What a thought!!!! Is it possible that BG could over time change genetically --learn/adapt/mutate/drift so they have one earlier spawn before or at the same time as LMB so as to starve off the LMB offspring by not providing enough BG forage at the right time to sustain the YOY LMB fry. It would only take the BG moving up their spawn a couple weeks. The ultimate survival adaptation -- starve out one of your primary predators by having your offspring early so they will be to big to eat by the hungery hoard. That would lead to many stunted BG over time and defeat the adaptation plus the larger older male BG spawn first anyway and don't need that adaptation to pass on their genes. But they (larger males) would not need to move their spawn up much, it would be the smaller BG spawners ( who are the most in # ) who would be pressed to move up their spawn to meet the genetic challange of fitness to pass on their genes. The Successful passing on of a populations ( or part of a populations) genes is a powerful driving force for adaptation.

Neff pg 384 "It has been proposed that brood predation may be the
driving force behind the evolution of coloniality in
bluegill (Dominey 1981; Gross and MacMillian 1981)."

Wow there is a lot to think about. Thanks Dr. Dave for pushing the learning curve. \:\) \:\) Do you think we may have an answer soon or is it the more we learn the more unanswered questions we have to figure out. \:\) \:D ewest