Effect of stream acidification and inorganic aluminum on mortality of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in the Catskill Mountains, New York

1997 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 603-615 ◽  
Author(s):  
B P Baldigo ◽  
P S Murdoch
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽  
Brook Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Fontinalis ◽  
Chemical Constituents ◽  
Chloride Concentration ◽  
Fish Mortality ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Specific Chemical

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.

Effects of trophic status and wetland morphology, hydroperiod, and water chemistry on mercury concentrations in fish

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 171-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel W Snodgrass ◽  
Charles H Jagoe ◽  
A Lawrence Bryan, Jr. ◽  
Heather A Brant ◽  
J Burger
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽  
Water Chemistry ◽  
Maximum Depth ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Depression Wetlands ◽  
Negative Effect

We sampled fish and selected water chemistry variables (dissolved organic carbon, sulfate, and pH) in nine southeastern depression wetlands to determine relationships among wetland morphology (surface area and maximum depth), hydrology, water chemistry, and bioaccumulation of mercury (Hg) in fishes. We concentrated on three fish species representing the range of trophic levels occupied by fish in southeastern depression wetlands. Whole-body Hg concentrations were lowest in lake chubsucker (Erimyzon sucetta), a benthic detritivore, and highest in redfin pickerel (Esox americanus americanus), a top carnivore. However, variation in Hg concentrations among wetlands was greater than variation among species. Regression analyses indicated that maximum depth and hydroperiod accounted for significant portions of variation among wetlands in standardized lake chubsucker and redfin pickerel Hg concentrations. Maximum depth and dissolved organic carbon had a negative effect on standardized Hg concentrations in mud sunfish (Acantharchus pomotis). Path analysis confirmed the results of regression analyses, with maximum depth and hydroperiod having relatively large direct negative effects on Hg concentrations. Our results suggest that leaching of Hg from sediments during the drying and reflooding cycle and binding of Hg species by dissolved organic carbon in the water column are primary factors controlling the bioavailability of Hg in southeastern depression wetlands.

Performance of Indigenous, Exotic, and Hybrid Strains of Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in Waters of the Adirondack Mountains, New York

1981 ◽  
Vol 38 (12) ◽  
pp. 1701-1707 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dwight A. Webster ◽  
William A. Flick
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Brook Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Fontinalis ◽  
Hybrid Vigor ◽  
Superior Performance ◽  
Adirondack Mountains ◽  
Wild Strains ◽  
Early Fall ◽  
Survival And Growth ◽  
Wild Trout

Eleven year-classes of wild, domestic, and wild × domestic hybrid strains of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) were stocked in a 0.19-ha Adirondack pond. Comparative survival and growth were assessed upon drainage in early fall. Rearing native wild strains to maturity in a hatchery, or domestic strains in a natural environment, did not consistently or materially affect survival of progeny, suggesting that superior performance of wild strains was largely inherent. Interstrain hybrids of wild × domestic showed survivals equivalent to the wild parents, but hybrids of two Canadian strains gave evidence of heterosis in both survival and net yield. Supplementary observations in other waters also indicated that one strain (Assinica) may be less adaptable to Adirondack conditions than the other (Temiscamie).Key words: brook trout, wild trout, domesticated trout, interstrain hybrid trout, survival, growth, heterosis, hybrid vigor

Export mechanisms for dissolved organic carbon and nitrate during summer storm events in a glaciated forested catchment in New York, USA

2004 ◽  
Vol 18 (14) ◽  
pp. 2651-2661 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shreeram P. Inamdar ◽  
Sheila F. Christopher ◽  
Myron J. Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽  
Storm Events ◽  
Forested Catchment ◽  
Summer Storm

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
Keyword(s):  
Brook Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Fontinalis ◽  
Fish Mortality ◽  
Variable Model ◽  
Poor Water Quality ◽  
Rhinichthys Atratulus ◽  
Blacknose Dace ◽  
In Situ Bioassays ◽  
Precipitation Events

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.

Production of Wild, Domestic, and Interstrain Hybrids of Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in Natural Ponds

1976 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 1525-1539 ◽  
Author(s):  
William A. Flick ◽  
Dwight A. Webster
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Economic Evaluation ◽  
Life Span ◽  
Brook Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Fontinalis ◽  
James Bay ◽  
Natural Lakes ◽  
Wild Strains ◽  
Survival And Growth ◽  
Adirondack Mountain

Hatchery-reared wild and domestic strains of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) were released in natural lakes, and survival and growth estimated at semiannual intervals throughout the life span. Angling was restricted. Four experiments with two year-classes involved three different Adirondack Mountain (New York) wild strains and two domestic strains, a fifth experiment included two wild strains from James Bay, Quebec and a hybrid between one of these (Assinica Lake) and a New York domestic strain. Wild and hybrid strains consistently exhibited greater longevity (5–7 yr) compared with domestic (few recovered after 3 yr). Climax sizes were not much different, except the Domestic × Assinica hybrid that was substantially larger than either of the two parents. Gross production and yield to angling of any given strain cohort was correlated (r = 0.93) and life-span gross production was 50% greater for wild and hybrid groups per unit fish stocked. Biomass stocked per recruit was much larger for domestic strains, and taking this into account, the ratio of gross production to weight stocked was about 6 times greater. Increased costs of rearing nondomesticated strains, if any, must be taken into consideration in an economic evaluation, but use of wild and/or hybrid strains of trout offers significant benefits under management conditions of these experiments.

