Nearshore fish assemblages associated with introduced predatory fishes in lakes

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Big impacts from small abstractions: The effects of surface water abstraction on freshwater fish assemblages

1. Abstractions and diversions are prevalent in river networks worldwide; however, specific mechanisms and measures reflecting changes in functional characteristics of aquatic assemblages in response to flow abstraction have not been well established. In particular, the influence of small takes on fish assemblages is poorly understood.
2. Field surveys and stable‐isotope analyses were used to evaluate the impact of differing levels of flow abstraction on fish assemblage structure, and native–non‐native patterns of coexistence, associated with small surface water abstractions in four streams in New Zealand. Study design accounted for longitudinal processes (spatial autocorrelation) to isolate the effects of abstractions on fish assemblages.
3. Reaches with reduced flows downstream of abstraction points had significantly lower fish abundances per metre of stream length, probably because of decreased habitat size, altered interspecific interactions and barriers to movement. The loss of larger fish in reaches with high abstraction resulted in shallower mass–abundance slopes and shorter stable isotope‐derived food‐chain lengths, likely to have been caused by fewer trophic links in the food web. The large fish absent from these reaches were flow‐sensitive introduced salmonids, resulting in higher relative abundances of small‐bodied native fish, probably as a result of predatory and competitive release.
4. Quantification of metrics designed to characterize ecosystem functioning as well as abundance and species composition indicated that small water abstractions can alter both the structure and composition of stream fish assemblages and modify the outcomes of native–non‐native species interactions. Thus, a better understanding of the effects of small abstractions could be used to improve the strategic management of fish in invaded riverscapes.

     

Trophic structure of fish assemblages from Mamoré River floodplain lakes (Bolivia)

Abstract –  The fish assemblage of the floodplain of the Mamoré River (Bolivia) was estimated in eight lakes, corresponding to four habitat types, situated on an environmental gradient related to the river distance: lakes situated near the river, in the forested floodplain, at the floodplain edge and lakes isolated in the savanna. This paper documents the diet of 71 fish species (among the 140 recorded) and compares the taxonomic and trophic structure of fish assemblages between four lake types. The diet analysis was conducted to determine five trophic guilds: algivores/iliophages, herbivores, zooplanktivores, invertivores and piscivores. The taxonomic and trophic structures of the fish assemblages were not similar in the different lake types of the Mamoré River. The trophic structure of assemblages showed a coarse pattern of dominance of algivores/iliophages and invertivores, but different situations were observed in relative abundance of the trophic groups in relation to the spatial position of the lakes (except for piscivores). Lakes close to the river appeared more favourable to the microphages (algivores/iliophages, zooplanktivores) although remote lakes appeared more favourable to the macrophages (invertivores, herbivores). These results support the general idea that fish distribution follows a pattern linked to the ecology of the species, and related to environmental characteristics of the lakes.     

Trophic interactions between introduced lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and native Arctic charr (S. alpinus) in a large Fennoscandian subarctic lake

Introduced fishes may have major impacts on community structure and ecosystem function due to competitive and predatory interactions with native species. For example, introduced lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) has been shown to replace native salmonids and induce major trophic cascades in some North American lakes, but few studies have investigated trophic interactions between lake trout and closely related native Arctic charr (S. alpinus) outside the natural distribution of the former species. We used stomach content and stable isotope analyses to investigate trophic interactions between introduced lake trout and native Arctic charr in large subarctic Lake Inarijärvi in northern Finland. Both salmonids had predominantly piscivorous diets at >280 mm total length and were mainly caught from the deep profundal zone. However, lake trout had a more generalist diet and showed higher reliance on littoral prey fish than Arctic charr, whose diet consisted mainly of pelagic planktivorous coregonids. According to length at age and condition data, lake trout showed slightly faster growth but lower condition than Arctic charr. The results indicate that introduced lake trout may to some extent compete with and prey upon native Arctic charr, but currently have only a minor if any impact on native fishes and food web structure in Inarijärvi. Future monitoring is essential to observe potential changes in trophic interactions between lake trout and Arctic charr in Inarijärvi, as well as in other European lakes where the two salmonids currently coexist.     

