The effects of temperature on the survivorship of Gammarus Pseudolimnaeus.

Abstract

Many factors affect distribution and abundance of species naturally occurring in habitats such as Little Carp Creek. Gammarus pseudolimnaeus, a species of amphipod, has a higher relative abundance at the beginning of the creek than it does at the end where the creek empties into Burt Lake. We conducted a study to see if warmer temperatures, and therefore higher metabolism, at the end of the creek cause the G. pseudolimnaeus to be less abundant. In warmer water, G. pseudolimnaeus is more active and more exposed to predators. In a manipulated creek environment, we tested the effect of predation on G. pseudolimnaeus in both warm and cold waters in order to draw a connection between the higher metabolism and predation. We found that the increased metabolism did not signficantly affect the numbers of G. pseudolimnaeus surviving. The fish fed at approximately equal rates at both sites. We conclude that an increase in the metabolism of G. pseudolimnaeus did not account for the apparent lower abundance of this species in the warmer environment.