Laserfiche WebLink
ISMP backwater sampling evaluation <br />with backwaters that had relatively simple habitat (e.g., little cover). The best fit logistic <br />regression model for largemouth bass suggested that average depth and surface area were <br />positively associated with presence of largemouth bass (Table 5). Inexplicably, maximum depth <br />was negatively, albeit weakly, associated with presence of largemouth bass. <br />The best fit logistic regression model for green sunfish suggested that average depth and <br />surface area were positively associated with presence of green sunfish. Presence of green sunfish <br />was negatively associated with relatively simple habitat. A candidate model with a similar <br />Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC) score retained only average depth and surface area as <br />covariates. A similar analysis was not conducted with the three non-native cyprinid species <br />because they were found in nearly every backwater in the study area. <br />The general linear model (GLM) analysis suggested that largemouth bass density was <br />positively correlated with average backwater depth and surface areal, but negatively associated <br />with backwater maximum depth and relatively simple habitat (Table 6). The negative coefficient <br />for the year1997 variable reflected the lower numbers of largemouth bass captured in that year. <br />The GLM for green sunfish produced essentially the same results; density was positively <br />correlated with average backwater depth and surface area', but negatively associated with <br />backwater maximum depth and relatively simple habitat. The negative coefficient for the <br />year1997 variable reflected the lower numbers of green sunfish captured in that year. Recall that <br />because fish abundance data are divided by backwater surface area to yield fish density, use of <br />surface area as a independent covariate would confound this analysis. Therefore, any positive or <br />negative relationship of backwater size to fish abundance is reflected in the surface area' term. <br />-18-