Drought-driven lake level decline: effects on coarse woody habitat and fishes

2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 315-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jereme W. Gaeta ◽  
Greg G. Sass ◽  
Stephen R. Carpenter
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Species Interactions ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Lake Level ◽  
Micropterus Salmoides ◽  
Little Rock ◽  
Littoral Habitat ◽  
Littoral Zones ◽  
Coarse Woody Habitat ◽  
Rock Lake

Research testing for the effects of climate change on lentic fishes has focused on changing thermal and dissolved oxygen regimes, but has often overlooked potential influences of altered lake levels on littoral habitat availability and species interactions. Natural littoral structures such as coarse woody habitat (CWH) can be critical to fishes for prey production, refuge, and spawning. Drought-driven lake level declines may strand these structures above the waterline and thereby remove them from littoral zones. A prolonged drought in northern Wisconsin, USA, allowed us to test for effects of lake level decline on CWH and the response of a fish community. During our study (2001–2009), the lake level of Little Rock Lake South declined over 1.1 m and >75% of the previously submerged CWH was lost from the littoral zone. The loss of CWH coincided with the forage fish species (yellow perch, Perca flavescens) falling below detection and reduced growth of the top piscivore (largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides). Our study highlights the importance of lake level fluctuations as a mechanism by which climate change may affect aquatic ecosystems and species interactions.

Trophic ecology of largemouth bass and northern pike in allopatric and sympatric assemblages in northern boreal lakes

2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (10) ◽  
pp. 1759-1766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig A Soupir ◽  
Michael L Brown ◽  
Larry W Kallemeyn
Keyword(s):  
Largemouth Bass ◽  
Aquatic Insects ◽  
Species Interactions ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Trophic Ecology ◽  
Micropterus Salmoides ◽  
Northern Pike ◽  
Boreal Lakes ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Top Predators

Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) and northern pike (Esox lucius) are top predators in the food chain in most aquatic environments that they occupy; however, limited information exists on species interactions in the northern reaches of largemouth bass distribution. We investigated the seasonal food habits of allopatric and sympatric assemblages of largemouth bass and northern pike in six interior lakes within Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota. Percentages of empty stomachs were variable for largemouth bass (38-54%) and northern pike (34.7-66.7%). Fishes (mainly yellow perch, Perca flavescens) comprised greater than 60% (mean percent mass, MPM) of the northern pike diet during all seasons in both allopatric and sympatric assemblages. Aquatic insects (primarily Odonata and Hemiptera) were important in the diets of largemouth bass in all communities (0.0-79.7 MPM). Although largemouth bass were observed in the diet of northern pike, largemouth bass apparently did not prey on northern pike. Seasonal differences were observed in the proportion of aquatic insects (P = 0.010) and fishes (P = 0.023) in the diets of northern pike and largemouth bass. Based on three food categories, jackknifed classifications correctly classified 77 and 92% of northern pike and largemouth bass values, respectively. Percent resource overlap values were biologically significant (greater than 60%) during at least one season in each sympatric assemblage, suggesting some diet overlap.

scholarly journals The importance of species interactions in eco-evolutionary community dynamics under climate change

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Åkesson ◽  
Alva Curtsdotter ◽  
Anna Eklöf ◽  
Bo Ebenman ◽  
Jon Norberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Species Interactions ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Temperature Dependent ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Impact Of Climate Change ◽  
The Impact

AbstractEco-evolutionary dynamics are essential in shaping the biological response of communities to ongoing climate change. Here we develop a spatially explicit eco-evolutionary framework which features more detailed species interactions, integrating evolution and dispersal. We include species interactions within and between trophic levels, and additionally, we incorporate the feature that species’ interspecific competition might change due to increasing temperatures and affect the impact of climate change on ecological communities. Our modeling framework captures previously reported ecological responses to climate change, and also reveals two key results. First, interactions between trophic levels as well as temperature-dependent competition within a trophic level mitigate the negative impact of climate change on biodiversity, emphasizing the importance of understanding biotic interactions in shaping climate change impact. Second, our trait-based perspective reveals a strong positive relationship between the within-community variation in preferred temperatures and the capacity to respond to climate change. Temperature-dependent competition consistently results both in higher trait variation and more responsive communities to altered climatic conditions. Our study demonstrates the importance of species interactions in an eco-evolutionary setting, further expanding our knowledge of the interplay between ecological and evolutionary processes.

