Search USGS⌕ Search

Geology topics

J.H. Petersen

Publications and source records attributed to J.H. Petersen.

35 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
USGS2000

Dynamics of prey moving through a predator field: a model of migrating juvenile salmon

The migration of a patch of prey through a field of relatively stationary predators is a situation that occurs frequently in nature. Making quantitative predictions concerning such phenomena may be difficult, however, because factors such as the number of the prey in the patch, the spatial length and velocity of the patch, and the feeding rate and satiation of the predators all interact in a complex way. However, such problems are of great practical importance in many management situations; e.g., calculating the mortality of juvenile salmon (smolts) swimming down a river or reservoir containing many predators. Salmon smolts often move downstream in patches short compared with the length of the reservoir. To take into account the spatial dependence of the interaction, we used a spatially-explicit, individual-based modeling approach. We found that the mortality of prey depends strongly on the number of prey in the patch, the downstream velocity of prey in the patch, and the dispersion or spread of the patch in size through time. Some counterintuitive phenomena are predicted, such as predators downstrean capturing more prey per predator than those upstream, even though the number of prey may be greatly depleted by the time the prey patch reaches the downstream predators. Individual-based models may be necessary for complex spatial situations, such as salmonid migration, where processes such as schooling occur at fine scales and affect system predictions. We compare some results to predictions from other salmonid models. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc.

Mathematical Biosciences↗
USGS1999

Development and corroboration of a bioenergetics model for northern pikeminnow ( Ptychocheilus oregonensis ) feeding on juvenile salmonids in the Columbia River

A bioenergetics model was developed and corroborated for northern pikeminnow Ptychocheilus oregonensis , an important predator on juvenile salmonids in the Pacific Northwest. Predictions of modeled predation rate on salmonids were compared with field data from three areas of John Day Reservoir (Columbia River). To make bioenergetics model estimates of predation rate, three methods were used to approximate the change in mass of average predators during 30-d growth periods: observed change in mass between the first and the second month, predicted change in mass calculated with seasonal growth rates, and predicted change in mass based on an annual growth model. For all reservoir areas combined, bioenergetics model predictions of predation on salmon were 19% lower than field estimates based on observed masses, 45% lower than estimates based on seasonal growth rates, and 15% lower than estimates based on the annual growth model. For each growth approach, the largest differences in field-versus-model predation occurred at the midreservoir area (-84% to -67% difference). Model predictions of the rate of predation on salmonids were examined for sensitivity to parameter variation, swimming speed, sampling bias caused by gear selectivity, and asymmetric size distributions of predators. The specific daily growth rate of northern pikeminnow predicted by the model was highest in July and October and decreased during August. The bioenergetics model for northern pikeminnow performed well compared with models for other fish species that have been tested with field data. This model should be a useful tool for evaluating management actions such as predator removal, examining the influence of temperature on predation rates, and exploring interactions between predators in the Columbia River basin.

Oregon↗
USGS1988

Effects of food deprivation on the larvae of two flatfishes

For greatest survival, first-feeding halibut Paralichthys californicus and diamond turbot Hypsopsetta guttulata required food by the day of total yolk absorption. Some halibut larvae survived if fed 1 or 2 d after yolk depletion, but their growth rate was significantly less than larvae fed earlier. Survival of 3-wk-old larvae was greater in treatments with shorter starvation periods. A small percentage of 3-wk-old halibut larvae recovered from a maximum starvation period of 4 d while 3-wk-old diamond turbot successfully resumed feeding any time during food deprivation intervals lasting up to 9 d. Longer periods of starvation resulted in significant morphological differences – diamond turbot starved longer were not only smaller, but also less developed. In the field, larvae may experience varying periods of food deprivation due to differing spatial and temporal prey patch distributions. Our results demonstrate that differences in starvation resistance, and possibly mortality under patchy feeding conditions, are ontogenetic and species-specific.

Marine Ecology Progress Series↗