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AUTHORS: Kayla Morey, Bradley Ramin, Casey Schoenebeck, Jodie Hirsch - Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
ABSTRACT: Understanding larval Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides food habits and prey taxa and size selectivity provides necessary early life history for this economically and ecologically important species. Larval Largemouth Bass were opportunistically sampled from Lake Carlos, Minnesota from 7 to 11 July 2017. Stomach contents were removed, identified to the lowest possible taxa, and enumerated. Zooplankton were concurrently sampled using a column sampler and filtered through an 80µm plankton net. Comparisons of selection were made using the Strauss prey electivity index (L). Larval Largemouth Bass (n = 38) at this size (averaged 21.9 mm and 0.10 g) were predominately zooplanktivorous consuming on average 91 zooplankton per fish (SE = 6) but some macroinvertebrates (mostly Chironomidae) and zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha veligers were also consumed (8 per fish). Cyclopoids (averaged 31 per fish) and Calanoids (averaged 23 per fish) were the most frequent prey taxa consumed. Larval Largemouth Bass opportunistically consumed prey in proportion to its availability in the environment with the exception of a marginal positive selection for Cyclopoids (L = 0.15) and a negative selection for abundant zebra mussel veligers (L = -0.20).
