecies 

    • Fins have whitish margins and head displays copper patch

• Smaller impoundments S and central portions of MS

• ½ to 1 lbs

• Live up to seven years

Habits and Habitat

• Prefer vegetated waters of shallow lakes and ponds

• Feed on insect larvae

• 65 degrees temp to spawn and spawn multiple times during the summer

• Community spawners with nests located close together

  • No nests in heavily vegetated areas

• Males compete, sweep away sand, and expose coarse gravel for nesting sites

State Record

• 3.45 lbs

• Gerald E. Thurmond in a farm pond in 1995

Fishing Fact

• Scrappy fight

• Crickets, earthworms, and small artificials (spinners and flies) 

Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus)

• Fiddler, willow cat, speckled cat, spotted cat, government cat, and river cat

Description

• Elongated bodies w/ white belly and olive/brown body

• Deeply forked tail, barbels, and black spots on side and tail

• Channel catfish have rounded anal fin and dark spots on the body

  • Compared to blue catfish which have straight anal fin

• 5-10 lbs

• Up to 50 inches

• Live around 6-10 years but can live longer

Habits and Habitat

• Feed on insect larvae, crustaceans, crawfish, and small fish such as gizzard shad and minnows

• Active at night in streams, rivers, oxbow lakes, and ponds

• Spawn late spring to early summer 60 to 75 degree fahrenheit water

• Raise commercially in Delta and other areas of the state

• Raised in small lakes/ponds

  • If over-stocked in bass-bream ponds → poor growth for fish and muddy water

State Record

• 51 lbs 12 oz

• Tom Edwards at Lake Tom Bailey in 1997

Fishing Fact

• Hand grabbing, jugs, limblines, rod and reels, and trotlines

• Liver, stink baits, cut fishes, and worms

  • Rarely ever caught on artificials

Shovelnose Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus)

• Hackleback sturgeon

Description

• Rows of sharp, bony plates along elongated body, strongly forked tail, spade-shaped snout, sucker-like mouth, and four barbels

• brown/olive colored w/ cream belly

• 22-26 inches

• Long lived and reach sexual maturity at age 5-10 years

• Do not spawn every year

Habits and Habitat

• Mississippi River

• Deep water with moderately strong current

• Feed on bottom and eat aquatic insects

• Spring spawning with 63-70 degrees fahrenheit over gravel and sand substrate

State Record

• No record because harvest of shovelnose sturgeon is illegal

Fishing Fact

• Sometimes caught by anglers running trotlines for catfish

• Abundant in MS river but historically have been harvested for their roe for caviar

• Listed as threatened under U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service due to similar appearance with endangered pallid sturgeon

• Harvest of all sturgeon species is prohibited

Diadromous fishes

describe species that spend part of their lives in freshwater and part in saltwater

• Two categories of diadromous fishes: Catadromous and anadromous

Catadromous fishes

hatch/born in marine habitats, but migrate to freshwater areas to spend the majority of their lives maturing/growing → return to sea to spawn

• Catadromous “downward-running”

Anadromous fishes

 hatch/juvenile in freshwater → migrate to mature in ocean → migrate back up rivers to reproduce in freshwater habitats

• Anadromous “upward-running”

Freshwater fish are hyperosmotic to the environment

• Actively take ions across gills and skin using energy

• Excrete nitrogenous waste products in great quantities (highly diluted urine) to rid excess water

Marine Fishes lose water to ocean and gain ions from it

increase their drinking rate & extrete smaller amounts of highly concentrated urine

Eliminate excess ions through specialized salt-excretion cells in gills and in lining of mouth

Factors that are decreasing the population of anadromous species

• Estuarine habitats are under threat

• Increased river pollution damages critical spawning habitats

• Building of dams or man-made barriers makes upward migration difficult

• Overfishing of commercially important species

biomonitoring

Biomonitoring is the use of organisms to assess the overall quality of their environment or habitat

why do we use macroinvertebrates for WQ and biomonitoring?

Macroinvertebrates are better reflections of long-term water quality compared to single chemical sample b/c they have limited mobility and cannot escape pollution

What affects macroinvertebrate communities?

Streamflow, geology, elevation, temperature, dissolved oxygen, seasonal life cycle patterns, substrate, and riparian habitat influence abundance and diversity of macroinvertebrates

how do humans affect macroinvertebrate communities?

Human changes: increased pollution, land use changes that modify channel structure or contribute to nonpoint source into waterbody

Macroinvertebrate multimetric index (MMI)

Macroinvertebrate multimetric index (MMI) is a numerical value calculated by combining individual measurements (metrics) of a sample into an overall index score

What are the challenges of using macroinvertebrates as a water quality parameter?

