AUTHORS: Maddy Siller, South Dakota State University; David Coulter, South Dakota State University; Kaden Ball, South Dakota State University; Mark Kaemink, University of North Dakota; Taufique Mahmood, University of North Dakota; Matthew Maldonado, University of North Dakota; Michaela Neal, University of North Dakota; Ayon Saha, University of North Dakota; Alison Coulter, South Dakota State UNiversity
ABSTRACT: It is known that temperature impacts fish growth and that the influences of temperature on growth depends on the thermal optima of a particular species. This means that the extent of climate change impacts on growth and, ultimately, body length and body weight may vary by species. Additionally, understanding how latitudinal temperature variation influences fish growth may inform planning and management decisions for the future. This is due to climate change potentially producing similar differences to what is already observed with latitudinal variation within species. A common method of assessing fish growth is with well-established bioenergetics equations. However, using bioenergetics equations requires knowledge on food availability. When potential food is unknown, scope for growth (max possible growth at a given temp) can be used to assess potential growth and compare across species, locations, and times. Our goal is to determine how habitat quality for multiple cool and warmwater fishes has changed historically (past 40 years) throughout their distribution. In order to do this, we will (1) quantify how scope for growth and therefore habitat quality has changed in the past 40 years for lakes within species’ ranges, (2) compare how habitat quality has changed across latitude, and (3) compare how habitat quality has changed across species with different thermal optimum temperatures for consumption. Understanding which species have already experienced changes in habitat quality can inform future management under climate change. Additionally, this will reveal what species may be the most resilient to warming temperatures and which may need more support/management.
