Water Resources Development of Prairie Pothole Lakes in North Dakota: Secondary Production

摘要

The purpose of this study was to investigate the secondary production and biology of salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum) in prairie pothole lakes. The life-forms found were young-of-the-year (larvae from time of hatching to end of the growing season), neotenics (larvae which had over wintered), and adults. In the three lakes studied, maximum production of salamanders (young-of-the-year) ranged from 0.4 to 2.0 kg/ha per day from August to mid-September. Maximum biomass of salamanders was reached in August to mid-September and ranged from 80 to 180 kg/ha. By late September, average weights of young-of-the-year ranged from 60 to 130 g wet weight. Trends in biomass followed trends in numbers with the lowest biomass occurring in the spring and the peak biomass occurring in late July-mid September and a low biomass by October.