Effectiveness of fishing gears to assess fish assemblage size structure in small lake ecosystems

Measurement of fish body‐size distributions is increasingly used as a management tool to assess fishery status. However, the effects of gear selection on observed fish size structure has not received sufficient attention. Four different gear types (experimental gill nets, fine mesh bag seine, and two different sized mesh trap nets), which are commonly employed in the study area for fisheries surveys, were used to fish in five small (< 200 ha) lakes to evaluate differential catch in terms of species composition and assemblage size distributions. Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests revealed that, out of the five lakes and six comparisons, the four gear types captured fish of statistically similar size distributions in only one instance. Non‐metric multi‐dimensional scaling followed by a multi‐response permutation procedure revealed that the species composition of fish captured by these gears also differs. These results support the notion that multiple gear types should be used to assess body‐size distributions as well as fish assemblage composition.     

Trophic ecology of brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) in subarctic lakes

In subarctic lake systems, fish species like brown trout are often important predators, and their niche performance is a key characteristic for understanding trophic interactions and food web functioning at upper trophic levels. Here, we studied summer habitat use and stomach contents of brown trout under both allopatric and sympatric conditions in six subarctic lakes to reveal its trophic role, and population‐ and individual‐level niche plasticity. In allopatry, brown trout mainly used the littoral habitat, but also less commonly used the pelagic zone. In sympatry with stickleback, there was always a considerable habitat overlap between the two species. In contrast, sympatric populations of brown trout and Arctic charr generally revealed a distinct habitat segregation. In the sympatric systems, in general, there was a distinct resource partitioning between the trout and charr, whereas the observed diet overlap between trout and stickleback was much larger. Trout modified their individual dietary specialisation between the littoral and pelagic zone, always being lower in the pelagic. Piscivorous behaviour of trout was only found in sympatric systems, possibly contributing to a competitive advantage of trout over charr and stickleback. Hence, the trophic level of trout was strongly related to the fish community composition, with a higher trophic level in sympatric systems where piscivorous behaviour was frequent. These changes in the trophic level of trout linked with the observed food resource partitioning might be an important mechanism in the ecosystem functioning of subarctic lakes to allow coexistence among sympatric‐living fish species.     

Larval and early juvenile fish dynamics in main channel and backwater lake habitats of the Illinois River ecosystem

The spatial and temporal complexity of large river ecosystems likely promotes biological diversity within riverine larval fish assemblages. However, the focus of most previous riverine studies of larval fish distribution has tended to concentrate mainly on backwater habitats. There has been less focus on the value of the main channel for larval fishes. We sampled two habitats types (three main channel sites and three backwater lakes) along 20 km of the Illinois River ecosystem during 2 years to compare the larval fish distribution along both spatial and environmental gradients between these habitats. Across the 2 years of this study, we found similar trends in the spatial and temporal distribution of larval fish, although there were some differences in densities between years. The relative abundance and size of many of the different fish taxa varied among habitats. Centrarchids, clupeids, poeciliids, cyprinids (excluding common carp) and atherinids were more abundant within backwater lake habitat. In contrast, common carp (Cyprinus carpio), sciaenids, moronids and catostomids were more abundant in main channel habitats. Furthermore, sciaenid and clupeid larvae captured in the backwater lake habitat were larger as the season progressed than those captured in the main channel. Our study suggests that larval fish show habitat specialisation, similar to adults, indicating that both the backwater lakes and the main channel are both important for larval fish and preserving the diversity of the fish assemblages in large floodplain rivers.     

