Anadromy in Arctic populations of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush): otolith microchemistry, stable isotopes, and comparisons with Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus)

2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (5) ◽  
pp. 842-853 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi K. Swanson ◽  
Karen A. Kidd ◽  
John A. Babaluk ◽  
Rick J. Wastle ◽  
Panseok P. Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lake Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Salt Water ◽  
Salvelinus Namaycush ◽  
Otolith Microchemistry ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
Arctic Lakes ◽  
Size Dependent ◽  
The Family

In the family Salmonidae, lake trout ( Salvelinus namaycush ) are considered the least tolerant of salt water. There are, however, sporadic reports of lake trout in coastal, brackish habitats in the Canadian Arctic. Otolith microchemistry analyses conducted on lake trout and Arctic char ( Salvelinus alpinus ) from four Arctic lakes in the West Kitikmeot region of Nunavut, Canada, revealed that 37 of 135 (27%) lake trout made annual marine migrations. Anadromous lake trout were in significantly better condition (K = 1.17) and had significantly higher C:N ratios (3.71) than resident lake trout (K = 1.05 and C:N = 3.34). Anadromous lake trout also had significantly higher δ15N (mean = 16.4‰), δ13C (mean = –22.3‰), and δ34S (mean = 13.43‰) isotope ratios than resident lake trout (means = 12.84‰, –26.21‰, and 1.93‰ for δ15N, δ13C, and δ34S, respectively); results were similar for Arctic char and agree with results from previous studies. Mean age of first migration for lake trout was 13 years, which was significantly older than that for Arctic char (5 years). This could be a reflection of size-dependent salinity tolerance in lake trout, but further research is required. These are the first detailed scientific data documenting anadromy in lake trout.

Quantifying importance of marine prey in the diets of two partially anadromous fishes

2011 ◽  
Vol 68 (11) ◽  
pp. 2020-2028 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi K. Swanson ◽  
Karen A. Kidd ◽  
James D. Reist
Keyword(s):  
Lake Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Salvelinus Namaycush ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
Food Sources ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Anthropogenic Stressors ◽  
Trout Population ◽  
Marine Food ◽  
Pelagic Prey

The importance of marine prey sources for partially anadromous fishes has received little study and is complicated by considerable plasticity in life history. We determined proportional contributions of marine, freshwater benthic, and freshwater pelagic prey to anadromous and resident Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) and lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) from several partially anadromous populations in the Canadian Arctic. Bayesian mixing models (MixSIR) applied to δ34S and δ13C ratios in lake-specific models indicated that marine prey accounted for 90%–91% of anadromous Arctic char diet and 60%–66% of anadromous lake trout diet. When these estimates were combined with proportion of anadromous individuals in partially anadromous populations, marine food sources accounted for 31%–44% of Arctic char population productivity and 16%–26% of lake trout population productivity. Although future research is needed to refine and quantify variability around these estimates, our results will allow better predictions of the effects of anthropogenic stressors on partially anadromous fishes.

Natural Hybridization between Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus) and Lake Trout (S. namaycush) in the Canadian Arctic

1993 ◽  
Vol 50 (12) ◽  
pp. 2652-2658 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris C. Wilson ◽  
Paul D.N. Hebert
Keyword(s):  
Lake Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Canadian Arctic ◽  
Restriction Endonuclease Analysis ◽  
Salvelinus Namaycush ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
Natural Hybridization ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Allozyme Loci ◽  
Endonuclease Analysis

Natural interspecific hybrids between lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and Arctic char (S. alpinus) ranged in frequency from 1.8 to 6.8% in four of eleven lakes containing both species on the northern Melville Peninsula, N.W.T., and were also detected at several other sites across the Canadian Arctic. Hybrids were heterozygous for each of seven diagnostic allozyme loci between S. alpinus and S. namaycush, and were morphologically intermediate between the parental species. Restriction endonuclease analysis of mitochondrial DNA revealed that all but one of the hybrids had S. namaycush as their maternal parent. Resampling of two lakes where hybrids were detected revealed low levels of bidirectional nuclear introgression between the two species and limited transfer of S. namaycush mtDNA into S. alpinus.

Long-term Experiments on the Stability of Two Fish Populations in Previously Unexploited Arctic Lakes

1994 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 209-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lionel Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Energy Flow ◽  
Environmental Variability ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Stable State ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
Arctic Lakes ◽  
System Stability ◽  
Fish Populations ◽  
Ecosystem Structure ◽  
Energy Flows

Previous research indicated that fish populations in arctic lakes maintain a constant size distribution and abundance in the face of the environmental variability experienced over their recent history. Such stability was tested over 15 seasons in Little Nauyuk and Gavia lakes (Northwest Territories) which contained previously undisturbed populations of Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus). Initially, the length–frequency distribution of Arctic char in Little Nauyuk Lake was bell shaped, and in Gavia Lake, it could be described by a negative logarithmic expression. Initial sampling of Gavia Lake removed the largest fish, allowing a well-defined mode to develop (cf. Little Nauyuk Lake). In both lakes the modal value remained constant throughout the exploitation phase. When fishing ceased the populations returned to their original state without evident oscillation. The stable state of the dominant population is considered to be one of "least dissipation". It is hypothesized that ecosystem structure depends on countervailing forces, one tending to decelerate energy flow through the ecosystem and the second tending to accelerate it. For ecosystems to exist, the tendency to decelerate energy flow must dominate system behaviour over ecological time. An ecosystem is regarded as a hemeorhetic system, stability seeking through the stabilization of energy flows.

