scholarly journals Does behavioural thermoregulation underlie seasonal movements in Lake Erie walleye?

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 488-496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham D. Raby ◽  
Christopher S. Vandergoot ◽  
Todd A. Hayden ◽  
Matthew D. Faust ◽  
Richard T. Kraus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lake Erie ◽  
Seasonal Migration ◽  
Central Basin ◽  
Behavioural Thermoregulation ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Western Basin ◽  
Eastern Basin ◽  
Temperature Records ◽  
Thermal Preferences

Thermoregulation is presumed to be a widespread determinant of behaviour in fishes, but has not often been investigated as a mechanism shaping long-distance migrations. We used acoustic telemetry and animal-borne thermal loggers to test the hypothesis that seasonal migration in adult walleye (Sander vitreus) in Lake Erie is size- and (or) sex-specific and related to behavioural thermoregulation. Female walleye migrated out of the warm, shallow western basin earlier than did males and were 1.8 times more likely to be detected on acoustic receivers in the deeper and cooler eastern basin. The few fish that remained in the western basin were restricted to a smaller range of higher temperatures (≥20 °C) than those that migrated to the central and eastern basins (∼16–21 °C). However, temperature records from walleye in the central basin were nearly indistinguishable from those in the eastern basin, suggesting thermal preferences alone could not explain migration to the eastern basin. As such, our effort to understand the mechanisms that cause migratory behaviours has generated mixed evidence on the role of temperature and that factors like foraging opportunities may have synergistic roles in the migration.

A Phosphorus Budget for Lake Erie

1976 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 564-573 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. M. Burns ◽  
J. D. H. Williams ◽  
J.-M. Jaquet ◽  
A. L. W. Kemp ◽  
D. C. L. Lam
Keyword(s):  
Total Phosphorus ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Central Basin ◽  
Phosphorus Retention ◽  
Western Basin ◽  
Eastern Basin ◽  
Phosphorus Budget ◽  
Natural Origin ◽  
Lake Bottom ◽  
Entire Lake

A budget for phosphorus retention in Lake Erie during 1970 has been drawn up. Phosphorus associated with sand-sized particles (> 63 μm) was excluded. Retention of apatite phosphorus (AP) and nonapatite phosphorus (NAP) within each of the three basins of the lake (Western, Central, and Eastern) was estimated in each case by two independent methods. The two estimates of retention of total phosphorus within the entire lake agreed to within 9.5% of their mean. The estimates of AP retention within the Western basin also agreed well. However, the input–output balance estimates of AP retention in the Central basin and of NAP retention in the Western and Central basins greatly exceeded the corresponding sedimentation values, while in the Eastern basin this pattern was reversed. The AP discrepancy was attributed to unobserved transport of AP from the Central to the Eastern basin via nearshore currents past Long Point, while the NAP discrepancies were largely attributed to eastward movement of NAP through the lake within about 2 m of the lake bottom. The total amount of phosphorus retained within the lake in 1970 was 41,000 metric tons, or about 92% of input. AP of natural origin and inert nature accounted for approximately 44% of the total phosphorus retained. A reduction in anthropogenic phosphorus input of about 15,000 metric tons/yr, as called for in the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, will reduce present annual NAP loading to close to pre-1850 values.

Primary Production in Lakes Ontario and Erie: A Comparative Study

1974 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter A. Glooschenko ◽  
James E. Moore ◽  
Mohiuddin Munawar ◽  
R. A. Vollenweider
Keyword(s):  
Primary Production ◽  
Chlorophyll A ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Central Basin ◽  
Western Basin ◽  
Eastern Basin ◽  
Production Values ◽  
Rate Of Increase

Primary production values in Lake Ontario were low in winter, reached a maximum in midspring, declined during summer, and slightly increased in fall. Rate of increase of production for inshore waters (< 20 m depth) was greater especially in spring and early summer with a greater maximum reached earlier than in offshore waters. Assimilation numbers, mgC fixed/mg chlorophyll a per hour, in Lake Ontario were fairly constant over the lake with a yearly range of 1.2–1.6. Primary production showed a linear relationship to chlorophyll a concentration, as also occurred in Lake Erie.Lake Erie primary production varied in its three basins. Seasonally, in the Eastern Basin, production was highest in spring with a midsummer decline, and small peaks in fall. The Western Basin had a maximum in midsummer whereas the Central Basin had peaks in late summer and early fall. Assimilation numbers were highest in the Western Basin (up to 3.5 mgC/mg chlorophyll a per hour) and lowest in the mid-Central Basin and Eastern Basin with values of approximately 1.4 mgC/mg chlorophyll a per hour. A definite westerly increase of assimilation number was observed.Up to early summer, the two lakes were fairly equal in surface production but integral photosynthesis, mgC/m2 per hour was higher in Lake Ontario than in Lake Erie. The same was valid in November and December. In summer, Lake Erie was higher in production on both a mgC/m3 per hour and mgC/m2 per hour basis. For the period, April–December, Lake Ontario's total estimated yield was 170 gC/m2, whereas for Lake Erie values of 160, 210, and 310 gC/m2 were found for the Eastern, Central, and Western basins, respectively.

