Temperature preferences of three sympatric sticklebacks (Gasterosteidae)

We determined the temperature preferences of three sympatric species of sticklebacks in the laboratory to see if differences in preferences could explain variation in times of reproductive migration to and from salt marsh tide pools along the southern shore of the St. Lawrence estuary, Quebec. The preferred temperatures were 9–12 °C for Gasterosteus aculeatus (form trachurus) and 11–14 °C for G. wheatlandi, while Pungitius pungitius showed a bimodal preference of 9–10 °C and 15–16 °C. In the field, G. aculeatus and G. wheatlandi left the tide pools earlier in the season than P. pungitius. Our results suggest that temperature preference may play a role in habitat partitioning among these species, hence facilitating their coexistence at high densities in the pools.

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Evidence for differential predation on an estuarine stickleback community

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z81-321 ◽

1981 ◽

Vol 59 (12) ◽

pp. 2394-2395 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Gérard J. FitzGerald ◽

Jean-Denis Dutil

Keyword(s):

Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽

Pungitius Pungitius ◽

Lawrence Estuary ◽

Nycticorax Nycticorax ◽

Nest Sites ◽

Differential Predation ◽

Apeltes Quadracus ◽

Breeding Grounds ◽

Night Heron ◽

St Lawrence Estuary

The diet of the black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) feeding in June and July along the southern shore of the St. Lawrence Estuary was composed primarily of the threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus. Three other sticklebacks, G. wheatlandi, Pungitius pungitius, and Apeltes quadracus occur in areas where the birds feed but were not eaten. It is suggested that differential predation on G. aculeatus may diminish interspecific competition for nest sites where the four stickleback species co-occur on the breeding grounds.

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Salinity tolerances and preferences of fry of two species of sympatric sticklebacks: possible mechanisms of habitat segregation

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z84-150 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 62 (6) ◽

pp. 1048-1051 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Suzanne Campeau ◽

Helga Guderley ◽

Gerard Fitzgerald

Keyword(s):

Salt Marshes ◽

Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽

Reproductive Activity ◽

Tidal River ◽

Differential Distribution ◽

Lawrence Estuary ◽

Parental Stock ◽

Salinity Preference ◽

Tolerance Field ◽

St Lawrence Estuary

During their period of reproductive activity, the sticklebacks Gasterosteus aculeatus (trachurus) and Gasterosteus wheatlandi show differences in their use of available microhabitats in the salt marshes of the St. Lawrence estuary. Gasterosteus aculeatus is found at all stations along a tidal river, Rivière des Vases, while G. wheatlandi is absent from the sites exposed to freshwater. To determine whether the juveniles of these species have different sensitivities to low salinities which could account for their differential distribution, we examined the salinity tolerances of laboratory-reared fry. Adult G. aculeatus (form trachurus) and G. wheatlandi collected at the mouth of the Rivière des Vases were used as the parental stock. For 1-week-old fry of both species, freshwater represented a marginal environment. Following exposure to freshwater for 96 h, G. aculeatus fry showed a 22% mortality while G. wheatlandi showed a significant decrease in growth. By 5 weeks of age, both species were euryhaline. Despite a wide salinity tolerance, field-collected G. wheatlandi significantly preferred a salinity of 7–14‰ while field-collected G. aculeatus fry showed no significant salinity preference.

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The effects of bird predation on an estuarine stickleback (Pisces: Gasterosteidae) community

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z85-046 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 63 (2) ◽

pp. 301-307 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

F. G. Whoriskey ◽

G. J. Fitzgerald

Keyword(s):

Fish Community ◽

Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽

Selective Predation ◽

Bird Predation ◽

Lawrence Estuary ◽

Nycticorax Nycticorax ◽

Larus Delawarensis ◽

Night Heron ◽

Marsh Pools ◽

St Lawrence Estuary

Eight species of birds fed on a community of sticklebacks living in salt marsh pools along the southern shore of the St. Lawrence estuary in May and June when the fish breed. Three birds, the black-crowned night heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), the bronzed grackle (Quiscalus quiscula), and the ring-billed gull (Larus delawarensis) accounted for 80% of the estimated captures. Bird predation removed about 30% of the sticklebacks in the marsh. Significantly more male than female Gasterosteus aculeatus and G. wheatlandi were eaten, indicating selective predation is playing a role in structuring this fish community.

