Preliminary Understanding of Complexities in Swimming Performance of Common Minnow (Cyprinidae) Taxa

Understanding swimming performance of native freshwater fishes has implications for ecology, conservation, and management. In particular, this type of information has practical importance for improving the understanding of fish dispersal, occurrence, migration, and invasive potential. The objective of this study was to characterize swimming performance of 2 taxa from the comparatively understudied minnow family (Cyprinidae) and test for potential drivers as a function of total length, sex, habitat, morphology, or some combination. The study assessed Spotfin Shiner (Cyprinella spiloptera; n = 66) and Bluntnose Minnow (Pimephales notatus; n = 24) populations from an ontogenic range of male and female individuals from lentic and lotic habitats in Indiana and Ohio. Akaike information criterion (AIC) model selection identified the most parsimonious linear regression model to predict swimming performance of Spotfin Shiner and Bluntnose Minnow independently. Overall, larger Spotfin Shiners were superior swimmers compared with smaller individuals. In both species, individuals having more streamlined heads and elongated caudal regions were better swimmers. Additionally, Spotfin Shiners that were collected from lotic environments were generally better swimmers than individuals from lentic environments. Models did not recover sex-specific effects in either species—or meaningful total length, or habitat effects, in Bluntnose Minnows. Overall, this study provides evidence of a complex series of swimming performance covariates when assessing or understanding performance. This has implications for aquatic population, assemblage, and community ecology as well as management and conservation efforts

Understanding Swimming Performance Variation in Ohio Minnows (Cyprinidae)

Understanding variability in swimming performance of freshwater fishes has implications for improving descriptions of ecological niches, establishing evolutionary relationships, and providing management and conservation recommendations. Swimming performance is associated with anatomical, physiological, and environmental variation, although the vast majority of swimming performance research to date has focused on larger game species to the exclusion of smaller non-game taxa, which represent the largest portion of North American freshwater fish diversity. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess a previously unstudied area regarding how swimming covaries with body size, sex, watershed, and habitat types of these smaller non-game taxa. A Blazka style swimming performance chamber following a stepwise critical swimming performance (Ucrit) protocol was used to quantify individual variation in four species of common Ohio Minnows (Cyprinidae: Bluntnose Minnow, Spotfin Shiner, Sand Shiner, and Redfin Shiner). Using a series of general linear models at both a global (taxa combined) and local (taxa specific) scale trends were identified across all individuals (N=150 total individuals). First, species differed in swimming performance, even after controlling for cofactors such as body size. Second, slopes depicting relationships between swimming performance and body size were not consistent among taxa and moreover, sex did not appear to play a role in swimming ability. Lastly, species specific models indicated inconsistent differences among taxa related to watershed and habitat variation. Overall, these results provide an important contribution to furthering our understanding of small bodied non-game fishes

Understanding Swimming Performance Variation in Ohio Minnows (Cyprinidae)

Understanding variability in swimming performance of freshwater fishes has implications for improving descriptions of ecological niches, establishing evolutionary relationships, and providing management and conservation recommendations. Swimming performance is associated with anatomical, physiological, and environmental variation, although the vast majority of swimming performance research to date has focused on larger game species to the exclusion of smaller non-game taxa, which represent the largest portion of North American freshwater fish diversity. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess a previously unstudied area regarding how swimming covaries with body size, sex, watershed, and habitat types of these smaller non-game taxa. A Blazka style swimming performance chamber following a stepwise critical swimming performance (Ucrit) protocol was used to quantify individual variation in four species of common Ohio Minnows (Cyprinidae: Bluntnose Minnow, Spotfin Shiner, Sand Shiner, and Redfin Shiner). Using a series of general linear models at both a global (taxa combined) and local (taxa specific) scale trends were identified across all individuals (N=150 total individuals). First, species differed in swimming performance, even after controlling for cofactors such as body size. Second, slopes depicting relationships between swimming performance and body size were not consistent among taxa and moreover, sex did not appear to play a role in swimming ability. Lastly, species specific models indicated inconsistent differences among taxa related to watershed and habitat variation. Overall, these results provide an important contribution to furthering our understanding of small bodied non-game fishes

Understanding Swimming Performance Variation in Ohio Minnows(Cyprinidae)

