Hydrology has been documented as affecting the recruitment of sport fishes. However, the potential cumulative effects of river hydrology on fish growth have not been intensively studied. In 2004, 2005, and 2010, annual growth increments were measured for Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides and Spotted Bass M. punctulatus populations from throughout the Arkansas portion of the Arkansas River. During three consecutive years (2007–2009), the lower Arkansas River experienced long durations of high water. Mean annual flows exceeded the 42-year average by 52%, with summer flows averaging 107% above normal and 29% of the days annually exceeding 2,830 m³/s. Using age-1–6 cohorts, we compared Largemouth Bass (n = 2,155) and Spotted Bass (n = 833) growth increments across hydrologic conditions occurring during the growth years experienced by these fish. Two-way ANOVAs using back-calculated age and growth year warm-season hydrology (classified as high, average, or low flow based on quartiles from historical April–September hydrographs) as main effects suggested significant hydrologic effects on the growth of both black bass species. A significant interaction between back-calculated age and growth year April–September hydrology for both black basses further suggested that flow affected growth differently across ages, with decreased annual growth increments detected for the age-1–3 cohorts. Decreased annual growth occurring during 2007–2009 also was consistent with a 0.5-year increase in the age at which Largemouth Bass attained 381 mm TL (i.e., the minimum length required for legal harvest) in 2010. Similarly, Spotted Bass required an extra 0.9 year to attain 304 mm TL (i.e., a common minimum length limit). Results suggested that the typically beneficial effects of high-flow years on black bass populations in large-river–floodplain systems may be dampened or non-existent in more highly regulated, impounded river systems, such as the modern-day Arkansas River.

中文翻译：

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阿肯色州阿肯色河中与水文相关的黑鲈生长模式

水文已被记录为影响游鱼的招募。然而，河流水文对鱼类生长的潜在累积影响尚未得到深入研究。在 2004、2005 和 2010 年，测量了来自阿肯色河整个阿肯色州部分的大口黑鲈Micropterus salmoides和斑点黑鲈M. punctulatus种群的年增长率。连续三年（2007-2009 年），阿肯色河下游经历了长时间的高水位。年平均流量超过 42 年平均值 52%，夏季流量平均高出正常水平 107%，每年有 29% 的天数超过 2,830 m ³ /s。使用 1-6 岁的队列，我们​​比较了大口黑鲈 ( n  = 2,155) 和斑点低音 ( n  = 833）在这些鱼经历的生长年份中发生的水文条件下的生长增量。使用回溯计算的年龄和生长年份暖季水文（根据历史 4 月至 9 月水文过程线的四分位数分为高流量、平均流量或低流量）作为主要影响的双向方差分析表明，水文对两种黑鲈的生长都有显着影响物种。两种黑鲈的反向计算年龄与生长年份 4 月至 9 月水文之间的显着相互作用进一步表明，水流对不同年龄的生长影响不同，检测到 1-3 年龄组的年生长增量减少。2007-2009 年期间发生的年增长率下降也与大口黑鲈达到 381 毫米 TL 的年龄增加 0.5 年一致（即，2010 年合法收获所需的最小长度）。同样，斑点鲈鱼需要额外的 0.9 年才能达到 304 毫米 TL（即常见的最小长度限制）。结果表明，高流量年份对大河流泛滥平原系统中黑鲈种群的典型有益影响可能在更严格监管的蓄水河流系统中受到抑制或不存在，例如现代阿肯色河。