THE IMPACTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND ANTHROPOGENIC STRESSORS ON LARGEMOUTH BASS – AN INTEGRATION OF FIELD AND LABORATORY STUDIES
Matthew Van Landeghem
"A bass is a bass" might be a nice statement from the perspective of a pro's advice for finding and catching fish, but biologists are finding out that from a biological perspective, that's not always the case. Largemouth bass were captured from both Illinois and Alabama and held in ponds back in Illinois. Over a period of nearly two years, the fish were tested for their response to cold shock, as well as to overall survivability through a northern winter.
Analysis of blood components during cold shock testing showed that the southern bass displayed a more stressful reaction, and suggested a possible elevation of metabolic rate. This might be at least partially responsible for why the Alabama bass suffered such high winter mortality. On average, about 80 percent of the youngest Alabama bass, and 90 percent of the adults perished during the Illinois winter, while only about 20 percent of the Illinois bass died in any given winter regardless of age.
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