In situ Bioassays of Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and Blacknose Dace (Rhinichthys atratulus) in Adirondack Streams Affected by Episodic Acidification

1993 ◽  
Vol 50 (5) ◽  
pp. 902-912 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard A. Simonin ◽  
Walter A. Kretser ◽  
Dale W. Bath ◽  
Mark Olson ◽  
James Gallagher

In situ bioassays were conducted using native Adirondack brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and blacknose dace (Rhinichthys atratulus) in four headwater streams. Conductivity, pH, temperature, and stage height were monitored continuously, and water samples for laboratory analysis were collected during hydrologic episodes. Fish survived well during baseflow conditions, but during periods of spring snowmelt or large precipitation events, survival was poor. Blacknose dace were more sensitive than brook trout, and mortality was best correlated with the log of median inorganic monomeric aluminum (Alim) concentration. Brook trout mortality was best correlated with a two-variable model that included dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and a concentration–duration variable (median Alim during the episode times the duration of the episode). Brook trout mortality was inversely correlated with DOC. Bioassay fish that had been in the streams 15–24 d survived episodes better than fish that had either not become acclimatized or recovered from handling. Duration of exposure to acidic episodes was critical. Extended periods of poor water quality resulted in fish mortality and may be more important to native populations than short acidic episodes.

1971 ◽  
Vol 49 (12) ◽  
pp. 1030-1037 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Kobayashi ◽  
M. A. Ali

A technique for recording electroretinograms from the unpunctured eyes in situ of living, anesthetized fish is described. This technique permits the use of the same fish in a number of experiments over a period of weeks, months, or years. Using this technique the spectral sensitivity of dark-adapted (scotopic) and light-adapted (photopic) fish was measured at 13 bands of the visible spectrum. The scotopic curves of albino and pigmented trout thus obtained in the winter have their maxima around 525 nm which differ from that of the absorption spectrum of the scotopic pigment in situ and in vitro of older fish obtained in the summer. The photopic curve of the pigmented fish is a broad one with humps around 425 nm, 545 nm, and 595 nm. The albino's curve has a relatively narrow band with a peak around 630 nm and a shoulder at about 550 nm. The difference between the shapes of the two curves may be ascribed to the increase in the intensity of light of longer wavelengths within the eyeball of the albino, due to reflection from blood vessels and sclera caused by the absence of pigmentation.


1990 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 1641-1648 ◽  
Author(s):  
C G. Ingersoll ◽  
D. D. Gulley ◽  
D. R. Mount ◽  
M. E. Mueller ◽  
J. D. Fernandez ◽  
...  

Two strains of 1 yr-old brook trout were exposed to 14 combinations of pH, aluminum, and calcium during a 28-d experiment. Survival, weight, and gill histology of both strains were affected similarly by pH, aluminum, and calcium exposure. Survival was reduced at inorganic monomeric aluminum concentrations (IA1) of 29 μg/L at pH 5.2 and [Formula: see text] at pH 4.4 and 4.8. Fish weight was reduced with exposure to pH below 4.8 or aluminum concentrations [Formula: see text]. The gills sampled from fish exposed to low pH exhibited lifting of the outer epithelium and hypertrophy (increase in size) of chloride and epithelial cells. The response of gills sampled from fish exposed to low pH and elevated aluminum was more pronounced relative to the low pH exposure alone. In addition to the effects observed in the low pH exposed fish, the gills from fish exposed to both acid and aluminum exhibited vacuolation and degeneration of epithelial and chloride cells and the presence of dense cells. Finally, fish confined in PVC tubes designed to mimic in situ field exposure procedures were more sensitive to the toxic effects of acid and aluminum compared to free-swimming fish. Caution must be taken when extrapolating safe field levels from in situ exposures of caged fish.


2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (8) ◽  
pp. 1562-1573 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Lachance ◽  
Pierre Bérubé ◽  
Michel Lemieux

Tolerance to naturally acidic conditions of a Côte-Nord brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) strain (Arseneault strain, presumed acid tolerant) does not appear completely genetically mediated, since this tolerance was not evident when the fish were subject to acid conditions of anthropogenic origin. Three wild brook trout strains, at the egg and fingerling stages, were exposed in the field to waters acidified by atmospheric deposition of anthropogenic origin as well as to natural waters typical of the region. Although egg mortality was significantly higher in acid (61.0-85.6%) than in reference (6.3-20.8%) conditions, no differences between strains were noted. Residual density 1 year after stocking with fingerlings was significantly higher (by 56%) in the reference lake than in the acid lake, but differences between strains did not follow any clear tendency. While overall growth was greater in the acid environment, weight yield was lower except for the Arseneault strain. Variations pertaining to gonadosomatic index and percent mature individuals in both males and females seemed linked more to differences in growth than to chemical conditions. Developing a permanent reintroduction program with the Arseneault strain to counter losses of brook trout populations due to acid precipitation in Québec does not appear justified at this time.


