Is sexual size dimorphism in walleye, Sander vitreus, a driver of seasonal movements in Lake Erie?

ABSTRACT: Walleye (Sander vitreus) are a sexually dimorphic species in which females are larger than males in adulthood. Walleye can also exhibit sex- and population-based differences in migration behavior. In Lake Erie, we used acoustic telemetry to test the prediction that female walleye exhibit larger broad-scale movements than males during the summer and autumn. This prediction was based on the hypothesis that greater foraging in females would be needed to satisfy their higher energy requirements. We quantified movements of males and females from distinct spawning populations from Lake Erie's west and east basins using a lake-wide grid of acoustic receivers in 2017 and 2018. We found no differences between male and female home range sizes, core range sizes, or distances travelled in either popul

SUBMITTER: Bihun CJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11842172 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature