Editing Centrarchidae (section)

==Habitat==
[[File:Micropterus dolomieu2.jpg|thumb|right|[[Smallmouth bass]] (''Micropterus dolomieu'')]]
Centrarchids prefer clear, warm, and slower-moving water, and are commonly found in habitats such as lakes, ponds, medium to low flow streams and rivers, and swamps.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|title=Freshwater Fish Distribution|last=Berra|first=Tim|publisher=The University of Chicago Press|year=2007|isbn=978-0-226-04442-2|location=Chicago and London|pages=390–400}}</ref> They also prefer to live in and around aquatic vegetation so they can get adequate coverage from predators. While few species in the family diverge from the aforementioned habitat list, the [[Sacramento perch]] can survive in habitats with unusually high alkalinity, salinity, and temperatures.<ref name=":2" /> Centrarchids can be found in various locations within the [[water column]] and their exact preference is species specific. For instance, [[bluegill]] (''Lepomis macrochirus'') mainly inhabit the deeper littoral zones, while [[green sunfish]] (''Lepomis cyanellus'') prefer habitats near the shoreline and shallower areas.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Werner|first1=Earl E.|last2=Hall|first2=Donald J.|date=1977-07-01|title=Competition and Habitat Shift in Two Sunfishes (Centrarchidae)|journal=Ecology|language=en|volume=58|issue=4|pages=869–876|doi=10.2307/1936222|issn=1939-9170|jstor=1936222|bibcode=1977Ecol...58..869W }}</ref> Suction feeders within the family (i.e. ''Lepomis'') generally feed off the bottom of their habitat, while ram feeders (i.e. ''Micropterus'') generally feed in more open areas known as the [[limnetic zone]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Carroll|first1=Andrew M.|last2=Wainwright|first2=Peter C.|last3=Huskey|first3=Stephen H.|last4=Collar|first4=David C.|last5=Turingan|first5=Ralph G.|date=2004-10-15|title=Morphology predicts suction feeding performance in centrarchid fishes|journal=Journal of Experimental Biology|language=en|volume=207|issue=22|pages=3873–3881|doi=10.1242/jeb.01227|issn=0022-0949|pmid=15472018|doi-access=free}}</ref> Centrarchids diet consists of macro-invertebrates (e.g. insects, snails and crayfish) and other fish found in their habitat.<ref name=":2" />

=== Thermal tolerance ===
In freshwater systems, water temperature is determined by many abiotic factors, with air temperature being one of the most significant contributors.<ref name=":32">{{Cite journal|last1=Lyons|first1=J.|last2=Stewart|first2=J. S.|last3=Mitro|first3=M.|date=2010-11-01|title=Predicted effects of climate warming on the distribution of 50 stream fishes in Wisconsin, U.S.A.|journal=Journal of Fish Biology|language=en|volume=77|issue=8|pages=1867–1898|doi=10.1111/j.1095-8649.2010.02763.x|pmid=21078096|bibcode=2010JFBio..77.1867L |issn=1095-8649}}</ref> As in other [[ectotherm]]s, many physiological processes and behaviors in Centrarchidae, such as feeding and reproduction, are heavily impacted by the temperature in their environment.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal|last1=Shuter|first1=B. J.|last2=Finstad|first2=A. G.|last3=Helland|first3=I. P.|last4=Zweimüller|first4=I.|last5=Hölker|first5=F.|date=2012-10-01|title=The role of winter phenology in shaping the ecology of freshwater fish and their sensitivities to climate change|journal=Aquatic Sciences|language=en|volume=74|issue=4|pages=637–657|doi=10.1007/s00027-012-0274-3|bibcode=2012AqSci..74..637S |s2cid=18297554|issn=1015-1621}}</ref> All species in the family Centrarchidae are considered [[Freshwater fish|warmwater]] adapted species.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Carpenter|first1=Stephen R.|last2=Fisher|first2=Stuart G.|last3=Grimm|first3=Nancy B.|author-link3=Nancy Grimm|last4=Kitchell|first4=James F.|date=1992-11-01|title=Global Change and Freshwater Ecosystems|journal=Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics|volume=23|issue=1|pages=119–139|doi=10.1146/annurev.es.23.110192.001003|issn=0066-4162}}</ref> In general, warmwater adapted species are characterized as being larger at higher temperatures and lower latitudes.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Rypel|first=Andrew L.|date=2014-01-01|title=The Cold-Water Connection: Bergmann's Rule in North American Freshwater Fishes.|journal=The American Naturalist|volume=183|issue=1|pages=147–156|doi=10.1086/674094|pmid=24334744|s2cid=22642325|issn=0003-0147}}</ref> The optimal temperature range of most species in the family is 28&nbsp;°C(82&nbsp;°F) to 32&nbsp;°C(90&nbsp;°F), although they can survive and reproduce in temperatures that are outside of this optimum range.<ref name=":1" /> Increases in temperature outside the optimal range for centrarchids can have negative effects, such as speeding up reproductive maturity or increasing mortality after the first reproductive event.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Dembski |first1=S. |last2=Masson |first2=G. |last3=Monnier |first3=D. |last4=Wagner |first4=P. |last5=Pihan|first5=J. C.|date=2006-08-01|title=Consequences of elevated temperatures on life-history traits of an introduced fish, pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus|journal=Journal of Fish Biology|language=en|volume=69|issue=2|pages=331–346 |doi=10.1111/j.1095-8649.2006.01087.x |bibcode=2006JFBio..69..331D |issn=1095-8649}}</ref> The lethal temperature range varies widely in the family, but some species have been seen to survive water temperatures as low as 1&nbsp;°C(33&nbsp;°F) or as high as 41&nbsp;°C(106&nbsp;°F).<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Beitinger|first1=Thomas L.|last2=Bennett|first2=Wayne A.|last3=McCauley|first3=Robert W.|date=2000-07-01|title=Temperature Tolerances of North American Freshwater Fishes Exposed to Dynamic Changes in Temperature|journal=Environmental Biology of Fishes|language=en|volume=58|issue=3|pages=237–275|doi=10.1023/A:1007676325825|bibcode=2000EnvBF..58..237B |s2cid=35400804|issn=0378-1909}}</ref>