The Effects of Diet on Yellow Perch Morphology Throughout Lake Bemidji

Authors

Quiana L. Radaich

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Morphology is very important as it looks at the arrangement of an organism’s parts to determine their functionality, development, and how they could have changed through evolution. It is also important for the identification of species as it can show how closely species are related. This study examines if the morphology of yellow perch changes throughout Lake Bemidji. Along with examining a subset of five stomachs for each group (A-F) of yellow perch collected to determine if diet was a driving force behind morphological changes. The data collected in this study suggested that morphology does change throughout Lake Bemidji and that diet influences the morphology of yellow perch. The measurements driving these changes were the caudal peduncle depth, caudal fin depth, body depth, body width, mouth depth, and mouth width The stomachs showed small amounts of invertebrates belonging to the following groups: Amphipoda, Tricoptera, and Ephemeroptera. A comparison of the 2021 and 2022 data was made to determine if morphology can change from one year to the next. The evidence from this comparison suggests that morphology does change from one year to the next.

Publication Date

2022

Comments

Faculty sponsor: Dr. Andrew Hafs, Department of Biology, Aquatic Biology Program

Recommended Citation

Radaich, Quiana L., "The Effects of Diet on Yellow Perch Morphology Throughout Lake Bemidji" (2022). Journal of Earth and Life Science. 8.
https://pines.bemidjistate.edu/j-earth-life-sci/8