AUTHORS: Logan Zebro, South Dakota State University; Jim Garvey, Southern Illinois University; Tanya Fendler Southern Illinois University; Alison Coulter, South Dakota State University;
ABSTRACT: Migration is a fundamental feature of animal ecology and animals may migrate for a variety of reasons including foraging, reproduction, or to avoid predation. Although migration is commonly observed throughout the animal kingdom, migratory strategies can vary among species, populations, or even individuals within populations. Partial migration is a strategy that can occur when a population is comprised of both migratory and resident individuals. Bigheaded carp (Hypophthalmichthys spp.) are highly mobile invasive riverine species believed to display various forms of migratory behavior and have been hypothesized to be partially migratory. However, to date no studies have evaluated if partial migration occurs in bigheaded carp nor the extent to which it may occur. Therefore, the objectives of this research are to 1) describe invasive carp migratory behavior 2) describe the timing of invasive carp migration and 3) identify potential environmental factors influencing invasive carp migratory behavior in the Illinois River using acoustic telemetry. Bigheaded carp were collected throughout the Illinois River from 2012 – 2023 and implanted with acoustic transmitters (VEMCO, model V13 or V16). Movement data was collected from stationary receivers that were distributed throughout the study area for previous research to track movements of bigheaded carps between river pools and lateral habitats. To evaluate partial migration of bigheaded carps, we will calculate net squared displacement (NSD) for individual carp then evaluate the influence of ecological variables on the probability and timing of bigheaded carp migratory movements using multiple logistic and linear regression models. Understanding bigheaded carp migratory behavior will provide valuable insight into their ecology and further invasion risk in addition to informing bigheaded carp management such as the timing and location of removal efforts.
