Variations in Home Ranges of Largemouth Bass, Yellow Perch, Bluegills, and Pumpkinseeds in an Illinois Lake

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Abstract
Home-range sizes were determined for 9 largemouth bass M. salmoides, nine bluegills L. macrochirus, 4 pumpkinseeds L. gibbosus and 4 yellow perch P. flavescens in Cedar Lake, Illinois [USA] during June-Dec., 1980 and May-July, 1981. There was no significant difference (0.10 > 0.05) among these species in mean home-range size, although home ranges of largemouth bass and yellow perch tended to be larger and more variable: yellow perch, 0.54-2.20 ha; largemouth bass, 0.18-2.07 ha; pumpkinseeds, 0.23-1.12 ha; bluegills, 0.15-0.75 ha. Two of 5 largemouth bass had 2 separate home ranges. One largemouth bass and 2 yellow perch had 2 primary occupation areas within their home ranges; other fish of the 4 spp. had only 1 primary occupation area per home range. Four bluegills established home ranges in locations other than where they were captured and released. One bluegill abandoned a home range and established another. The larger home-range sizes of largemouth bass and yellow perch might be related to their foraging on large mobile prey, primarily johnny darters Etheostoma nigrum; bluegills and pumpkinseeds foraged on small benthic organisms. The wide variation in home-range sizes of the piscivores also might depend on foraging strategy and prey abundance. There was a significant negative correlation (r = -0.68; P < 0.05) between home-range size and bluegill size, which might reflect the social dominance of the larger bluegills. The habitat use by the 4 spp. was similar to that described by other investigators, but there were individual variations in habitat use among the 4 spp. An apparent habitat shift between largemouth bass and yellow perch was found that could be related to food overlap between these species, but the possible influence of predation on habitat use by yellow perch could not be discounted.
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