Resource use of crucian carp along a lake productivity gradient is related to body size,predation risk,and resource competition

Generalist fish species can feed on a wide resource spectrum and across trophic levels depending on resource availability and trophic interactions. Crucian carp (Carassius carassius) represents a good candidate species to investigate variation in the trophic ecology of generalist fish as it can be found in highly variable fish communities and its resource use is well documented. In this study, we explored the trophic ecology of crucian carp at the individual and population levels using stable isotope and gut content analysis. We tested if trophic resource use varied according to lake productivity, predation risk, intra- and interspecific competition, or individual fish size. We found that crucian carp resource preference was highly variable among and within lakes. In predator-free lakes, small crucian carp occurred in high densities, showed increased interindividual specialisation, and relied mainly on pelagic zooplankton. In presence of predators, large crucian carp occurred in low densities and included greater proportions of benthic macroinvertebrates in their diet. This shift in resource use was further favoured in productive, shallow lakes where littoral prey were probably abundant. Resource partitioning was an important factor determining crucian carp niche use, as fish had higher trophic position in absence of other cyprinids. Crucian carp showed highly dynamic resource use and food preferences in response to variable environmental conditions. Overlooking complex diet preferences of generalist fish may lead to an oversimplification of freshwater community dynamics.     

Ecology of Galaxias platei in a depauperate lake

Galaxias platei is widespread and common in southern South America, but its ecology is poorly documented relative to other native species, especially those of commercial importance. Galaxias platei occurs across a large range of environmental conditions, including hydrologically isolated, high‐elevation lakes. Consequently, there were several lakes in the Patagonian region where it was the only native fish species. Introduction of salmonids into almost all lakes in Patagonia where G. platei occurs has potentially resulted in changes in its ecology and behaviour. Thompson Lake is a small, high‐elevation lake located in the Aysen River basin (Chile) where G. platei still occurs essentially in isolation. We collected G. platei from this lake to characterise the ecology of the species in the absence of other native and introduced fishes. We documented age and growth patterns from otolith analysis and characterised size‐ and age‐specific habitat use, diet and trophic niche. In Thompson Lake, G. platei is long‐lived and grows to comparatively large size (max. age = 18 years; max. TL = 348 mm). As it grows, it exhibits an ontogenetic niche shift in habitat use, diet and trophic niche. Large adults are piscivorous, and they occupy deep benthic habitats. Preservation of the last few remaining lakes where G. platei is found in isolation is an important priority for maintaining the full expression of ontogenetic niche variation in this species.     

Responsiveness of fish mass–abundance relationships and trophic metrics to flood disturbance,stream size,land cover and predator taxa presence in headwater streams

Characterisation of food webs, by summarising energy transfer and trophic relationships, allows more functional measurement of ecosystems and may reveal threats (e.g., land‐cover change) in sensitive environments that are not obvious from conventional biomonitoring. However, typical methods used to achieve this are time‐consuming and expensive. Therefore, we tested the usefulness of fish‐focused food‐web proxies as functional measures, specifically mass–abundance relationships of fish assemblages and stable isotope (SI)‐derived metrics in headwater stream reaches. These metrics have been trialled before for similar use in other settings, but have yielded varying results, and have not been employed in tandem in temperate freshwaters. Sampling reaches (N = 46) were spread across a variety of streams, and the effects of habitat predictors at multiple scales on metrics were assessed using model selection. We found that habitat size positively correlated with food‐chain lengths in streams, possibly because of increased abundance of fish at multiple trophic levels in habitats with more space. Additionally, flood disturbance was negatively associated with fish mass–abundance and carbon range, likely due to the harshness of flood‐prone streams. Riparian land‐cover variables were correlated with multiple metrics, indicating the importance of terrestrial–aquatic linkages. Additionally, variations in all metrics were influenced by the presence of native, predatory longfin eels. Overall, we conclude that mass–abundance relationships and SI‐derived metrics are sensitive to drivers of trophic organisation and likely reflect processes occurring at multiple spatial scales in freshwaters. Thus, these metrics could be an insightful monitoring tool for managers because they reflect functional measures of aquatic ecosystems.     

