Intra- and inter-specific competition and the reproductive success of sympatric Pacific salmon

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 205-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy E Essington ◽  
Thomas P Quinn ◽  
Victor E Ewert

Individual female Pacific salmon fight for breeding space with conspecific and heterospecific females. We evaluated the consequences of this competition on the reproductive success of sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka), chum (Oncorhynchus keta), and pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) in the Weaver Creek spawning channel, British Columbia. We hypothesized that differences in body size, relative abundance, and spawning date would influence the magnitude of interspecific interactions. Reproductive success (survival rate of eggs to emigrating fry) of the most abundant species, sockeye, was strongly and inversely correlated with conspecific abundance but not with the abundance of the other, less abundant species. Chum reproductive success was inversely correlated with sockeye abundance but not with the abundance of the scarce and smaller pink. Surprisingly, pink reproductive success was not correlated with sockeye abundance and only marginally correlated with chum abundance despite the fact that pink are smaller and spawn earlier than sockeye. Thus, intra- and inter-specific competition can substantially affect salmon reproductive success, but the magnitude of the competitive effects may depend on relative abundance, size, spawning date, and microhabitat preferences.

1993 ◽  
Vol 71 (6) ◽  
pp. 1270-1274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terry D. Beacham

Pink (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) and chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) fry have the potential for significant interactions in estuarine and nearshore waters of the Fraser River. Potential competitive effects were investigated by rearing both species for 60 d from fry emergence in monoculture and five duoculture environments (0, 10, 25, 50, 75, 90, and 100% pink salmon, and 100, 90, 75, 50, 25, 10, and 0% chum salmon, respectively), with the total number of fish in each environment constant. As the relative abundance of chum salmon increased, the mean weight of both pink and chum salmon declined, and reduced phenotypic variation in weight was observed. No marked trends in survival were observed in either species, but there was some indication that pink salmon survival was higher at intermediate relative densities of pink and chum salmon. Pink salmon biomass increased from 0.8 to 1.8%/d depending on the environment, and chum salmon biomass increased from 3.2 to 3.8%/d.


2020 ◽  
Vol 77 (6) ◽  
pp. 943-949 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendan Connors ◽  
Michael J. Malick ◽  
Gregory T. Ruggerone ◽  
Pete Rand ◽  
Milo Adkison ◽  
...  

Pacific salmon productivity is influenced by ocean conditions and interspecific interactions, yet their combined effects are poorly understood. Using data from 47 North American sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) populations, we present evidence that the magnitude and direction of climate and competition effects vary over large spatial scales. In the south, a warm ocean and abundant salmon competitors combined to strongly reduce sockeye productivity, whereas in the north, a warm ocean substantially increased productivity and offset the negative effects of competition at sea. From 2005 to 2015, the approximately 82 million adult pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) produced annually from hatcheries were estimated to have reduced the productivity of southern sockeye salmon by ∼15%, on average. In contrast, for sockeye at the northwestern end of their range, the same level of hatchery production was predicted to have reduced the positive effects of a warming ocean by ∼50% (from a ∼10% to a ∼5% increase in productivity, on average). These findings reveal spatially dependent effects of climate and competition on sockeye productivity and highlight the need for international discussions about large-scale hatchery production.


2006 ◽  
Vol 120 (2) ◽  
pp. 199
Author(s):  
Alexandra Morton ◽  
Rob Williams

Recent recurring infestations of Sea Lice, Lepeophtheirus salmonis, on juvenile Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) and subsequent annual declines of these stocks have made it imperative to identify the source of Sea Lice. While several studies now identify farm salmon populations as sources of Sea Louse larvae, it is unclear to what extent wild salmonid hosts also contribute Sea Lice. We measured Sea Louse numbers on adult Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) migrating inshore. We also measured Sea Louse numbers on wild juvenile Pink and Chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) migrating to sea before the adults returned, and as the two age cohorts mingled. Adult Pink Salmon carried an average of 9.89 (SE 0.90) gravid lice per fish, and thus were capable of infecting the adjacent juveniles. Salinity and temperature remained favourable to Sea Louse reproduction throughout the study. However, all accepted measures of Sea Louse infestation failed to show significant increase on the juvenile salmon, either in overall abundance of Sea Lice or of the initial infective-stage juvenile lice, while the adult wild salmon were present in the study area. This study suggests that even during periods of peak interaction, wild adult salmon are not the primary source of the recent and unprecedented infestations of Sea Lice on juvenile Pacific Pink and Chum salmon in the inshore waters of British Columbia.