Ensuring consistency in collecting samples

Taking appropriate sample sizes

Conducting adequate research

Special considerations — multiple pollutants can affect macroinvertebrates

Hemimetabolous

(incomplete metamorphosis) Orders Ephyemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Odonata

• Go from egg to larva (nymph) to adult with no pupal stage → nymphs look very similar to adults

Holometabolous

(complete metamorphosis w/ a pupal stage)

• Orders Trichoptera, Coleoptera, Megaloptera, and Diptera

• Egg → larva → pupa → adult

• Larvae look very different from adults

5 aquatic insect habitats in stream systems

Riffles, pools, substrate, vascular plants, and woody debris

how do aquatic insects breathe

Tracheae tubes take oxygen through openings in the cuticle (protective covering) called spiracles and carry it directly to the body tissue

• Lotic aquatic systems typically pull oxygen from the dissolved oxygen in the water around them

  • Typically have closed tracheal systems → no spiracles/openings present in cuticle, only some thinner areas of the cuticle

Alligator Weed (Alternanthera philoxeroides)

• Non-native; originally from South America and first reported in Alabama in late 1800s

  • Form at the shoreline in thick mats

• Elliptical to lanceolate (sword-shaped) opposite leaves

• Stem is green to pink

• Easily mistaken for water primrose; stems of alligator weed are hollow, while primrose stems are solid

• Flowers are small, round, white, and similar in appearance to clover flowers

  • Petals are thin and the stem that a flower is on is 3-5 inches in length

• Outcompetes most native species w/ similar growth form

  • reduce /eliminate shoreline access to anglers and wildlife

  • Forms floating islands that block sunlight 

  • Spreads easily from plant fragments left during control efforts

• Management Value

  • Highly invasive and not recommended for any application

  • Should be eradicated on first appearance

  • Class C noxious weed in Alabama

American Lotus (Nelumbo Lutea)

• Found throughout Mississippi

• Recognizable large, round leaves w/ central stem insertion

  • Large, yellow single flower, and unmistakable seed pod

  • Leaf stems extend to aquatic bottom where plant is rooted and has rhizomes that store nutrients

  • Leaves can reach diameters of 2.5 feet or more and may float on water surface

  • Umbrella pads are when some leaves emerge several feet above the water

  • Flowers can be as wide as 10 inches

• Seed pod/receptacle is shaped like an inverted cone and contains acorn-like seeds in the center

• Management Value

  • Native plant

  • Seeds are eaten by species of waterfowl and other wildlife

  • Rhizomes are eaten by beavers and muskrats

  • Leaves and stalks provide habitat for fish

  • Invades and takes over shallow ponds → not recommended for pond management

  • Native Americans were known to eat the starchy rhizomes, and young leaves can be cooked eaten like spinach, immature seeds can be eaten raw, seed pods are commonly used in floral arrangements

Salvinia (Salvinia spp)

• Common salvinia (Salvinia minima) and giant salvinia (Salvinia molesta) are non-native invasive plant species

• Salvinia are aquatic ferns that float on the water’s surface in calm areas

  • Common salvinia leaves are relatively small (¼ in to no more than 1 inch)

  • Giant salvinia leaves are twice as large

  • Leaves are hairy and may be flat, slightly bent, or heavily folded

  • “Roots” are modified leaves

• Giant salvinia is one of the worst invasive plants worldwide

  • Can form mats up to 3 feet thick 

• Management Value

  • Eradicate on sight

Water Hyacinth (Pontederia crassipes)

• Non-native, highly invasive species from Brazil

• Free-floating and rooted forms

  • Floating form is aggressive and can rapidly cover water in thick, heavy 3 feet tall mat 

• Recognizable by its leathery, spongy, spoon-like leaves that feature parallel striations (wrinkles or ridges)

  • Stems are spongy and buoyant (smaller plants = enlarged bulbous area)

  • Young colonies may be misidentified as frog’s-bit (however major veins are absent in water hyacinth leaves)

  • Roots are purple to black and feathery

  • During summer, showy, light-purple flowers w/ darker purple and yellow highlights

• Can reproduce by seed but commonly uses vegetative reproduction

  • Stolons (runners) extend horizontally to form new plants → rapid reproduce

• Management Value 

  • Should never be introduced

  • Doesn’t provide wildlife or fishery benefits → eliminates nearly all light penetration → eradicate at first sight

  • Easily controlled in small ponds

Water Lily (Nymphae spp)

• Common calm-water plant added for aesthetics

  • Some species are native, while others are cultivars or introduced from elsewhere

• Leaves are round to oval and have a deep notch where leaf stalk inserts

  • Leaves and stems are spongy, green on top and purple/red underneath

  • Plants grow from rhizomes on the lakebed

• Flowers are very showy

  • Mainly white or yellow but can be other colors

  • Three common types:

    • Yellow flowers (N. mexicana)

    • Light purple and yellow flowers (N. elegans)

    • White and yellow flowers (N. odorata)

• Management Value

  • Excellent habitat for fish and other aquatic animals in moderate densities

    • Flowers attract pollinators

    • Some mammals, turtles, and birds eat parts of the plant

  • Rhizomes can make medicine for gastrointestinal issues, sore throats, or dressings for burns

  • Flowers, seeds, and rhizomes are edible raw or cooked

  • Can take over shallow lakes → should be used for deeper ponds

    • Can first plant in large containers or on isolated shallow islands w/ spot treatment

name of sunfish family

Centrarchidae

name for catfish family

Ictaluridae

name of sturgeon

Acipenseridae