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Production of a fish taxocene in a Texas pond

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Production rates of seven species of fishes were determined for one year in a 0.95 ha pond. Total annual production of all fishes in the pond was 209 g m−2y−1 (after the subtraction of 16.2 g m−2y−1 of negative production). Over 90% of the production occurred in the months of June through September, with young-of-the-year fishes contributing 84% of the total. When Y of Y fishes shifted to benthic diets in the spring, the small biomass of benthos available could not sustain the large biomas of fish. Severe competition for the available food then resulted in decreased production rates for the entire fish taxocene.

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  1. Fredrick V. Jones

    Present address: Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, 77843, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, North Texas State University, Denton, Texas, 76203, USA

    Fredrick V. Jones, William D. Pearson & Lloyd C. Fitzpatrick

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Jones, F.V., Pearson, W.D. & Fitzpatrick, L.C. Production of a fish taxocene in a Texas pond. Environ Biol Fish 2, 241–259 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00005993

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