2010 ◽  
Vol 84 (4) ◽  
pp. 434-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Suzuki ◽  
R. Murata ◽  
K. Sadamasu ◽  
J. Araki

AbstractWe investigated the risk of diphyllobothriasis from ingestion of wild Pacific salmon in Japan by surveying Diphyllobothrium plerocercoids in 182 salmon samples obtained from Japan. The plerocercoids were not detected in chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) (0/26), called Akizake in Japan, caught between September and November. However, the detection rate of plerocercoids in chum salmon, called Tokishirazu in Japan, caught between early April and June, was 51.1% (24/47) with an average of two plerocercoid larvae per fish. The detection rates of cherry salmon (Oncorhynchus masou) and pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) were 12.2% (10/82) and 18.5% (5/27), respectively, and the average number of plerocercoids per fish was 0.45 (37 larvae/82 fishes) and 0.22 larvae (6 larvae/27 fishes), respectively. Plerocercoids isolated from O. keta and O. masou were identified as Diphyllobothrium nihonkaiense on the basis of molecular analysis of the cox1 and nad3 genes. Moreover, four tapeworms (three from O. keta and one from O. masou) were obtained by infecting golden hamsters with plerocercoids. The morphological features of these tapeworms were similar to those of D. nihonkaiense isolated from humans. Therefore, we think that O. keta and not O. masou is the most important source of plerocercoid infections in Japan.


2006 ◽  
Vol 63 (9) ◽  
pp. 2076-2086 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgan D Hocking ◽  
Thomas E Reimchen

Anadromous Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) subsidize terrestrial food webs with their nutrients and carcasses, a process driven largely by selective foraging by bears (Ursus spp.). We quantify wildlife transfer of salmon carcasses to riparian zones on two watersheds in coastal British Columbia and estimate total terrestrial fly production from remnant carcasses. Large-bodied chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) were transferred into the forest at a greater rate than were pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) (chum salmon mass = 6089–11 031 kg, 16%–48% of salmon run; pink salmon mass = 2266–2808 kg, 4%–6% of salmon run). Blow flies (genus Calliphora) and other Diptera dominated colonization (>90% of salmon carcasses). Between the two watersheds, 196 and 265 g of Calliphora larvae per metre of spawning length (4 and 7 million larvae for whole watersheds) were generated from salmon carcass transfer. Stable isotope analysis of δ15N and δ13C of spring-emerging adult Calliphora revealed that >80% of individuals had salmon-based signatures. Flies are a dominant consumer and vector of salmon nutrients in terrestrial habitats and supplement the diet of at least 16 vertebrate and 22 invertebrate species. Anticipated further declines of salmon in the North Pacific can be expected to further erode the complex associations coupling marine and terrestrial ecosystems.


2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1784) ◽  
pp. 20133221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Krkošek ◽  
John M. Drake

Critical slowing down (CSD) reflects the decline in resilience of equilibria near a bifurcation and may reveal early warning signals (EWS) of ecological phase transitions. We studied CSD in the recruitment dynamics of 120 stocks of three Pacific salmon ( Oncorhynchus spp.) species in relation to critical transitions in fishery models. Pink salmon ( Oncorhynchus gorbuscha ) exhibited increased variability and autocorrelation in populations that had a growth parameter, r , close to zero, consistent with EWS of extinction. However, models and data for sockeye salmon ( Oncorhynchus nerka ) indicate that portfolio effects from heterogeneity in age-at-maturity may obscure EWS. Chum salmon ( Oncorhynchus keta ) show intermediate results. The data do not reveal EWS of Ricker-type bifurcations that cause oscillations and chaos at high r . These results not only provide empirical support for CSD in some ecological systems, but also indicate that portfolio effects of age structure may conceal EWS of some critical transitions.