Partitioning Light Attenuation in an Acidic Lake

1985 ◽  
Vol 42 (11) ◽  
pp. 1707-1711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven W. Effler ◽  
Gary C. Schafran ◽  
Charles T. Driscoll
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Stability ◽  
New York ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Dissolved Organic Carbon ◽  
Light Absorption ◽  
Light Attenuation ◽  
Systematic Evaluation ◽  
Acidic Lake ◽  
Hypolimnetic Heating ◽  
Thermal Stability Of

Although a number of researchers have reported that acidification of lakes is accompanied by an increase in transparency, there has been no systematic evaluation of the processes responsible for this transformation. In this study we partitioned the attenuation of light in acidic Dart's Lake, located in the Adirondack region of New York from May to September 1982. We observed that changes in light attenuation (Kd) and light absorption (a) were regulated largely by "gelbstoff." Substantial decreases in Kd and a occurred through the study period and were correlated with a depletion in the concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). In-lake concentrations of DOC were controlled by terrigeneous loading and in-lake processes. The decrease in DOC and the attendant decreases in a and Kd were coupled to a loss of Al from the water column of the lake. We suggest that coagulation/adsorption of DOC by Al may have contributed to increases in lake clarity. Increased transparency is significant because it enhances hypolimnetic heating and decreases the thermal stability of lakes.

Response of Limnetic Insect Populations of Two Acidic, Fishless Lakes to Liming and Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)

1989 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 342-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard A. Evans
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Brook Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Fontinalis ◽  
Rapid Reduction ◽  
Density Estimates ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Fishless Lakes ◽  
Lower Sign ◽  
Insect Populations ◽  
Seasonal Population

Seasonal population density estimates of limnetic insects in two Adirondack (New York) lakes were obtained from horizontal and vertical net tows and benthic sweep net samples over a 3-yr period; 1 yr while the lakes were acidic and fishless, and 2 yr following addition of (calcium carbonate) CaCO3 and the introduction of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis). Before treatment, the limnetic insect assemblages in the study lakes resembled those reported from acidic and/or fishless lakes in Sweden and Canada. Maximum densities of dominant taxa were: Notonectidae; 1.5∙m−3; Corixidae; 1.1∙m−3, Graphoderus (Dytiscidae) larvae; 0.27∙m−3; and Chaoborus americanus; 400∙m−3. Within 3 mo after treatment, all limnetic populations were near or below the detection limit (0.01∙m−3). Limnetic densities of notonectids, corixids, and C. americanus were significantly lower (Mann–Whitney U-tests), and benthic densities of Hemiptera and Coleoptera tended to be lower (sign tests) the summer after treatment than the previous summer. Calculated trout predation levels on Hemiptera and C. americanus, and evidence from the literature, strongly suggest that predation was the major cause of reduced limnetic insect populations. The rapid reduction or elimination of these populations indicates considerable instability of the predator–prey relationships of acidic lakes which have been recently limed and stocked with fish.

Effects of Neutralization and Addition of Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) on the Limnetic Zooplankton Communities of Two Acidic

1989 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 295-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
William R. Schaffner
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Brook Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Fontinalis ◽  
Cyclopoid Copepod ◽  
Population Responses ◽  
Woods Lake ◽  
Daphnia Catawba ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Zooplankton Communities ◽  
Positive Effect

The zooplankton communities in two acidified lakes in the Adirondack region of New York changed considerably following liming and the reintroduction of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis). Most rotifer taxa were greatly reduced in numbers within a week following base addition. Keratella taurocephala declined by orders of magnitude in both lakes. Rotifer species that replaced K. taurocephala were far less abundant. The crustacean communities were also affected by liming. Diaptomus minutus, the dominant in both lakes, declined following base addition. Longer-term population responses appeared to be related to the dynamics of the individual populations, and changes in predation pressure. Four additional crustacean species became prominent in the lakes after liming: the caldocerans Bosmina longirostris and Daphnia catawba in Cranberry Pond, and D. catawba and the cyclopoid copepod Cyclops scutifer in Woods Lake. Over the longer-term liming and the introduction of brook trout tended to have an overall positive effect on the zooplankton communities in the two lakes.

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