Tim Sesterhenn, assistant professor of biology, co-authored a paper that was recently published online by the Journal of Great Lakes Research.

Tim Sesterhenn, assistant professor of biology at Morningside College, co-authored a paper that was recently published online by the Journal of Great Lakes Research.

The paper examines the environmental factors during the critical early life transition from feeding on egg yolk to feeding on prey in yellow perch and alewife fishes in Lake Michigan.

 “Yellow perch are valuable sport fish and alewife are important prey items for multiple sport fishes, so knowing how the environment affects their growth and survival early on will help to maintain the economic and ecological health of the Great Lakes,” Sesterhenn said.

Sesterhenn contributed computer modeling to the paper that simulates how temperature, water clarity, and prey availability interact to influence growth of the young fish.

“We were able to show that a highly variable near shore environment leads to highly variable potential growth, and that invasive species provide a relatively abundant potential prey source,” he said.

Sesterhenn joined the Morningside College faculty in the fall of 2014. Sesterhenn has a doctorate in biology from the University of Kentucky.