基于鱼类食性的白洋淀食物网研究

2009年6月至2010年5月,对白洋淀8个典型采样点进行了调查,分析了白洋淀鱼类的食性、营养级和食物网特征,绘制了鱼类食物网及能量流动途径。结果显示,白洋淀现有鱼类25种,其食性类型分为草食性、浮游生物食性、底栖生物食性、游泳动物食性、浮游生物+底栖生物、底栖生物和游泳动物食性共6种;白洋淀的鱼类营养级可分为草食性、杂食性、低级肉食性、中级肉食性和高级肉食性共5种。与历史资料相比,白洋淀鱼类食物网趋于简单,中级肉食性鱼类匮乏,能量流动出现越级现象,食物网结构不完整,说明其渔业资源遭受严重破坏。     

Impaired littoral energy pathways cause a shift to pelagic resources by fish in recovering lake food webs

Fish communities may increase in biomass and productivity due to energy subsidies from the littoral invertebrate community. In lakes recovering from acidification and metal contamination, such as those in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, impaired benthic invertebrate communities (i.e., low diversity with higher abundance of small‐bodied taxa) allowed a critical test of the role of these littoral pathways on fish diet. We compared fish abundance, diversity, diet and biomass in eight recovering and eight reference lakes and related availability of the main littoral and pelagic invertebrate groups to fish diet regime using stable isotope analysis. A Bayesian mixing model (MixSIR) was used to estimate diet likelihood, and convex hull analysis was used to estimate trophic niche space of fish communities. Fish biomass did not differ between impaired and reference lakes despite substantial differences in potential diet. Fish depended strongly on littoral benthos in the reference lakes but consumed more pelagic food in the impaired lakes. The trophic niche of the focal, most common fish species (i.e., yellow perch, smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed and brown bullhead) was larger in the impaired lakes. We attributed these differences to low diversity at the highest trophic levels of fish communities in the impaired lakes as well as to depauperate benthic invertebrate communities. In contrast to the food webs of most temperate lakes, fish in impaired lakes preyed less on littoral invertebrates yet still managed to maintain a reference lake level of biomass standing crop by relying more on pelagic resources – macro zooplankton such as Chaoborus.     

The direct contribution of fish to lake phosphorus cycles

Abstract –  Published data are synthesised to assess the direct contribution of fish to the recycling of phosphorus across a lake productivity gradient. Phosphorus excretion rates by fish assemblages are more or less directly proportional to fish biomass, despite changes in mean body mass, species composition and diet with increasing lake productivity. Piecewise linear regression of published data shows for the first time that lacustrine fish biomass increases with total phosphorus (TP) concentration in the water column up to around 140  μ g·TP·l⁻¹ but levels off above that value, suggesting that fish contribute less to nutrient recycling as lake productivity increases. The results confirm previous findings that water column nutrient recycling by fish is much less important than by plankton and that fish are important nutrient stores in lakes. The contribution of fish to nutrient recycling is small because of their low turnover rates relative to other taxa.     

Trophic fingerprint of fish communities in subtropical floodplain lakes

Stable nitrogen isotope ratios (δ¹⁵N) and gut content analysis are commonly used to detect trophic relationships in aquatic systems. Nonetheless, the use of δ¹⁵N in determining the suitability of quantitative and qualitative dietary data as representations of trophic relationships in lake ecosystems remains unverified. Quantitative and qualitative dietary data on 46 fish species were obtained from field surveys in the floodplain lakes of the Yangtze Plain to calculate trophic position and benthivory. Dietary measures using the stable isotope approach were validated. The dietary approach yields comparable results in detecting trophic relationships in lake ecosystems. Our estimation of the benthivory of the 46 fish species ranged from 1.5% to 100%, with an average of 60.3%. These figures support the assumption that benthic energy pathways account for more than half of total fish consumption. Our feeding guild data confirm that more than 50% (including 25 species) of the studied fish species in the floodplain lakes of the Yangtze Plain are omnivorous, suggesting that omnivory is prevalent among subtropical floodplain lakes.     

