Richard J. Stiefvater

Seasonal Analysis of Predator-Prey Size Relationships in West Point Lake, Alabama-Georgia

The relationships between largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) length and lengths of bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) and gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) consumed by largemouth bass were explored seasonally in West Point Lake during April-November 1981. There were no significant differences in the predator-prey size relationships for largemouth bass and bluegill across seasons; however, there was a significant increase in the size of gizzard shad preyed upon during the fall as compared to earlier in the spring-summer. This seasonal shift was not a normal fall occurrence and likely was...