Species report part two: Lepomis macrochirus.

Abstract

In the first part of the species report, the objective was to identify the anatomical features of Lepomis macrochirus and, by comparison with other fish, attempt to derive the bluegill's fundamental niche from its morphology. In the second part of the report, observational data and rsearch are used to determine the bluegill's realized niche, or its actual habitat, and illustrate the various biotic and abiotic interactions that make the realized niche different from the fundamental niche.