Bomb radiocarbon chronologies in the Arctic, with implications for the age validation of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and other Arctic species

2008 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 733-743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven E Campana ◽  
John M Casselman ◽  
Cynthia M Jones
Keyword(s):  
Lake Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Namaycush ◽  
Abrupt Onset ◽  
Arctic Lakes ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Oceanic Circulation ◽  
Age Validation ◽  
Interpretation Criteria ◽  
Bomb Radiocarbon ◽  
Radiocarbon Chronology

Radiocarbon generated by atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons (bomb radiocarbon) produced a strong signal with an abrupt onset in the 1950s, which serves as a dated marker for tracing oceanic circulation and confirming age in animals forming growth bands. Here, we report the first prebomb and postbomb radiocarbon chronologies for marine and freshwater environments in the Canadian Arctic, extend the radiocarbon chronology for the northwest Atlantic Ocean, and use the onset of the bomb signal to validate our age interpretations of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in Arctic lakes. Both surface and deepwater Arctic chronologies became detectable on or around 1958, similar to the year of onset elsewhere in the world. In contrast, the freshwater Arctic chronology increased sharply in 1957, with a peak value sixfold higher than the adjacent marine environment. The radiocarbon content of the adult otolith core validated our age interpretation criteria for Arctic lake trout to an age of at least 50 years. Otolith growth in such slow-growing fish was so low as to be unresolvable under conventional examination with a dissecting microscope. With these new radiocarbon reference chronologies, age validation of a large number of Arctic organisms should now be possible.

Mitochondrial DNA and Conservation of an Aboriginal Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus oquassa) from Floods Pond, Maine

1994 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irv Kornfield ◽  
Frederick W. Kircheis
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
New England ◽  
Lake Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Restriction Endonuclease Analysis ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Fish Samples ◽  
Endemic Population ◽  
Distinct Lineage

Periods of low water in Floods Pond, Maine, USA, during spawning seasons for an endemic population of landlocked Arctic char, Salvelinus alpinus oquassa, have contributed to several year-class failures. To determine the genetic uniqueness of these fish, samples of Arctic char from five isolated lakes in New England and eastern Canada were examined by restriction endonuclease analysis of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and compared with samples of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and Arctic char from Scandinavia. Results suggest that (1) Arctic char of eastern North America should all be considered members of Salvelinus alpinus oquassa, (2) char from Floods Pond possess a unique mtDNA banding pattern for one restriction enzyme not observed in fish from any other sampled locality (this difference delineates a distinct lineage of Arctic char whose preservation is warranted on genetic grounds), and (3) unique banding patterns did not characterize any other studied char population, including geographic variants (these populations may be viewed as genetically homogeneous, and none warrant individual protection based upon our genetic characterizations). We contend that genetically identified lineages in the early stages of divergence warrant preservation.

Limnological and Biological Observations in the Region of the Ungava or Chubb Crater, Province of Quebec

1955 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 487-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. V. Martin
Keyword(s):  
Deep Water ◽  
Vascular Plants ◽  
Crater Lake ◽  
Lake Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Fork Length ◽  
Salvelinus Namaycush ◽  
Surface Oxygen ◽  
Secchi Disc ◽  
Total Solids

Ungava Crater Lake, at 73° 41′ W.L. and 61° 17′ N.L., lies in a meteoritic crater of the northern Quebec tundra. The lake is nearly circular, 1.7 miles in diameter, with steep walls and a maximum known depth of 825 feet. Secchi disc transparency was 35 metres. Summer surface temperatures were 3–4 °C., of the deep water a little less. Surface oxygen was abundant, pH was 6.5–6.6. Total solids in the water were less than 20 parts per million, and hardness was only 1.7 p.p.m. Three kinds of mammals and 14 of birds were found in the crater region. Arctic char, Salvelinus alpinus, were the only fish taken in the crater lake. Specimens up to 21.8 inches fork length and 18 years old were taken; they fed on insects and other char. Char in other nearby waters grew somewhat faster but ate the same foods; mature females as small as 4.0 inches were seen. Lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush, in a lake near the crater reached 33.5 inches and 15.8 pounds. Growth was very slow, the greatest age determined being 21 years, at 13 pounds. Twenty-nine species of vascular plants were collected close to the crater.

scholarly journals Temporal trends, lake-to-lake variation, and climate effects on Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) mercury concentrations from six High Arctic lakes in Nunavut, Canada