Quantitative comparisons of the morphology and ultrastructure of erythrocyte nuclei from seven freshwater fish species

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (10) ◽  
pp. 1951-1959 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles H. Jagoe ◽  
Dave A. Welter
Keyword(s):  
Fish Species ◽  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Micropterus Salmoides ◽  
Lepomis Macrochirus ◽  
Nuclear Size ◽  
Image Analysis System ◽  
Cell Nuclei ◽  
Homogeneous Population ◽  
Differentiated Cells ◽  
Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus Mykiss

Chromosome number and genomic DNA content vary widely among fish species, and ploidy can vary within species. This suggests that the size, shape, and morphological features of cell nuclei may also vary. Nucleated erythrocytes of fish are an easily sampled homogeneous population of differentiated cells ideal for inter- and intra-species comparisons. We collected blood samples from largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), chain pickerel (Esox niger), yellow perch (Perca flavescens), mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki), redeye bass (Micropterus coosae), and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and removed cytoplasm and nuclear membranes from blood cells. Individual nuclei were examined and measured using scanning electron microscopy and a computerized image analysis system, and inter- and intra-species differences evaluated by nested analysis of variance. Nuclear size and shape varied significantly among species. Isolated nuclei had conspicuous apertures or holes, and the number and size of these holes also varied significantly among species. Variations in nuclear size and structure within species were small compared with interspecies differences. Little is known of the ultrastructure of erythrocyte nuclei in lower vertebrates, but their structure differs considerably from that of other vertebrate non-erythroid cells, suggesting that the organization of their DNA and associated proteins may be different.

scholarly journals Local and regional controls of phylogenetic structure at the high-latitude range limits of corals

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1861) ◽  
pp. 20170915 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brigitte Sommer ◽  
Eugenia M. Sampayo ◽  
Maria Beger ◽  
Peter L. Harrison ◽  
Russ C. Babcock ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
High Latitude ◽  
Species Interactions ◽  
Phylogenetic Signal ◽  
Range Limits ◽  
High Turnover ◽  
Phylogenetic Structure ◽  
Phylogenetic Clustering ◽  
Latitude Range ◽  
Eastern Australia

Understanding how range-edge populations will respond to climate change is an urgent research priority. Here, we used a phylogenetic community ecology approach to examine how ecological and evolutionary processes shape biodiversity patterns of scleractinian corals at their high-latitude range limits in eastern Australia. We estimated phylogenetic signal in seven ecologically important functional traits and conducted tests of phylogenetic structure at local and regional scales using the net relatedness (NRI) and nearest taxon indices (NTI) for the presence/absence and abundance data. Regional tests showed light phylogenetic clustering, indicating that coral species found in this subtropical-to-temperate transition zone are more closely related to each other than are species on the nearby, more northerly Great Barrier Reef. Local tests revealed variable patterns of phylogenetic clustering and overdispersion and higher than expected phylogenetic turnover among sites. In combination, these results are broadly consistent with the hierarchical filtering model, whereby species pass through a regional climatic filter based on their tolerances for marginal conditions and subsequently segregate into local assemblages according to the relative strength of habitat filtering and species interactions. Conservatism of tested traits suggests that corals will likely track their niches with climate change. Nevertheless, high turnover of lineages among sites indicates that range shifts will probably vary among species and highlights the vulnerability and conservation significance of high-latitude reefs.

Predator–prey interactions and climate change

2019 ◽  
pp. 199-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vincent Bretagnolle ◽  
Julien Terraube
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Species Interactions ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Generalist Predators ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Key Topics ◽  
Available Information

Climate change is likely to impact all trophic levels, although the response of communities and ecosystems to it has only recently received considerable attention. Further, it is expected to affect the magnitude of species interactions themselves. In this chapter, we summarize why and how climate change could affect predator–prey interactions, then review the literature about its impact on predator–prey relationships in birds, and provide prospects for future studies. Expected effects on prey or predators may include changes in the following: distribution, phenology, population density, behaviour, morphology, or physiology. We review the currently available information concerning particular key topics: top-down versus bottom-up control, specialist versus generalist predators, functional versus numerical responses, trophic cascades and regime shifts, and lastly adaptation and selection. Finally, we focus our review on two well-studied bird examples: seabirds and raptors. Key future topics include long-term studies, modelling and experimental studies, evolutionary questions, and conservation issues.

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