Laserfiche WebLink
186 WESTERN NORTH AMERICAN NATURALIST [Volume 60 <br />-5 <br />-10 <br />-15 <br />-20 <br />-25 <br />30 <br />25 <br />20 <br />15 <br />moved to more productive habitats following <br />spawning (Valdez and Wick 1981, Tyus and <br />Karp 1990, Modde and Wick 1997). Increased <br />activity (Table 2) in shallower depths (Fig. 3) <br />may indicate planktonic feeding (Marsh 1987). <br />Wydoski and Wick (1998) suggested floodplain <br />habitats and associated feeding activity are <br />critical for fish to regain body condition after <br />spawning. <br />Homing patterns of spawning and non- <br />spawning populations were typical of those <br />described by Gerking (1958): "Spawning migra- <br />tions are directed toward a specific location ... <br />[while] the fish are usually scattered over a <br />wide area during the non-reproductive por- <br />tion of life." While fish used common areas <br />during spawning, they typically dispersed after <br />spawning, with some fish returning to specific <br />locations in which they had been found the <br />previous summer. The distance between spawn- <br />ing and summer use areas ranged from 20 km <br />(4 fish) to 30 km (6 fish), with no correlations <br />with sex or size. Fish exhibited a great deal of <br />individuality, some being quite active while <br />other were quite sedentary and remained in <br />specific coves for weeks. <br />-30 10 <br />May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. <br />1995 <br />Fig. 3. Monthly comparison of average depth (m) and <br />body temperature (°C) of Xyrauchen texanus during ther- <br />mal stratification (May-October) of Lake Mohave, Ari- <br />zona-Nevada, in 1995. <br />spawning groups that can number in the hun- <br />dreds. Males typically dominate (2:1) spawn- <br />ing sites (Minckley 1983). Females normally <br />join males from adjacent deeper waters when <br />ready to release their eggs (Minckley 1983, <br />Mueller 1989), a behavior common with other <br />catostomids (Moyle 1976). <br />Prolonged spawning combined with excel- <br />lent observation and field conditions allowed <br />us to more closely examine spawning and post- <br />spawning movements. All study fish returned <br />to spawning sites used the previous year, <br />although they were also tracked to other <br />spawning groups. In some cases the distance <br />between spawning sites exceeded 50 km; 9 of <br />10 fish were found crossing the reservoir, par- <br />ticipating in spawning groups on both the Ari- <br />zona and Nevada shorelines. Fish movements <br />during peak spawning (1-28 February 1995, <br />1996) suggested males typically remain on <br />specific spawning sites while females roam <br />substantial distances between spawning sites. <br />We were unable to determine whether females <br />spawned at multiple sites, but reports of females <br />spawning over extended periods combined <br />with the species known fecundity (> 100,000 <br />ova; Minckley 1983, Minckley et al. 1991) sup- <br />port the contention that multiple-site spawn- <br />ing occurs. Multiple-spawning-site behavior <br />also helps explain the high genetic diversity of <br />this population (Dowling et al. 1996). <br />Travel distances and movement rates peaked <br />post-spawning as the majority (70%) of study <br />fish moved immediately up-reservoir to the <br />warm/cold water mixing zone where nutrient- <br />rich hypolimnetic releases from Lake Mead <br />stimulate algal production (Baker and Paulson <br />1980). Post-spawning movement supports ear- <br />lier speculations that X. texanus historically <br />ACKNOWLEDGMENTS <br />We thank numerous colleagues: Tom Burke <br />(Bureau of Reclamation), Kent Turner (National <br />Park Service), and George Devine (U.S. Fish <br />and Wildlife Service) contributed initial review <br />and administrative support, Tom Burke pro- <br />vided larval fish data; numerous National Park <br />Service staff assisted in field surveys; Mike <br />Burrell (Nevada Department of Wildlife) col- <br />lected study adults; Bob Waltermire helped <br />analyze GIS and GPS data; and the Bureau of <br />Reclamation supplied field equipment and <br />logistical support. We thank Tim Modde and <br />Dennis Shiozawa for reviewing the manu- <br />script. Work was conducted under appropriate <br />state and federal permits and was funded by <br />U.S. Geological Survey. <br />LITERATURE CITED <br />BAKER, J.R., AND L.J. PAULSON. 1980. Evaluation of <br />impacts associated with reregulation of water levels <br />in Lake Mohave. Technical Report 4, Lake Mead <br />Limnological Research Center, University of Nevada, <br />Las Vegas. <br />BozEK, M.A., L.J. PAULSON, AND G.R. WILDE. 1990. Effects <br />of ambient Lake Mohave temperatures on develop- <br />ment, oxygen consumption, and hatching success of