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Habitat segregation among the age groups of Gasterosteus aculeatus (Pisces: Gasterosteidae) in the middle St. Lawrence estuary, Canada

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z90-179 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 68 (6) ◽

pp. 1202-1208 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Paul Picard Jr. ◽

Julian J. Dodson ◽

Gérard J. FitzGerald

Keyword(s):

Breeding Season ◽

Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽

Age Groups ◽

Minimum Size ◽

Spawning Period ◽

Lawrence Estuary ◽

Age Related ◽

Tidal Rivers ◽

Marsh Pools ◽

St Lawrence Estuary

Previous studies of migratory populations of sticklebacks (Pisces: Gasterosteidae) have been exclusively limited to their biology on the spawning grounds during the spring breeding season. In 1985 and 1986, we studied the ecology of the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in three subhabitats of the middle St. Lawrence estuary before, during, and after the breeding season: (i) the open waters of the estuary, (ii) a series of intertidal salt marsh pools, and (iii) two tidal rivers (Rivière des Vases and Rivière Trois-Pistoles). In spring, our catch data in the various subhabitats showed that adults moved from the open waters of the estuary towards the tidal rivers and tide pools. Catches of adults in all subhabitats subsequently declined, whereas the young of the year (age 0+) became increasingly abundant. In this area, G. aculeatus live for 2 years and are physiologically capable of breeding during their first summer as adults. However, we found age-related differences in habitat use between the two adult year classes. Age 1+ fish were never more abundant than age 2+ fish in Rivière des Vases, in the tide pools, and in the open waters of the estuary, whereas age 1+ fish were more abundant than age 2+ fish in Rivière Trois-Pistoles. Throughout the breeding season, gonadosomatic indices of female G. aculeatus were the same for the two age groups. Total lengths of age 0+ fish captured in the various subhabitats suggest that the major spawning period is limited to May and June. Age 0+ fish do not leave the tide pools for the open waters of the estuary before having attained a certain minimum size.

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Environmental control of salinity preferences in four sympatric species of sticklebacks: Gasterosteus aculeatus, Gasterosteus wheatlandi, Pungitius pungitius and Apeltes quadracus

Journal of Fish Biology ◽

10.1111/j.1095-8649.1986.tb05206.x ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 28 (6) ◽

pp. 725-739 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

C. Audet ◽

G. J. Fitzgerald ◽

H. Guderley

Keyword(s):

Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽

Environmental Control ◽

Sympatric Species ◽

Pungitius Pungitius ◽

Apeltes Quadracus

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Temperature preference does not evolve in sticklebacks despite multigenerational exposure to elevated temperatures

10.1101/615005 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Natalie Pilakouta ◽

Shaun S. Killen ◽

Bjarni K. Kristjánsson ◽

Skúli Skúlason ◽

Jan Lindström ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽

Elevated Temperatures ◽

Thermal Environment ◽

Adaptation To Climate Change ◽

Evolutionary Potential ◽

Temperature Preference ◽

Preferred Temperature ◽

Geothermal Activity ◽

Temperature Preferences

ABSTRACTGiven the threat of climate change to biodiversity, a growing number of studies are investigating the potential for organisms to adapt to rising temperatures through changes in their physiology, morphology, and behaviour. Earlier work has predicted that evolutionary adaptation to climate change will be accompanied by a shift in temperature preferences, but empirical evidence for this is limited. Here, we test whether exposure to a warm environment over multiple generations has led to the evolution of higher preferred temperatures in the wild. We have taken advantage of a ‘natural experiment’ in Iceland, where freshwater populations of threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) are found in waters warmed by geothermal activity year-round (warm habitats), adjacent to populations in ambient-temperature lakes (cold habitats). We hypothesised that sticklebacks from warm habitats would prefer higher water temperatures than those from cold habitats, but we found no support for this hypothesis. Fish from both warm and cold habitats had an average preferred temperature of 13°C, which is considerably lower than the temperatures experienced by fish in warm habitats for most of the year. Our results therefore challenge the assumption that temperature preferences in ectotherms will readily evolve as a response to climate change. Furthermore, the fact that warm-habitat fish are able to persist at relatively high temperatures despite a lower temperature preference suggests that preferred temperature may be a poor indicator of a population’s evolutionary potential and capacity to adapt to a novel thermal environment.

