Shadow Bass - Ecology

Ecology

The shadow bass is a freshwater fish that inhabits a climate range of 38 degrees North and 29 degrees north in the United States. The shadow bass prefers slow-flowing water over substrates of silt-free mud, sand, gravel, and pebbles. Brushy and vegetated pools are preferred micro-habitat in most streams (Walsh and Harris 2004). Under cut banks and woody debris in small to medium sized rivers and streams are also preferred habitat. The quantitative diet of shadow bass consist mostly on small invertebrates mainly crayfish Order Decapoda when small less than three inches after three inches can begin feeding on small fish species such as darters, madtoms, and minnows (Roell et al. 2008). The main predator and competitor of the shadow bass is the smallmouth bass which inhabits the same micro-habitat and research was conducted by Walsh and Harris in 2004 on the introduction of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss in shadow bass habitat to measure competition between the species, the data showed no effect on shadow bass populations. Factors by humans that might attribute to population decline of the shadow bass channelization, sedimentation from logging, and habitat encroachment.