Date of Award

11-2023

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Biology

Program

Biology (MS)

First Advisor/Chairperson

Jill Leonard

Abstract

Burbot (Lota lota) are native fish in Lake Superior and typically spawn during the winter under the ice or by migrating up rivers. The early life history of larval burbot, where they dispurse, how fast they develop, and what their survival rates have not been extensively studied. Asynchronous hatching is a strategy used by other cod species as a bet-hedging strategy to ensure that some larvae are hatched in more advantageous conditions in a varying environment. Asynchronous hatching has been documented in burbot, but the extent of the period and the impacts that asynchrony has on the development of burbot larvae is unknown. This study provides detailed information on the impacts of asynchronous hatching on the morphology, growth, and development of larval burbot in Lake Superior. Burbot were captured and spawned during their winter spawning migration in southern Lake Superior rivers in 2022 and 2023. Larvae were separated by their date of hatch and photographed every other day to track growth and development of the different hatch date cohorts from the asynchronous hatching period. The asynchronous hatching period ranged 20-39 days for the observed families. Initial morphology such as total length and yolk sac area, as well as growth and yolk sac utilization rates were significantly different between early, middle, and late hatching larvae within and between families of burbot (p

Access Type

Open Access

Justification for Restricting Access

I plan on publishing this in a journal within the next few months so I would like to place a temporary embargo on this.

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