Downstream effects: Sturgeon lifespan, fertility vary strikingly with river conditions
Monday, August 24, 2020 - 11:11
in Biology & Nature
New research has found that pallid sturgeon stocked in a northerly segment of the Missouri River live an average of three times longer, produce roughly 10 times as many eggs and weigh up to seven times more than specimens stocked downriver. The findings represent a dramatic example of how environmental conditions -- in this case, fast-flowing channels introduced via human intervention -- can shape the life cycle of a species.