Age‐0 Shovelnose Sturgeon Prey Consumption in the Lower Missouri River

Abstract

Abstract A lack of nutritious food during the first year of life is a hypothesized factor that may limit survival of endangered pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus in the lower Missouri River (LMOR). Unfortunately, information for age‐0 pallid sturgeon diets remains limited, but diet analyses for age‐0 Scaphirhynchus spp. (sturgeon hereafter) have occurred. Little information, however, exists on age‐0 sturgeon diets in the LMOR; thus, our primary objective was to document age‐0 sturgeon diets in this system. We examined guts contents from 30 individuals, which were genetically identified as shovelnose sturgeon Scaphirhynchus platorynchus , and three stomachs were empty. The remaining age‐0 shovelnose sturgeon consumed chironomid larvae almost exclusively (>98% of prey items consumed). Our results were similar to studies conducted in other systems, and it appears unlikely that a lack of nutritious food was a major factor affecting the individuals captured during this study. This effort provides important information to help guide ongoing adaptive management efforts in the LMOR. © 2016 The Authors. River Research and Applications published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.