Balanced exploitation and coexistence of interacting,size‐structured,fish species

This paper examines some effects of exploitation on a simple ecosystem containing two interacting fish species, with life histories similar to mackerel (Scomber scombrus) and cod (Gadus morhua), using a dynamic, size‐spectrum model. Such models internalize body growth and mortality from predation, allowing bookkeeping of biomass at a detailed level of individual predation and growth and enabling scaling up to the mass balance of the ecosystem. Exploitation set independently for each species with knife‐edge, size‐at‐entry fishing can lead to collapse of cod. Exploitation to achieve a fixed ratio of yield to productivity across species can also lead to collapse of cod. However, harvesting balanced to the overall productivity of species in the exploited ecosystem exerts a strong force countering such collapse. If balancing across species is applied to a fishery with knife‐edge selection, size distributions are truncated, changing the structure of the system and reducing its resilience to perturbations. If balancing is applied on the basis of productivity at each body size as well as across species, there is less disruption to size‐structure, resilience is increased, and substantially greater biomass yields are possible. We note an identity between the body size at which productivity is maximized and the age at which cohort biomass is maximized. In our numerical results based on detailed bookkeeping of biomass, cohort biomass reaches its maximum at body masses <1 g, unlike standard yield‐per‐recruit models, where body growth and mortality are independent externalities, and cohort biomass is maximized at larger body sizes.     

The importance of spatial scales to analysis of fish diversity in Amazonian floodplain lakes and implications for conservation

The Amazon River Basin has the highest fish species diversity of any region in the world, but is under threat from anthropogenic perturbations including overharvesting, alien species and drought. We asked whether species diversity in this region is more a function of within‐lake species richness (i.e., α diversity) or differences among lakes (β diversity). Although many studies have reported on species richness and diversity in single habitats, the importance of measuring diversity at different spatial scales is not yet well established. We collected fish in 10 floodplain lakes along the Solimões River (Brazil), divided evenly between two lake types: those on islands in the river channel (island lakes) and those on the margins of the river (coastal lakes) during 2006. We partitioned fish diversity into three spatial scales: α = within each lake; β₁ = among lakes of the same type (coastal or island) and β₂ = between the two types of lakes, and compared their relative contributions to regional (γ) diversity. β₁ + β₂ contributed as much or more to γ diversity than did α. Although many of the 116 fish species were shared between lake types (S = 72), 32 species were found exclusively in coastal lakes and 12 species were found exclusively in island lakes. Coastal lakes, which were deeper and cooler than island lakes, consistently had higher fish species richness than island lakes. We suggest that it will be necessary to set areas large enough to contain multiple lakes of both types to preserve regional fish diversity.     

Spatial distribution patterns of fish egg and larval assemblages in the lower reach of the Yangtze River: Potential implications for conservation and management

1. River fish diversity is threatened by anthropogenic environmental alteration to landscapes. The early life-history stages of fish play an important role in maintaining diversity and population recruitment and can be heavily influenced by landscape patterns. Information on temporal and spatial distribution patterns of fish eggs and larvae is also important for biodiversity conservation and management of fish resources.
2. The Yangtze River possesses a high diversity of fishes, including many commercially important species. The economy along the lower reach of the river is well developed, and most of the area is experiencing high pressure from human impacts. This section of the Yangtze River connects with the largest freshwater lake in China at the upstream end and flows into the estuary at the downstream end. These two landscape features are likely to have a significant impact upon the spatial distributions of fish egg and larval assemblages.
3. Environmental variables, fish eggs, and larval assemblages were sampled in three locations, at Hukou, Anqing, and Jingjiang, in the lower reach of the Yangtze River. The results suggest that the higher number of species and greater abundance in upstream sites reflect the critical function of connectivity of Poyang Lake with the river for fish recruitment in the lower Yangtze. The delayed bloom of larval fish, occurrence of estuarine species, and a lower species number and abundance of freshwater fish downstream reflect the influence of tidal intrusion from the estuary.
4. This study highlights the value of maintaining natural river–lakes connectivity in the Yangtze River as a conservation measure. The connected river–lake system should be designated as a priority area for fish resource protection in the lower reach of the Yangtze River. We recommend further measures to break down barriers between the river and other lakes and to restore the natural lateral connectivity of the floodplain ecosystem.

