Fine-scale inter-pool movement of creek chub (Semotilus atromaculatus) in response to white sucker (Catostomus cammersonii) presence
Category: Research Poster
Author(s): Kace Vazquez del Mercado, Moira Benish-Kingsbury, Evan Bolstad, Ryan Edgar, Ralph Eberhard
Presenter(s): Kace Vazquez del Mercado
Mentors(s): Yoichiro Kanno
Understanding the fine-scale movement of a particular fish species in riverine systems provides insights into its habitat preferences, migratory routes, and critical life stages. This is crucial for maintaining habitat connectivity, ecosystem health, and supporting biodiversity. We investigated whether the presence of Catostomus commersonii influences the fine-scale movement of Semotilus artomaculatus. We collected fish of both species between 70mm to 110mm in length from Spring Creek in Fort Collins, CO, and PIT tagged them with 12mm HDX tags. The fish were then split into two groups of n = 40; a control group consisting of all creek chub and a trial group consisting of half creek chub and half white sucker. They were introduced into two experimental mesocosm tanks, each consisting of two pools connected by an inhospitable riffle. The connecting riffles were equipped with PIT tag antennas to track fish movement between pools. We found that creek chub in sympatry with white sucker moved more between pools than creek chub in allopatry. Creek chub size was not statistically significant in movement occurrences or duration.