2019 ◽  
Vol 678 ◽  
pp. 801-812 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karista E. Hudelson ◽  
Derek C.G. Muir ◽  
Paul E. Drevnick ◽  
Günter Köck ◽  
Deborah Iqaluk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
Arctic Lakes ◽  
Climate Effects ◽  
Lake Variation

scholarly journals Evidence for the linkage of survival of anadromous Arctic char and brown trout during winter to marine growth during the previous summer

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (5) ◽  
pp. 663-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arne Johan Jensen ◽  
Bengt Finstad ◽  
Peder Fiske
Keyword(s):  
Brown Trout ◽  
Critical Period ◽  
Salmo Trutta ◽  
Critical Size ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Salt Water ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
Brown Trout Salmo Trutta ◽  
First Time ◽  
Previous Summer

Data from a 25-year study of anadromous Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) and brown trout (Salmo trutta) in the River Halselva provided evidence that survival during winter was linked to marine growth during the previous summer. The study supported the “critical size and critical period” hypothesis, which postulates that regulation of the abundance of adult salmonids occurs in two major phases. The first phase is marine mortality that occurs shortly after smolts enter salt water, and the second is during the following winter, when individuals that have not attained a critical size are unable to meet minimum metabolic requirements and die. In the present study, growth during summer appeared to be more important to winter survival than body size. Size-selective mortality occurred both at sea during summer and in fresh water during winter and was more evident for first-time migrants than repeat migrants.

Native Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) Stocks in the Canadian Waters of Lake Superior Prior to 1955

1981 ◽  
Vol 38 (12) ◽  
pp. 1724-1737 ◽  
Author(s):  
John L. Goodier
Keyword(s):  
Body Shape ◽  
Lake Trout ◽  
Lake Superior ◽  
Petromyzon Marinus ◽  
Salvelinus Namaycush ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
Stock Identification ◽  
Behavioral Differences ◽  
Anatomical Features ◽  
Form Of Government

The decline of Lake Superior lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) stocks after the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) population explosion of the 1950s was both dramatic and decisive. Few native stocks remain to permit scientific data collection. However, interviews with old-time commercial fishermen suggest that there had existed many discrete or semi-discrete stocks within the lake. Historical documents in the form of government correspondence and reports, explorers' accounts, and Hudson's Bay Fur Co. records yield further evidence.Possible stocks are distinguished on the basis of anatomical features (including weight, body shape, and coloration) and behavioral differences (including seasonal movements and spawning habits). The relevance of these criteria for stock identification is discussed.Fishermen distinguished four general categories of S. namaycush: leans, fats or siscowets, half-breeds, and humpers or paperbellies. In addition, different "breeds" or forms of lean trout were commonly recognized. Often a form was known by a name referring to its most distinctive feature: blacks, redfins, yellowfins, grays, salmon-trout, red trout, moss trout, sand trout, and racers. These varieties are discussed and local spawning habits, grounds, and movements are summarized with maps, tables, and text. At least 200 former spawning grounds are identified, including 20 rivers which were once characterized by September runs of lake trout. Spawning locations for the deep-water, nonlean trout variants (paperbellies, half-breeds, and siscowets) are less easily discovered. Approximately 35 fishing grounds are noted, with spawning reported at 4 of these. Consideration is given to the possible existence of phenotypically distinct stocks of siscowet.Key words: lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush; stocks, anatomical features, behavioral differences

The transmission, life span, and population biology of Cystidicola cristivomeri White, 1941 (Nematoda: Habronematoidea) in char, Salvelinus spp.

1981 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 498-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoff A. Black ◽  
Murray W. Lankester
Keyword(s):  
Population Biology ◽  
Lake Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Namaycush ◽  
Mature Female ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
Mysis Relicta ◽  
Northwestern Ontario ◽  
Third Stage ◽  
Paratenic Hosts ◽  
Fish Hosts

The population biology of Cystidicola cristivomeri White, 1941 was investigated in lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush, in three lakes in northwestern Ontario and in arctic char, S. alpinus, in Gaviafaeces Lake, Northwest Territories. Young lake trout fed selectively on large Mysis relicta, which were more frequently infected with C. cristivomeri (up to 5.1%) than small mysids. Pontoporeia affinis was not a suitable intermediate host in nature and there was no evidence that fish paratenic hosts were important in transmitting this nematode to lake trout.Most C. cristivomeri appear to live at least 10 years in naturally infected lake trout and arctic char. In these fishes the size of C. cristivomeri infrapopulations is determined by several factors. The feeding preferences of fish hosts and the availability of forage in individual lakes determine the extent and duration of feeding on M. relicta. Each naturally infected mysid contains only one third-stage C. cristivomeri larva. In the swim bladder of infected fishes, the proportion of female C. cristivomeri reaching sexual maturity and the length of females is inversely related to the total number of worms present. The length of mature female worms, in turn, is positively correlated with the rate at which they produce eggs. As a result, the egg output of C. cristivomeri at the infrapopulation level is density dependent.

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