Theses and Dissertations

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Schramm, Harold L., Jr

Committee Member

Miranda, Leandro E.

Committee Member

Martin, James A.

Date of Degree

12-13-2014

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Wildlife and Fisheries Science

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Forest Resources

Department

Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture

Abstract

The habitat requirements of shovelnose sturgeon populations are unknown for the lower Mississippi River. Active acoustic telemetry was used to measure temporal variation in habitat use of shovelnose sturgeon and preference for depth, surface current velocity, and riverbed rugosity and slope by the population and within sandbar microhabitats. Shovelnose sturgeon occupied habitats differently throughout the year; and, within habitats, areas of moderate depth and surface current velocity and smooth riverbed were preferred. Within sandbars, environmental conditions did not differ from the surrounding environment, yet frequent aggregations of individuals in the lower portion of sandbars often in close proximity suggest habitat preference at a scale greater than the 5 ha measured. Results of this study provide information on seasonal habitat use patterns and methods that can be applied to a long-term dataset to identify the habitat requirements of shovelnose sturgeon.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11668/19671

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