Silver redhorse
Encyclopedia
The Silver Redhorse, Moxostoma anisurum, is a species of freshwater
fish endemic to Canada
from Quebec
to Alberta
and in the United States
in the Mississippi River
, St. Lawrence River, Ohio River
, and the Great Lakes
basins. It is typically found in lakes and in small to large rivers, where it often lives in undercut banks or protruding tree roots.
A bottom-feeder, it feeds on mollusks, algae, detritus
, immature insects, and other small organisms.
the state of Arkansas, namely the Strawberry River . But although the species is threatened in that area, there is no indicator that can tell biologists the reason for its decline. An upside to the species survival is that it is not commercially or recreationally fished for through most the areas in which it inhabits. Plus there have been advances in the technology that can electrically enhance larval succession in the species . So there are no true threats to harm the species itself. Therefore the species can ultimately thrive in mostly every stage of its life. There is simply no match for this species in its environment, no real predators due to its large size(18–24 in), and no real threat towards its continued reproductive succession. This species seems to have everything to gain and nothing to lose according to its past survival rates and lengthy life span. There is no greater feeling than being able to live through the stages of life and never having to worry about survival being an issue.
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
fish endemic to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
from Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
to Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, St. Lawrence River, Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
, and the Great Lakes
Great Lakes Basin
The Great Lakes Basin consists of the Great Lakes and the surrounding lands of the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin in the United States, and the province of Ontario in Canada, whose direct surface runoff and watersheds form a large...
basins. It is typically found in lakes and in small to large rivers, where it often lives in undercut banks or protruding tree roots.
A bottom-feeder, it feeds on mollusks, algae, detritus
Detritus
Detritus is a biological term used to describe dead or waste organic material.Detritus may also refer to:* Detritus , a geological term used to describe the particles of rock produced by weathering...
, immature insects, and other small organisms.
Abstract
The Silver Redhorse (Moxostoma anisurum) is slowing becoming more and more rare in the rivers and lakes across the southeast. It is considered threatened in the state of Arkansas by the Nature Conservancy . The reasons for their decline vary from year to year, but one theory from 2003 stands out from the rest. Weyers, Jennings, and Freeman conclude that the high-velocity, pulsed water flow that makes its way downstream from hydropower-generating dams has been the leading reason for decline in the species . With these problems happening primarily in the south, the Silver Redhorse (Moxostoma anisurum) seems to thrive better in the far north. Comtois claims that in Quebec, Canada the Silver Redhorse is abundant in what they call V-males, as they outnumber the females considerably. For every female on the spawning bed, there is a minimum of 2 males that are used to successfully reproduce . These observations which were recorded in 2004 were greatly useful to the understanding of reproduction the Silver Redhorse. But before these findinds surfaced, it was an electrophoretic study of the Silver Redhorse that gave the scientific world an idea of the species reproductive status. In 1983 Morgan, Smith, and Stauffer concluded that the protein composition of the species larvae had a direct comparative link to the gradient electrophoresis used to separate the larvae . One year previous, in 1982, 2 new species (Pseudomurraytrema milleri) and (Pellucidhaptor moxostomi) are recorded to be a branch or sub-species of the Silver Redhorse. Mergo and White state that the gills of both the Pseudomurraytrema milleri and the Pellucidhaptor moxostomi are directly connected to those of the Silver Redhorse (Moxostoma anisurum) .Geographic Distribution of Species
The distribution of the Silver Redhorse (Moxostoma anisurum) is widely focused in the eastern half of the United States from Missouri all the way to Quebec Canada . Although the distribution may seem extremly vast, the majority of the species is harbored in the southeastern states. The species itself is quite abundant in most southeastern rivers including the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio river systems . With that being said, not all the river basins are abundant in this Redhorse species. The Silver Redhorse (Moxostoma anisurum) is actually listed as threatened in the Strawberry River basin in Arkansas. And although the reasons behind these lack of numbers is not pinpointed, it may be that the competetition between other Moxastoma species in this specific River is to blame. The distribution of the species is a direct effect on how well it thrives in a vast array of habitat. So for a species to do better in one area than it does in another is indeed why the so called term "threatened" is place on that species in that area.Ecology
A vital part of any species existence is its diet. And not only what does it eat, but what effects its eating habits as well. For the Silver Redhorse (Moxostoma anisurum) these principles are no different. The species feeds on small vegetation and insects that are present in its immediate habitat. But what most do not understand is what can affect the way these species forage. The high-velocity water flow patterns in some water ways can actually damage the forage for this specific species . But not all effects of high-velocity water flow are seen as damaging. A study concluded that the high-velocity water flow actually helped reproduction and larvae mortality by having a 90% success rate . Temperature can also hold a very significant role in reproduction and success for the species in every environment, proving that every stage of reproduction is different depending on where the species is located at what times of the year. Nest succession plays as the deciding factor on how well this species thrives in high-velocity water systems.Life History
The Silver Redhorse (Moxostoma anisurum) generally spawns in the spring in or around April or May . This specific species usually spawns at night in the shallow waters of most river beds and gravel bottom flats. Reproduction maturity for the species happens late in its life usually at around 4 to 5 years of age. The species thrives in deep bottomed lakes and river systems which promote optimal nest succession year in and year out. The life history of the Silver Redhorse is directly involved with the overall success of its survival in any given circumstance, therefore producing more offspring in a specific area of interest. The life span average for the species is somewhere around 10–12 years with 14 being the maximum. This is extremely important when given the overall look at year in and year out reproduction succession. A species that grows to be of that age can positively effect the succession of the next generation Silver Redhorses.Current Management
The current management for the Silver Redhorse (Moxostoma anisurum) is not important to most wildlife and fisheries biologists across the country. There is virually no human impact on the species that can damage any amount of its presents in the lakes and river systems across the country. The species is known to help the lakes and river systems grow, and usually when a person sees a Silver Redhorse in a lake or river that indicates a healthy water system. The Silver Redhorse is mostly abundant in the southeastern river basins, but is threatened inthe state of Arkansas, namely the Strawberry River . But although the species is threatened in that area, there is no indicator that can tell biologists the reason for its decline. An upside to the species survival is that it is not commercially or recreationally fished for through most the areas in which it inhabits. Plus there have been advances in the technology that can electrically enhance larval succession in the species . So there are no true threats to harm the species itself. Therefore the species can ultimately thrive in mostly every stage of its life. There is simply no match for this species in its environment, no real predators due to its large size(18–24 in), and no real threat towards its continued reproductive succession. This species seems to have everything to gain and nothing to lose according to its past survival rates and lengthy life span. There is no greater feeling than being able to live through the stages of life and never having to worry about survival being an issue.