Rainbow Darter (Etheostoma caeruleum, Storer, 1845) predation on early ontogenetic stages of Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens, Rafinesque, 1817)

Previous molecular diet analysis identified lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens, Rafinesque, 1817) DNA in the gastrointestinal tracts of stream‐resident rainbow darters (Etheostoma caeruleum, Storer, 1845) during the egg incubation, free embryo, and larval drift stages. The objectives of this experimental study were to: (a) quantify levels of predation by rainbow darters on lake sturgeon at the egg and free‐embryo stages; and (b) evaluate whether predation varied as a function of substrate size and rainbow darter body size. We conducted experimental trials in 23‐L polycarbonate tanks 0.41 m (L) × 0.33 m (W) × 0.30 m (D) with a standardized benthic area of 0.14 m². The tanks were randomly assigned one of two different substrate size classes: large rock (51.35 mm ± 0.91 mm) or small rock (27.68 mm ± 0.57 mm). We stocked individual rainbow darter, which were deprived of feed for 48 hr, with lake sturgeon (133 individuals/m²) in each of 12 replicates per ontogenetic stage and substrate type. The number of surviving lake sturgeon was quantified following a 24‐hr predation exposure period. We used a generalized linear model with a binomial distribution to assess the influence of ontogenetic stage, substrate size, and rainbow darter body size on proportional lake sturgeon survival. Predation on lake sturgeon occurred at both egg (6.25 ± 1.16 individuals, mean ± 2SE) and free embryo (3.08 ± 1.08 individuals, mean ± 2SE) stages. Egg proportional survival was generally lower than at the free embryo stage in both substrate sizes; however, free embryo proportional survival was greater in small substrate trials. Rainbow darter total length did not affect the probability of lake sturgeon survival at either developmental stage. Results demonstrate that rainbow darters prey on early ontogenetic stages of lake sturgeon, corroborating previous results based on genetic diet analysis. Results fill a major knowledge gap concerning the vulnerability of pre‐drift sturgeon to predation by an abundant river resident species that was previously discounted as a predator for early ontogenetic stages of lake sturgeon due to its small body size.