     

Influences of gear type and analytical methodology on fish assemblage characterisations in temperate lakes

A variety of gears and analytical methods can be used to characterise lentic fish assemblages; however, the combined influence of gear type and analysis can affect conclusions about assemblage patterns. Fish assemblages sampled with night electric fishing, gillnets and trapnets from 153 lakes were evaluated using summary indices of species composition, pairwise community similarity comparisons and multivariate ordination. For a given amount of effort, electric fishing had the highest species richness, while gillnets had higher diversity and evenness. Pairwise comparisons between gears revealed that (1) richness was positively correlated among all gears, (2) diversity and evenness were generally not correlated across gears and (3) electric fishing and trapnets captured more similar species than all other pairwise comparisons. Gear‐specific multivariate correlation and ordination revealed that gillnet and electric fishing samples more similarly characterised variation in assemblages among lakes, while trapnets characterised assemblages along different gradients of species composition. These results indicate that either electric fishing or trapnetting can be used when assessing shallow‐water assemblages for diversity or evenness, gillnets and either electric fishing or trapnets should be used for whole‐lake assessments, and either gillnets or electric fishing should be used when evaluating regionwide variation in lake assemblages.     

A comparison of fish assemblages associated with different riparian vegetation types in the Hawkesbury–Nepean River system

Fish assemblages in six reaches of the Hawkesbury–Nepean River were studied to identify the effects of two types of riparian vegetation; well‐vegetated banks supporting complex flora dominated by trees and shrubs, and grassed banks, that have been colonised only by grasses after historical deforestation. The fish assemblages showed both spatial and temporal differences and habitats adjacent to grassed banks supported more individuals and more fish species than well‐vegetated banks. Three small species of fish, firetail gudgeon, Hypseleotris galii (Ogilby), flathead gudgeon, Philypnodon grandiceps (Krefft), and empire gudgeon, Hypseleotris compressa (Krefft), occurred in greater abundances adjacent to grassed banks, but freshwater mullet, Myxus petardi (Castelnau), were less abundant near grassed banks than beside well‐vegetated banks. Differences were also shown in the size frequencies of the four larger fish species between riparian vegetation types. The observed differences in the distributions of fish species appeared to be related to the greater abundance aquatic macrophytes near grassed banks, probably an effect of shading of macrophytes near well‐vegetated banks.     

Fishing down or fishing up in Chinese freshwater lakes

Changes in mean trophic level (MTL) of catches have been widely used to reflect the impact of industrial fisheries on aquatic ecosystems because this measure represents the relative abundance of fished species across the trophic level spectrum. In this study, fisheries data from six important freshwater lakes at the middle‐lower Yangtze River and Huaihe River reach of Southern China from 1949 to 2009 were used to evaluate changes in catch MTL. After fishery markets opened at 1985, fish catches increased significantly in all the lakes. Lakes Poyang and Dongting, which were dominated by omnivores and connected to the Yangtze River, showed no significant change in catch MTL before and after 1985. Catch MTL in lakes Taihu and Hongze increased significantly due to an increase in the proportion of pelagic zooplanktivorous. Catches in Lake Chaohu were dominated by zooplankton‐feeding lake anchovy, Coilia ectenes Temminck & Schlegel and icefish, Neosalanx taihuensis Chen, while Lake Donghu was dominated by phytoplanktivorous carps. Due to low biodiversity, catch MTL of these two lakes showed no significant change before and after 1985. Both fisheries‐based and human activities‐based drivers influenced the structure and catch MTL of fisheries in Chinese freshwater lakes.