A Lakewide Study of Phytoplankton Biomass and its Species Composition in Lake Erie, April–December 1970

1976 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 581-600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohiuddin Munawar ◽  
Iftekhar F. Munawar
Keyword(s):  
Phytoplankton Biomass ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Biomass Concentration ◽  
Horizontal Distribution ◽  
Size Analysis ◽  
Central Basin ◽  
Western Basin ◽  
Eastern Basin ◽  
Ceratium Hirundinella ◽  
Wide Range

Surface samples of phytoplankton were collected from April to December 1970 at approximately 4-wk intervals from 25 stations distributed over the entire lake. Taxonomic identification and enumeration was done by the Utermöhl technique. About 125–150 species were identified in each basin. "Less common" or rare species contributed significantly to the total phytoplankton biomass. The species comparison among the three basins indicated that species like Rhodomonas minuta and Cryptomonas erosa were perennial in all the basins. Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, Anabaena spiroides var. contracta, Coscinodiscus rothii, Actinastrum hantzschii, and Ceratium hirundinella were typical for the Western basin. Ochromonas spp. and Peridinium aciculiferum were common in the Central basin whereas Gymnodinium helveticum and G. uberrimum were characteristic for the Eastern basin.The diatoms contributed least in the Eastern basin (36%) but showed high percentage in both Central (55%) and Western (58%) basins. The phytoflagellates made important contributions in the three basins; highest percentage (41%) was in the Eastern basin. Phytoflagellate abundance increased from west to east and appeared to have a wide range of adaptability to different nutrient conditions. During July and August high biomass concentration but uneven horizontal distribution was observed. Phytoplankton biomass ranged between 0.8 and 13.2, 0.6 and 6.0, and 1.0 and 4.2 g/m3 in the Western, Central, and Eastern basins, respectively. The highest biomass of 13.2 g/m3 was in the Western basin during April. Inshore–offshore differentiation was observed in the Central and Eastern basins with many peaks in the inshore region. Size analysis of phytoplankton on a few stations showed that the nannoplankton [Formula: see text] comprised a major portion of phytoplankton biomass during spring and fall periods. Based on maximum biomass concentration the Lake Erie Western basin was classified as highly eutrophic, the Eastern basin as mesotrophic, and the Central basin between the mesotrophic and eutrophic conditions.

Mercury in the Surficial Sediments of Lake Erie

1976 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 404-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. L. Thomas ◽  
J.-M. Jaquet
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Total Mercury ◽  
Central Basin ◽  
Surficial Sediments ◽  
Western Basin ◽  
Eastern Basin ◽  
Detroit River ◽  
Mercury Cell ◽  
Mercury Loading

In 259 samples of the topmost 3 cm of sediment taken from Lake Erie in 1971, total mercury values ranged from 8 to 2929 ppb [Formula: see text]. The highest levels were in the Western basin adjacent to the Detroit River, the rest of the lake showing increasing concentration from the coarser sediments of the Inshore Zone and cross-lake moraine sills out into the basin muds. A quartz correction was applied to compensate for texture and dilution by an inert constituent. The distribution of quartz-corrected mercury confirmed that the Detroit River is the predominant source of industrial mercury to the Western basin with subsequent transport across the Central basin to final sink in the Eastern basin. Further possible inputs were indicated from Erie, Pennsylvania and Buffalo, New York. Analysis of suspended sediment in the Detroit River showed no change in concentration between 1970 and 1974 with a mean 1974 level of 1060 ppb. Mercury loading was estimated at 7.2 m.t./yr to the sediments of the Western basin. A relationship was observed between total mercury and organic carbon, showing two distinct regressions: ’A’ with lower organic-bound mercury, is taken to represent the levels related to industrial and natural loadings existing prior to the introduction of mercury cell chlor-alkali plants; ’B’ applicable to highly contaminated sediments, is believed to be indicative of loadings derived from the chlor-alkali industry.