Understanding variability in swimming performanceof freshwater fishes has implications for improvingdescriptions of ecological niches, establishing evolutionaryrelationships, and providing management and conservationrecommendations. Swimming performance is associatedwith anatomical, physiological, and environmentalvariation, although the vast majority of swimmingperformance research to date has focused on largergame species to the exclusion of smaller non-game taxa,which represent the largest portion of North Americanfreshwater fish diversity. Thus, the objective of this studywas to assess a previously unstudied area regarding howswimming covaries with body size, sex, watershed, andhabitat types of these smaller non-game taxa. A Blazkastyle swimming performance chamber following a stepwisecritical swimming performance (Ucrit) protocol was usedto quantify individual variation in four species of commonOhio Minnows (Cyprinidae: Bluntnose Minnow, SpotfinShiner, Sand Shiner, and Redfin Shiner). Using a seriesof general linear models at both a global (taxa combined)and local (taxa specific) scale trends were identified acrossall individuals (N=150 total individuals). First, speciesdiffered in swimming performance, even after controllingfor cofactors such as body size. Second, slopes depictingrelationships between swimming performance and bodysize were not consistent among taxa and moreover, sexdid not appear to play a role in swimming ability. Lastly,species specific models indicated inconsistent differencesamong taxa related to watershed and habitat variation.Overall, these results provide an important contributionto furthering our understanding of small bodied non-gamefishes

Understanding Swimming Performance Variation in Ohio Minnows(Cyprinidae)

Understanding variability in swimming performanceof freshwater fishes has implications for improvingdescriptions of ecological niches, establishing evolutionaryrelationships, and providing management and conservationrecommendations. Swimming performance is associatedwith anatomical, physiological, and environmentalvariation, although the vast majority of swimmingperformance research to date has focused on largergame species to the exclusion of smaller non-game taxa,which represent the largest portion of North Americanfreshwater fish diversity. Thus, the objective of this studywas to assess a previously unstudied area regarding howswimming covaries with body size, sex, watershed, andhabitat types of these smaller non-game taxa. A Blazkastyle swimming performance chamber following a stepwisecritical swimming performance (Ucrit) protocol was usedto quantify individual variation in four species of commonOhio Minnows (Cyprinidae: Bluntnose Minnow, SpotfinShiner, Sand Shiner, and Redfin Shiner). Using a seriesof general linear models at both a global (taxa combined)and local (taxa specific) scale trends were identified acrossall individuals (N=150 total individuals). First, speciesdiffered in swimming performance, even after controllingfor cofactors such as body size. Second, slopes depictingrelationships between swimming performance and bodysize were not consistent among taxa and moreover, sexdid not appear to play a role in swimming ability. Lastly,species specific models indicated inconsistent differencesamong taxa related to watershed and habitat variation.Overall, these results provide an important contributionto furthering our understanding of small bodied non-gamefishes

Preliminary Understanding of Complexities in Swimming Performance of Common Minnow (Cyprinidae) Taxa

Understanding swimming performance of native freshwater fishes has implications for ecology, conservation, and management. In particular, this type of information has practical importance for improving the understanding of fish dispersal, occurrence, migration, and invasive potential. The objective of this study was to characterize swimming performance of 2 taxa from the comparatively understudied minnow family (Cyprinidae) and test for potential drivers as a function of total length, sex, habitat, morphology, or some combination. The study assessed Spotfin Shiner (Cyprinella spiloptera; n = 66) and Bluntnose Minnow (Pimephales notatus; n = 24) populations from an ontogenic range of male and female individuals from lentic and lotic habitats in Indiana and Ohio. Akaike information criterion (AIC) model selection identified the most parsimonious linear regression model to predict swimming performance of Spotfin Shiner and Bluntnose Minnow independently. Overall, larger Spotfin Shiners were superior swimmers compared with smaller individuals. In both species, individuals having more streamlined heads and elongated caudal regions were better swimmers. Additionally, Spotfin Shiners that were collected from lotic environments were generally better swimmers than individuals from lentic environments. Models did not recover sex-specific effects in either species—or meaningful total length, or habitat effects, in Bluntnose Minnows. Overall, this study provides evidence of a complex series of swimming performance covariates when assessing or understanding performance. This has implications for aquatic population, assemblage, and community ecology as well as management and conservation efforts