Laserfiche WebLink
<br /> <br />256 <br /> <br />locations (Minckley 19S3), and rare in the upper <br />Colorado River (Holden 1978, Holden & Stalnaker <br />1975, Tyus 1987). Spawning by razorback suckers is <br />widespread in Lake Mohave, and while successful <br />reproduction and emergence of larvae have been <br />repeatedly documented (Paulson et al. 19&Jb, Bo- <br />zek 19M. Marsh & Langhorst 19X8), ther,e has been <br />no evidence of recruitment (McCarthy & Minckley <br />1987). <br />Inappropriate temperature regimes have been <br />suggested as one reason for the poor reproductive <br />success of the razorback suckers (Johnson & Rinne <br />1992. Marsh 19H5). In Lake Mohave, spawning <br />occurs from lo-noC (Bozek J984), a temperature <br />regime which appears largely incompadble with <br />the optimal incubation temperature of WOC ob- <br />tained by Marsh (1985). This suggests th~lt success- <br />ful embryonic development and emerg1ence may <br />not occur or may be reduced during II large part of <br />the spawning season, and contribute to re,cruitment <br />failure. The purpose of this study was to determine <br />temperature ranges under which razorback sucker <br />larvae emerge in Lake Mohave and Jescriibehatch- <br />ing success, development rates, and oxygen con- <br />sumption in the laboratory under corresponding <br />temperatures. <br /> <br />I;..~. <br />. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br /> <br />'" <br /> <br />-! <br />j <br /> <br />f <br />;~ <br /> <br />Methods <br /> <br />,t~ <br />::d <br /> <br />L.u1Y'.ae were collected from Luke Mohav,c at night <br />in known spawning areas using hand-held dive <br />lights during J982 and J983. The lights were held <br />stationary, 0.25 m above the water surlface, and <br />larvae entering the illuminated area durilllg 15 min <br />sample periods were netted by hand. Q)lIections <br />were usually made in water approximately 1 meter <br />deep. but three water depths were sampled in the <br />Six Mile Coves area in February 1983. Species iden- <br />tification and interval of development was deter- <br />mined for each larvae following Snyder (11981) and <br />FUlman (1979), and by using laboratory-cultured <br />razorback sucker larva as reference material. Early <br />and late protolarvae correspond to free embryos <br />while early mesolarvae correspond to larvae (Ba- <br />lon 1984). When collections at a site exceeded 300 <br /> <br />t <br />I <br /> <br />'t <br />01 <br /> <br />.~ <br />'iJ. <br />~ <br />~, <br /> <br />~:', <br />t~ <br />j <br />~.r, <br />., <br />., <br />:>~ <br />~ <br /> <br />,"';" <br />-:~l. <br />)} <br /> <br />~ <br />i <br /> <br />individuals. only 50'Yo were processed '0 dctcrmine <br />stages of development. <br />To as~'SS development under controlled thermal <br />regimes, razorback sucker eggs were inseminated <br />in the field with the sperm fn1l11 ripc ..dulls nelted <br />from Arilona Bay and the Six Mile Coves afl~a. <br />Gametl.'S were collected from 6 adult p..irs during <br />1982 and 8 adult pairs in 1983. Sperm was collected <br />and mixed prior to stripping females to insure max- <br />imum genetic variability. All fish used were nat- <br />ur.ally ripe individuals. No hormonal injections <br />were used to induce egg maturation. <br />FertjJjl~..d eggs were tr.ansported at ambient lake <br />temperature immediately following insemination. <br />In the laboratory, fertilized eggs were nmdomly <br />placed in experimental chambers at lake temper- <br />ature. Total time from insemination to placement <br />of eggs into chambers was approximately 4 h. Eggs <br />were then acclimated at the rate of JO C per hour to <br />experimental temperatures (8, 10. J2. 15 and 20" C <br />depending upon experiment) in 18.9 liter aquari.l. <br />Temperatures were held within IS'C of reported <br />temperature during the dumtion of thc experi- <br />ment. All acclimation was completed prior to the <br />morula stages of development. Temperature was <br />regulated using a Masterline Model 2tJ95 c1oscd- <br />system. watcr recirculating and cooling unit. with <br />individual offsetting thermostatic heating units. <br />Water supply was dechlorinated municipal w.lter <br />from Lake Mead. <br />In 19M2. eggs were dispersed owr cobble sub- <br />strates in individual aquaria. During these experi- <br />ments, fungus developed on some eggs in intersti- <br />tial pockets that were adjacent to non-developing <br />eggs. To alleviate this, in 1983, eggs were placed in <br />individual chambers on 8O-p.m-mesh Nitex netting <br />and suspended from a rocker-arm assembly having <br />a rocking amplitude of 5 em and periodicity of 7 <br />cycles per minute. Rocking action provided water <br />movement through the neuing and furnished oxy- <br />genated water to the eggs. This design prevented <br />fungus from developing on the eggs and precluded <br />treatment of the eggs with fungicide. Experiments <br />between years were not comhined bcCClUse wc did <br />not know how the increased watcr now associated <br />with thc rocker arm assembly would ..ffcct oxygcn <br /> <br />I. <br />"'." . <br />. " <br /> <br />';':' ':':" :. .,:'.,.. ..' . . . . . . .. ..... . .). . ,. . . ~.c . . ,,;1 <br />