2010 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 144-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Morton ◽  
Rick Routledge ◽  
Amy McConnell ◽  
Martin Krkošek

Abstract Morton, A., Routledge, R., McConnell, A., and Krkošek, M. 2011. Sea lice dispersion and salmon survival in relation to salmon farm activity in the Broughton Archipelago. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 68: 144–156. The risk of salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) transmission to wild juvenile Pacific salmon has spurred management change to reduce lice on salmon farms. We studied the abundance of planktonic lice preceding the juvenile salmon outmigration as well as the abundance of lice on juvenile pink (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) and chum (Oncorhynchus keta) salmon in two distinct migration routes, one containing only fallow farms and the other active farms that applied a parasiticide. Results indicate that fallowing reduces the abundance and flattens the spatial distribution of lice relative to that expected in areas without farms. Active farms remained the primary source of lice, but transmission was reduced 100-fold relative to previous epizootics in the study area. On the migration route containing active farms, ∼50% of the juvenile salmon showed evidence of louse damage to surface tissues and the estimated direct louse-induced mortality was <10%, not including indirect effects of infection on predation risk or competition. The survival of the pink salmon cohort was not statistically different from a reference region without salmon farms. Although repeated use of a single parasiticide can lead to resistance, reducing louse transmission from farmed salmon may help conserve some wild Pacific salmon populations.


2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 521-532 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noel R. Swain ◽  
Morgan D. Hocking ◽  
Jennifer N. Harding ◽  
John D. Reynolds

Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) can subsidize freshwater food webs with marine-derived nutrients from their eggs, juveniles, and carcasses. However, trophic interactions between spawning salmon and freshwater fish across natural gradients in salmon subsidies remain unclear. We tested how salmon affected the diets and condition of two dominant freshwater consumers — prickly and coastrange sculpins (Cottus asper and Cottus aleuticus, respectively) — across a wide gradient of pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) and chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) biomass from 33 streams in the Great Bear Rainforest of British Columbia, Canada. Sculpin diets shifted from invertebrates and juvenile salmonids to salmon eggs when salmon arrived in autumn, with salmon-derived nutrient contributions to diets and sculpin condition increasing with increasing biomass of spawning salmon among streams. Season, habitat, and individual sculpin body size and species also mediated the effects of salmon on sculpin diet as inferred from their carbon and nitrogen stable isotope signatures. This study shows the timing and pathways by which spawning salmon influence the diets and condition of freshwater consumers, and some of the individual and environmental factors that can regulate uptake of salmon nutrients in streams, thus informing ecosystem-based management.


2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
S M Gende ◽  
T P Quinn

We quantified foraging behavior of brown bears (Ursus arctos) feeding on adult chum (Oncorhynchus keta) and pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) at three small coastal streams in southeastern Alaska from streamside tree stands. These observations revealed that social dominance was much more important in determining intake rates among bears than salmon densities. Each small stream supported one large, socially dominant bear that directly displaced other bears in aggressive encounters or was avoided in "passive deferrals". Although the number of fish killed per foraging bout was positively correlated with salmon density, energy intake was determined primarily by foraging effort, as dominant bears visited the stream more often and foraged for longer periods than subdominant bears. Capture efficiency (fish captured per minute searching) was highly variable and increased only marginally with salmon density and among social ranks. Subdominant bears were more vigilant, used a smaller fraction of each stream, and carried salmon much farther into the forest prior to consumption, presumably to minimize interactions with other bears. Social dominance may play an important role in regulating reproductive success when salmon densities are low and may have important implications for managers in bear-viewing areas.


2017 ◽  
Vol 74 (7) ◽  
pp. 1077-1087 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allan J. Debertin ◽  
James R. Irvine ◽  
Carrie A. Holt ◽  
Gladys Oka ◽  
Marc Trudel

Thirty-nine years of scale growth measurements from Big Qualicum River chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) in southern British Columbia demonstrated that competition and climate variation affect marine growth and age-at-maturity. A longitudinal study design that accounted for correlation among individuals revealed growth at all ages was reduced when the biomass of North American chum, sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka), and pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) was high. When North Pacific Gyre Oscillation (NPGO) was positive, indicating increased primary productivity, predicted growth increased. Climate variation influenced competition effects. For instance, density-dependent competition effects increased when NPGO became more positive and Pacific Decadal Oscillation became more negative (indicating cool conditions), causing the greatest range in predicted scale size. Chum salmon are likely to exhibit continued reduction in growth at age due to increased ocean temperatures driven by climate change and high aggregate salmon biomass that includes hatchery releases. If evidence of biomass and climate effects presented here are common among Pacific salmon populations, reduction of hatchery releases should be considered.


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