Growth rate and abundance of common fishes is negatively related to dissolved organic carbon concentration in lakes

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) can limit food web productivity in lakes, potentially imposing resource limitation on fishes. We asked whether the abundance or early growth rate of three fish species was negatively related to DOC in 59 lakes in southern Quebec, Canada, where DOC concentrations ranged from 4 to 16 mg·L−1 for lakes containing walleye (Sander vitreum) and yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and from 2.6 to 9 mg·L−1 for lakes containing lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush). Estimates of abundance and growth rate were more precise for walleye and lake trout than for yellow perch because of differences in sample size. Abundance was negatively related to DOC for walleye and perhaps also for lake trout and yellow perch. Early growth rate was negatively related to DOC for walleye and lake trout, but not for yellow perch. These results support a growing body of literature suggesting that the productivity of fish populations may be negatively related to DOC concentrations in lakes.

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Relationship of Mercury Concentrations in Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieui) to the Physical and Chemical Characteristics of Ontario Lakes

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f89-057 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 46 (3) ◽

pp. 426-434 ◽

Cited By ~ 92

Author(s):

Michael J. McMurtry ◽

Donna L. Wales ◽

Wolfgang A. Scheider ◽

Gail L. Beggs ◽

Patricia E. Dimond

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽

Lake Trout ◽

Water Hardness ◽

Salvelinus Namaycush ◽

Smallmouth Bass ◽

Stepwise Multiple Regression ◽

Lake Area ◽

Micropterus Dolomieui ◽

The Relationship

Concentrations of mercury in dorsal muscle tissue of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) from Ontario lakes were positively correlated with variables indicating lake dystrophy (dissolved organic carbon, colour, iron, transparency) and were also correlated with watershed area and lake area. Stepwise multiple regression selected dissolved organic carbon as the only variable which explained a significant amount of variation (37%) in mercury concentrations in lake trout. The relationship between dissolved organic carbon and mercury appeared to be strongest in the group of lakes with values of dissolved organic carbon less than 4.0 mg∙L−1. In contrast, mercury concentrations in smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieui) were correlated with variables reflecting both water hardness (magnesium, calcium, conductivity) and acidity (pH, alkalinity). The relationship was inverse for the water hardness variables and positive for acidity. Stepwise regression identified three variables significant in explaining variation in mercury in smallmouth bass: calcium, dissolved organic carbon, and latitude. Mechanisms that may explain the effects of organic matter, water hardness, and acidity on mercury accumulation by fish are discussed.

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Effects of experimental clearcut logging on water quality in three small boreal forest lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) lakes

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f00-119 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 57 (S2) ◽

pp. 92-96 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Robert J Steedman

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Organic Carbon ◽

Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽

Lake Trout ◽

Salvelinus Namaycush ◽

First Year ◽

Forest Lake ◽

Clearcut Logging ◽

Quality Response ◽

Shield Lakes

Water quality was monitored in three 30-ha stratified headwater Precambrian Shield lakes for 5 years before and 3 years after moderate to extensive catchment deforestation. These lakes, which had water renewal times of about a decade, showed only minor changes in water quality by the third year after logging. Water quality response in a lake with moderate deforestation and intact shoreline forest was similar to that in two lakes with extensive upland and shoreline deforestation. By the second and third years after logging, May-September average volume-weighted concentrations of dissolved organic carbon, chlorophyll, total nitrogen, K+, Cl-, and Si had all increased, generally by about 10-40% over predisturbance levels, while Ca2+ and Mg2+ had declined by 10-25%. Dry weather the first year after logging was associated with temporary declines of 10-20% in dissolved organic carbon and chlorophyll.

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Survival, Growth, and Reproduction of Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) after Neutralization of an Acidic Lake Near Sudbury Ontario

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f90-048 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 47 (2) ◽

pp. 446-453 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

J. M. Gunn ◽

J. G. Hamilton ◽

G. M. Booth ◽

C. D. Wren ◽

G. L. Beggs ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Adverse Effects ◽

Body Condition ◽

Yellow Perch ◽

Lake Trout ◽

Perca Flavescens ◽

Salvelinus Namaycush ◽

Toxicity Tests ◽

Acidic Lake ◽

Acid Episodes ◽

Growth And Reproduction

Bowland Lake, an acidified lake (pH 4.8–5.2), was treated with calcite (CaCO3) in 1983. Neutralization allowed for successful reproduction by reintroduced lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush). Mortality of lake trout embryos and juveniles in field toxicity tests decreased from 52–99% preneutralization to 0–30% postneutralization. The resident yellow perch (Perca flavescens) appeared unaffected by the chemical treatment. Both inter- and intra-specific competition were evident in the growth and body condition of perch and stocked lake trout in the years after neutralization. Springtime acid episodes continued to occur in the nearshore areas after the lake was neutralized, but no adverse effects on fish species were detected.

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Effects of Dressing and Cooking on DDT Concentrations in Certain Fish from Lake Michigan

Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada ◽

10.1139/f72-088 ◽

1972 ◽

Vol 29 (5) ◽

pp. 525-529 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Robert E. Reinert ◽

Donald Stewart ◽

Harry L. Seagran

Keyword(s):

Yellow Perch ◽

Oil Content ◽

Lake Michigan ◽

Lake Trout ◽

Coho Salmon ◽

Corn Oil ◽

Perca Flavescens ◽

Salvelinus Namaycush ◽

The Body ◽

Coregonus Hoyi

Concentrations of DDT residues were highest in parts of the body with the highest oil content in four species of fish from Lake Michigan: yellow perch (Perca flavescens), bloater (Coregonus hoyi), lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), and coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). Dressing reduced the DDT residues and oil content by more than 90% in yellow perch but had little effect in the other three species. The concentration of DDT residues in bloaters was changed little by smoking but was reduced 64–72% by other methods of cooking: from 8.0 ppm (raw) to 2.2 ppm after frying in corn oil; from 10.7 to 3.9 ppm after frying in lard; and from 9.1 to 3.2 ppm after broiling. The concentration of DDT residues in fillets of yellow perch changed only from 0.3 ppm (raw) to 0.4 or 0.5 ppm after baking, frying, or broiling.

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Logging-induced variations in dissolved organic carbon affect yellow perch (Perca flavescens) recruitment in Canadian Shield lakes

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f07-004 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 64 (2) ◽

pp. 181-186 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Andrea Bertolo ◽

Pierre Magnan

Keyword(s):

Organic Carbon ◽

Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽

Yellow Perch ◽

Perca Flavescens ◽

Larval Survival ◽

Canadian Shield ◽

Lake Volume ◽

Secondary Productivity ◽

Shield Lakes ◽

Positive Effect

There is increasing interest in the effects of allochthonous carbon on lake food webs. By temporarily increasing levels of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in lakes, logging can help us understand how carbon from the watershed could affect lake biota. The goals of this study were to determine whether (i) logging has a significant effect on the abundance of young-of-the-year (YOY) yellow perch (Perca flavescens) in Canadian Shield lakes and (ii) any changes in yellow perch recruitment could be related to increases in nutrients (N and P) and (or) DOC following logging. To do this, we examined 22 Canadian Shield lakes: the watersheds of 13 were not impacted, while 9 underwent logging (1%–78% of the watershed area). We found that the relative abundance of YOY yellow perch increased after logging in proportion to the ratio between the area of the logged watershed and the lake volume. We show that this effect is likely explained by an increase in DOC following logging. This might be related to (i) an increase in secondary productivity due to a positive effect of terrestrial carbon on the microbial loop and (or) (ii) an increased hatching success and (or) larval survival due to a greater protection from UV radiation by DOC.

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