New paper on walleye maternal effects in Fisheries Research

Check out our new paper in Fisheries Research understanding the importance of maternal identity to egg characteristics in walleye.

In our newly published article led by Taylor Preul-Stimetz, we find individual identity was as strong a predictor of egg size and oil droplet size (two traits related to larval size and survival) as environmental variables in Escanaba Lake, WI, walleye. Egg characteristics like egg size and size variability were also related to walleye spawning phenology, yellow perch (i.e., prey) abundance, and maternal length. These results suggest that there may be a genetic component to egg size or other offspring characteristics, and that preserving this variation could help populations handle increasingly variable springtime environments.
Photo: Spring walleye egg collection. Credit: Rachel Benedict, WDNR.