Invasion of Lake Erie Offshore Sediments by Dreissena, and Its Ecological Implications

1993 ◽  
Vol 50 (11) ◽  
pp. 2298-2304 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Dermott ◽  
M. Munawar
Keyword(s):  
Zebra Mussel ◽  
Dreissena Polymorpha ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Quagga Mussel ◽  
Central Basin ◽  
Eastern Basin ◽  
Fine Sediments ◽  
Ecological Implications ◽  
Large Populations ◽  
Hard Substrates

Large populations of the exotic rounded (noncarinate) shelled mussel of the genus Dreissena were found to exist on soft sediments collected throughout the central and eastern basins of Lake Erie during July and August 1992. Two different phenotypes were present on fine sediments (<150 μm) in the eastern basin. An elongated white morph was common on the profundal sediments beyond 40 m depth, while the "quagga" mussel was common on sand and sandy silt at depths between 10 and 30 m. Together with the carinated zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha, which is very abundant on hard substrates in the sublittoral region, at least 80% of Lake Erie's bottom sediments have been invaded by Dreissena. Only that region of the central basin (near Cleveland) which undergoes periodic summer anoxia was not inhabited by this genus.

Surficial Sediments of Lake Erie

1976 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 385-403 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. L. Thomas ◽  
J.-M. Jaquet ◽  
A. L. W. Kemp ◽  
C. F. M. Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Grain Size ◽  
Shallow Water ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Central Basin ◽  
Sediment Accretion ◽  
Western Basin ◽  
Grab Sampling ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Basin Region ◽  
Skewness And Kurtosis

On the basis of extensive echosounding and grab sampling, three major units have been recognized in Lake Erie: till and bedrock, glaciolacustrine clay, and postglacial muds. These units represent the late glacial and postglacial evolution of the basin and occur in an offshore younging sequence. The main basin of the lake is subdivided by residual glacial moraines into four depositional basins: Western, Sandusky, Central, and Eastern basins. The sediment texture has been defined by moment measures (mean, standard deviation, skewness, and kurtosis), the trends of which are related to the mixing of two primary grain-size populations in the sand- and clay-size ranges. A third grain-size mode in the silt size, composed of fine quartz with some carbonate, has been recognized. This mode has a modifying effect on the symmetry of the two primary populations and may, to some extent, be sufficiently abundant to behave as a discrete population. The trends in the textural characteristics, particularly skewness and kurtosis, have been utilized to define energy regimes at the sediment–water interface which indicates three distinct sedimentary or hydraulic regions: 1) Western basin region — Fine-grained sediment accretion in shallow water related to an imbalance in sediment budget, with high input loadings of fine-grained sediment, and deficit in coarse materials, with an excess of input over sediment export to the Central basin region. This results in net sediment accretion in shallow water with texture in disequilibrium with environmental energy, which produces mixing and suspension, followed by redeposition; 2) Central basin region — West to East coarsening of sediment in textural equilibrium with hydraulic energy, as it relates to increasing fetch under westerly and southwesterly prevailing winds; 3) Eastern basin region — Deepwater basin with sediments showing decreasing size offshore with increasing water depth. The deepwater sediment is modified by the influx of substantial quantities of the silt-size material derived from shoreline erosion in the north shore of the Central basin region.The interrelationships of parameters indicate textural dependence on mineralogic composition, particularly important being the relationship of clay concentration to mean grain size. This has particular value in modelling the physical behavior of clay-associated geochemical elements such as phosphorus.

Maturity and Fecundity of Walleyes from the Eastern and Western Basins of Lake Erie

1969 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 1877-1888 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Wolfert
Keyword(s):  
Lake Erie ◽  
The Other ◽  
Western Basin ◽  
Eastern Basin ◽  
Total Length ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
Mean Diameter ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Egg Diameter ◽  
Accurate Indicator

Of 2427 walleyes (Stizostedion vitreum vitreum (Mitchill)) examined from Lake Erie in 1964–66, no females were mature at ages below III and all were mature at age V. All male walleyes from the eastern basin were mature at age II, and those from the western basin at age III. Females from the western basin matured at a shorter length and a younger age than those from the eastern basin. Males from the western basin, on the other hand, matured at a longer length and greater age than those from the eastern basin.Egg production, which was estimated for 60 walleyes from the eastern basin and 78 from the western basin, ranged from 48,000 to 614,000. The number of eggs increased rapidly with increase in total length, but the relation between fecundity and weight was almost linear. Walleyes from the western basin were much more fecund for any given length, weight, or age than those from the eastern basin. Weight was the most accurate indicator of fecundity. The mean diameter of eggs from 32 ripe walleyes was 1.72 mm. Little relation existed between egg diameter and length or age of fish.

Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Chlorophyll a and Pheopigments in Surface Waters of Lake Erie

1974 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 265-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter A. Glooschenko ◽  
James E. Moore ◽  
Richard A. Vollenweider
Keyword(s):  
Chlorophyll A ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
Degradation Products ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Water Bodies ◽  
Zooplankton Abundance ◽  
Central Basin ◽  
Western Basin ◽  
Oligotrophic Water

Chlorophyll a analyses including pheopigments were made on water samples taken on 10 cruises on Lake Erie between April and December, 1970. The highest mean chlorophyll a values of approximately 11 μg/liter occurred in the mid-Western Basin, with a second maximum of 6 μg/liter off Erie, Pennsylvania. The southern shore is also characterized by high values of chlorophyll to the east of Cleveland, Ohio. The lowest yearly means were found in the eastern portion of the Central Basin and most of the Eastern Basin (approximately 3 μg/liter.) Ratios of chlorophyll a between the Eastern, Central, and Western basins have a yearly mean of 1:1.4:2.8, respectively; with maximum differences in the summer, i.e. late August, the ratio was 1:1.5:7.2.Pheopigment concentration in the surface waters reached a maximum in late October corresponding to the fall overturn of the lake and subsequent resuspension of organic matter containing degradation products from the bottom of the lake. No significant correlation was found between zooplankton abundance and pheopigment concentration as in other water bodies studied. This may indicate that zooplankton food chains are primarily detrital in Lake Erie, with grazing of living phytoplankton playing a lesser role compared with more oligotrophic water bodies.

Seasonal Distribution and Abundance of Crustacean Zooplankton in Lake Erie, 1970

1976 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 612-621 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. H. F. Watson
Keyword(s):  
Lake Erie ◽  
Reproductive Potential ◽  
Horizontal Distribution ◽  
Seasonal Abundance ◽  
Crustacean Zooplankton ◽  
Central Basin ◽  
Western Basin ◽  
Algal Abundance ◽  
Peak Abundance ◽  
Life Cycle Patterns

The lakewide horizontal distribution and seasonal abundance of the cyclopoids, cladocerans, and calanoids in Lake Erie from April to December 1970, are presented.Over much of the year cyclopoids dominated by Diacyclops bicuspidatus thomasi were most numerous with offshore centers of abundance. Several species of cladocerans, often with short peaks of occurrence, were most abundant during summer in the Western basin and associated with south shore population centers in the Central basin. Calanoids were frequently much less abundant than either of the two groups but present in the same areas as the cladocerans.Most species present were short-lived with a high reproductive potential. Environmental clues are postulated to control specific abundance making group numbers more constant. Several life-cycle patterns were evident including species with spring–fall maxima and those with a single peak.Timing of peak abundance of certain species and groups varies from west to east in the same fashion as temperature differences giving rise to east–west gradients of abundance which change with season. Cladoceran and calanoid groups show similarities in distribution pattern with estimates of particulate organic material rather than with algal abundance resulting in north–south gradients of abundance.

Establishment of White Perch, Morone americana, in Lake Erie

1977 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 1039-1041 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolf-Dieter N. Busch ◽  
David H. Davies ◽  
Stephen J. Nepszy
Keyword(s):  
Key Words ◽  
Lake Erie ◽  
White Perch ◽  
Central Basin ◽  
Morone Americana ◽  
Western Basin ◽  
Widespread Distribution

White perch, Morone americana, was first reported in Lake Erie in 1953. No further reports of capture were recorded until 1973, when one fish was taken. Three other captures were confirmed in 1974, and 34 in 1975. All but 3 of the 38 specimens were taken in the warm, shallow western basin and the extreme eastern end of the central basin. The widespread distribution and the sizable numbers of specimens collected in 1975 strongly indicate that this nonendemic species has become established in Lake Erie. Key words: white perch, range, Lake Erie

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