What is the initial food source for White Sturgeon larvae after exhausting their yolk sacs?
Answer
Zooplankton.
The dietary progression of the White Sturgeon begins with the sustenance provided by the yolk sac immediately after hatching. Once this internal energy reserve is depleted, the newly hatched larvae or fry transition to external feeding. At this nascent stage, constrained by their small size, their diet consists of the smallest available prey found in the environment, which is identified as microscopic organisms known as zooplankton. This planktonic diet is essential to provide the initial energy boost necessary for rapid growth before they are physically capable of handling larger, more substantial benthic items.
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