Metamorphosis and the transition from larvae or embryos to juveniles in fishes are important in order to answer, for example, questions about: (1) life-history styles and their modifications in evolutionary perspective and within current environmental demands; (2) the development and application of fisheries recruitment models, (3) the use of ontogenetic scales for interspecific comparisons, (4) the identification of ontogenetic shifts in resource use, and (5) the discovery of evolutionary interrelationships of species or genera. This volume is dedicated to recent studies and reviews of existing knowledge on this insufficiently-addressed area of ichthyology. Most of the papers in this volume were presented in Bratislava, Slovakia, at the 1st International Workshop of the Fish Ontogeny Network of Europe (FONE) in September 1997, a meeting sponsored in part by the European Commission. This volume emphasizes an integrated approach to the study of fish ontogeny, which is a process during which one event is related to another and everything is related to everything else, encompassing physiology, morphology, behaviour and niche. Within this comprehensive perspective, the papers in this volume are grouped along four major themes: reflections on early ontogeny and metamorphosis, organism-environment relationships, ontogeny of predator-prey interactions, and behaviour and ontogeny. Among other issues, the papers consider topics such as whether one can identify when fish metamorphosis ends, whether the larva period begins with hatching or with the onset of exogenous feeding, whether fish ontogeny is `saltatory' or `gradual', and whether larvae are eliminated in some fishes with direct development. The keynote paper of this volume reviews the main topics within contemporary paradigms and the final paper concludes that the onset of the juvenile period can be identified in some species, but precision remains problematic, emphasizing the need for further research in this dynamic area of fish biology.

This compendium presents information on the life history, diet, and abundance and distribution of 46 of the more abundant juvenile and small resident fish species, and data on three species of seagrasses in Florida Bay, Everglades National Park. Abundance and distribution of fish data were derived from three sampling schemes: (1) an otter trawl in basins (1984-1985, 1994-2001), (2) a surface trawl in basins (1984-1985), and (3) a surface trawl in channels (1984-1985). Results from surface trawling only included pelagic species. Collections made with an otter trawl in basins on a bi-monthly basis were emphasized. Nonparametric statistics were used to test spatial and temporal differences in the abundance of species and seagrasses. Fish species accounts were presented in four sections - Life history, Diet, Abundance and distribution, and Length-frequency distributions. Although Florida Bay is a subtropical estuary, the majority of fish species (76%) had warm-temperate affinities; i.e., only 24% were solely tropical species. The five most abundant species collected, in descending order, by (1) otter trawl in basins were: Eucinostomus gula, Lucania parva, Anchoa mitchilli, Lagodon rhomboides, and Syngnathus scovelli; (2) surface trawl in basins were: Hyporhamphus unifasciatus, Strongylura notata, Chriodorus atherinoides, Anchoa hepsetus, and Atherinomorus stipes; (3) surface trawl in channels were: Hypoatherina harringtonensis, A. stipes, A. mitchelli, H. unifasciatus, and C. atherinoides.

FROM THE PREFACE: Dramatic changes occur in the physiology of most animals during their development. Among the vertebrates, birds are entirely oviparous, live for variable periods in a cleidoic egg, and show fundamental alterations in excretion, nutrition, and respiration at the time of hatching. In contrast, the eutherian mammals are all viviparous, depend on the maternal circulation and a specialized placenta to provide food, exchange gases, and discharge wastes. The physiology of both mother and fetus is highly specialized during gestation and changes fundamentally at the time of birth. Fishes exemplify both the oviparous and the viviparous modes of development, with some examples that are intermediate between the two.In these two volumes, selected reviews of many, but not all, aspects of development are presented. The chapters in Part A relate to the physiology of eggs and larvae; those in Part B concern viviparity and the physiology of posthatching juvenile fishes.

This document reviews existing and proposed protocols used to monitor stream ecosystem conditions and responses to land management activities in the Pacific Northwest. Because of recent work aimed at improving the utility of habitat survey and fish abundance assessment methods, this review focuses on current (since 1993) monitoring efforts that assess stream habitat conditions and juvenile fish use. It does not focus on protocols specifically intended to monitor trends in fish populations for salmon recovery efforts, other fish life-history stages (e.g., salmonid smolt monitoring or spawner surveys), or approaches designed to monitor water quality or sources of pollution. We provide an overview of agency monitoring protocols, adaptive management, and types of monitoring, and briefly review the core habitat characteristics thought to be most sensitive to forest management practices. Finally, we summarize a selection of protocols in use in the Pacific Northwest in light of those core habitat characteristics.