2012 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 587-599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Franssen ◽  
Catherine Blais ◽  
Michel Lapointe ◽  
Francis Bérubé ◽  
Normand Bergeron ◽  
...  

We investigated the distinct physical controls causing entombment and asphyxiation, the key mechanisms influencing salmonid egg-to-emergence (EtE) survival. Entombment occurs when sediment blocks the interstitial pathways (macropores) that larvae use to emerge from the streambed, while asphyxiation is related to low oxygen flux, which is a function of interstitial flow velocity. EtE survival has been related to substrate composition and flow velocity. However, in streambed sediments these variables are correlated, and few studies have examined the sensitivity of EtE survival to changes in velocity and oxygen flux at fixed substrate composition. EtE survival has not yet been directly related to the size and density of macropores. We incubated brook trout ( Salvelinus fontinalis ) embryos in artificial redds with different sediment compositions and hydraulic gradients to examine independently the effects of substrate composition, macropore geometry, and flow velocity on EtE survival, emergence timing, and fry condition. In situ measurements of macropore size were obtained using a computed tomography scanner. Despite high oxygen concentrations, we observed that entombment or blockage effects caused high embryo mortality in fines-rich substrates with few large macropores, and triggered early emergence of rare survivors. These outcomes could not be mitigated by increased flow velocity and oxygen flux to the egg pocket.


1997 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 603-615 ◽  
Author(s):  
B P Baldigo ◽  
P S Murdoch

Juvenile brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) were exposed in cages to fluctuating chemical conditions in four Catskill Mountain streams during the spring and fall of 1989 and the spring of 1990. Specific chemical constituents and characteristics of acidic episodes that correlated with increased fish mortality were identified. Mortality increased during acidic episodes in one poorly buffered stream when inorganic monomeric aluminum (Alim) concentrations increased; mortality was low in three other streams during acidic episodes of shorter duration and smaller magnitude than measured in the poorly buffered stream. Variation in mortality was attributed primarily to differences in concentrations of both Alim and dissolved organic carbon. Linear and logistic regression analyses indicate that either mean or median Alim concentrations could account for 73-99% of the variability in mortality. Regression analyses suggest that mortality was highly related (in order of importance) to Alim, pH, dissolved organic carbon, calcium, and chloride concentration. Brook trout mortality was also highly related to durations of exposure above 0.225 and 0.250 mg/L Alim during test periods. Characteristics of acidic-Alim episodes that are critical to mortality of caged brook trout appear to be (i) Alim concentrations of at least 0.225 ± 0.025 mg/L and (ii) exposure to these toxic Alim concentrations for at least 2 days.


Parasitology ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 495-501 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Brassard ◽  
M. E. Rau ◽  
M. A. Curtis

Guppies (Lebistes reticulatis) exposed to doses as low as 25 cercariae of Diplostomum spathaceum for 30 min were consistently and significantly more susceptible to predation by brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) than uninfected controls. The increase in susceptibility to predation was correlated with a marked decrease in the activity of infected fish.


2016 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elsa Goerig ◽  
Theodore Castro-Santos ◽  
Normand Émile Bergeron

Culverts can restrict access to habitat for stream-dwelling fishes. We used passive integrated transponder telemetry to quantify passage performance of >1000 wild brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) attempting to pass 13 culverts in Quebec under a range of hydraulic and environmental conditions. Several variables influenced passage success, including complex interactions between physiology and behavior, hydraulics, and structural characteristics. The probability of successful passage was greater through corrugated metal culverts than through smooth ones, particularly among smaller fish. Trout were also more likely to pass at warmer temperatures, but this effect diminished above 15 °C. Passage was impeded at higher flows, through culverts with steep slopes, and those with deep downstream pools. This study provides insight on factors influencing brook trout capacity to pass culverts as well as a model to estimate passage success under various conditions, with an improved resolution and accuracy over existing approaches. It also presents methods that could be used to investigate passage success of other species, with implications for connectivity of the riverscape.


1972 ◽  
Vol 29 (11) ◽  
pp. 1615-1624 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Bryan ◽  
P. A. Larkin

Analyses of stomach contents showed that the kinds of prey eaten by brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), cutthroat trout (Salmo clarki), and rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) were seldom distributed at random among the individuals. Repeated observation of food eaten by individuals in a stream and ponds showed that prey types were eaten in proportions which were characteristic for an individual.Specialization occurred on several different kinds of prey. Although the degree of specialization was higher during shorter intervals, the data suggested that some specialization persisted for half a year. There were no striking correlations between degree of specialization and other individual properties such as size, growth rate, weight of food, number of food items, previous specialization, or area of recapture.In addition to the observations on trout in relatively undisturbed habitats, a field experiment was conducted using laboratory-reared rainbow trout held in small ponds. The food of each trout in the experiment was sampled repeatedly. In analysis of variance, interaction among the individuals and kinds of prey eaten showed that food specialization occurred. Both the absolute and relative abundance of potential prey were constant during the experiment.


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