Geography and nursery-specific dynamics guide environmental drivers of growth for young-of-year (YOY; larval and juvenile) Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and Blueback Herring (Alosa aestivalis), two species collectively termed river herring; of these factors, temperature is considered one of the most influential. To better understand future YOY growth relative to climate change, this study was designed to determine the site-specific growth rates of YOY river herring in Potomac River tributaries, and determine if temperature was a driving factor of growth. Daily ages were ascertained from YOY otoliths and used to calculate growth rates using nine growth models. Weighted Akaike information criterion (AICw) determined the best-fit model for both species was the von Bertalanffy growth model. Von Bertalanffy growth parameters differed between species (p < 0.0001), between years for both species (p < 0.0001), and between locations for Blueback Herring (p = 0.0002), emphasizing the need for species-specific assessments. Standard length and cumulative growing degree-days were highly correlated within each year for both species, but significantly different between species and years for each species (Pearson’s r = 0.740–0.913, p < 0.0001). Estimating site-specific growth rates and drivers of growth can help managers determine the potential of Potomac River tributaries as viable nurseries in future climates.

中文翻译：

---

生长模型和生长期天数：评估波托马克河支流中的青年鲱鱼和蓝背鲱鱼

地理和苗圃特定的动态指导幼年（YOY；幼虫和幼鱼）Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) 和 Blueback Herring (Alosa aestivalis) 生长的环境驱动因素，这两个物种统称为河鲱；在这些因素中，温度被认为是最具影响力的因素之一。为了更好地了解与气候变化相关的未来 YOY 增长，本研究旨在确定波托马克河支流中特定地点的 YOY 河鲱鱼的增长率，并确定温度是否是增长的驱动因素。从 YOY 耳石确定每日年龄，并用于使用九种生长模型计算增长率。加权 Akaike 信息标准 (AICw) 确定了两种物种的最佳拟合模型是 von Bertalanffy 生长模型。Von Bertalanffy 生长参数在物种之间 (p < 0.0001)、两个物种的年份之间 (p < 0.0001) 以及蓝背鲱鱼的位置之间 (p = 0.0002) 不同，强调需要进行物种特定评估。两个物种的标准长度和累积生长期日在每年内高度相关，但每个物种的物种和年份之间存在显着差异（Pearson's r = 0.740–0.913，p < 0.0001）。估计特定地点的增长率和增长驱动因素可以帮助管理人员确定波托马克河支流在未来气候中作为可行苗圃的潜力。两个物种的标准长度和累积生长期日在每年内高度相关，但每个物种的物种和年份之间存在显着差异（Pearson's r = 0.740–0.913，p < 0.0001）。估计特定地点的增长率和增长驱动因素可以帮助管理人员确定波托马克河支流在未来气候中作为可行苗圃的潜力。两个物种的标准长度和累积生长期日在每年内高度相关，但每个物种的物种和年份之间存在显着差异（Pearson's r = 0.740–0.913，p < 0.0001）。估计特定地点的增长率和增长驱动因素可以帮助管理人员确定波托马克河支流在未来气候中作为可行苗圃的潜力。