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Diel activity and diet of three sympatric sticklebacks in tidal salt marsh pools

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z81-317 ◽

1981 ◽

Vol 59 (12) ◽

pp. 2375-2379 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

J. P. Worgan ◽

G. J. FitzGerald

Keyword(s):

Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Early Morning ◽

Sympatric Species ◽

Food Type ◽

Diel Activity ◽

Minor Importance ◽

Pungitius Pungitius ◽

Tidal Salt Marsh ◽

Marsh Pools

The activity patterns and diet of the adults of three sympatric sticklebacks, Gasterosteus aculeatus, Gasterosteus wheatlandi, and Pungitius pungitius, are compared to learn how three sympatric species share time and food resources. Catch data from unbaited traps indicate that all species are equally diurnal. Females of all species feed almost exclusively in the early morning. No periodicity was observed in the feeding of males compared with females, because males fed infrequently. The diets of the three species were similar though the importance of certain prey items varied with species and sex. Results show that resource partitioning along the dimensions of food type and time are of minor importance in explaining coexistence of the three species during their breeding season.

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Temperature Selection of Rainbow Trout (Salmo gairdneri) Fingerlings in Vertical and Horizontal Gradients

Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada ◽

10.1139/f71-266 ◽

1971 ◽

Vol 28 (11) ◽

pp. 1801-1804 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

R. W. McCauley ◽

W. L. Pond

Keyword(s):

Rainbow Trout ◽

Salmo Gairdneri ◽

Temperature Preference ◽

Temperature Selection ◽

Horizontal Gradients ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Preferred Temperatures ◽

Laboratory Investigations ◽

Horizontal Temperature Gradients ◽

Selection Of

Preferred temperatures of underyearling rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) were determined in both vertical and horizontal temperature gradients. No statistically significant difference was found between the preferred temperatures by the two different methods. This suggests that the nature of the gradient plays a lesser role than generally believed in laboratory investigations of temperature preference.

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Benthic fluxes of dissolved organic nitrogen in the lower St. Lawrence estuary and implications for selective organic matter degradation

Biogeosciences ◽

10.5194/bg-10-7609-2013 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 7609-7622 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

M. Alkhatib ◽

P. A. del Giorgio ◽

Y. Gelinas ◽

M. F. Lehmann

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Dissolved Organic Nitrogen ◽

Organic Nitrogen ◽

Bottom Water ◽

Estuarine Sediments ◽

Internal Source ◽

Lawrence Estuary ◽

Element Partitioning ◽

Sediment Porewaters ◽

St Lawrence Estuary

Abstract. The distribution of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and carbon (DOC) in sediment porewaters was determined at nine locations along the St. Lawrence estuary and in the gulf of St. Lawrence. In a previous manuscript (Alkhatib et al., 2012a), we have shown that this study area is characterized by gradients in the sedimentary particulate organic matter (POM) reactivity, bottom water oxygen concentrations, and benthic respiration rates. Based on the porewater profiles, we estimated the benthic diffusive fluxes of DON and DOC in the same area. Our results show that DON fluxed out of the sediments at significant rates (110 to 430 μmol m−2 d−1). DON fluxes were positively correlated with sedimentary POM reactivity and varied inversely with sediment oxygen exposure time (OET), suggesting direct links between POM quality, aerobic remineralization and the release of DON to the water column. DON fluxes were on the order of 30 to 64% of the total benthic inorganic fixed N loss due to denitrification, and often exceeded the diffusive nitrate fluxes into the sediments. Hence they represented a large fraction of the total benthic N exchange, a result that is particularly important in light of the fact that DON fluxes are usually not accounted for in estuarine and coastal zone nutrient budgets. In contrast to DON, DOC fluxes out of the sediments did not show any significant spatial variation along the Laurentian Channel (LC) between the estuary and the gulf (2100 ± 100 μmol m−2 d−1). The molar C / N ratio of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in porewater and the overlying bottom water varied significantly along the transect, with lowest C / N in the lower estuary (5–6) and highest C / N (> 10) in the gulf. Large differences between the C / N ratios of porewater DOM and POM are mainly attributed to a combination of selective POM hydrolysis and elemental fractionation during subsequent DOM mineralization, but selective adsorption of DOM to mineral phases could not be excluded as a potential C / N fractionating process. The extent of this C- versus N- element partitioning seems to be linked to POM reactivity and redox conditions in the sediment porewaters. Our results thus highlight the variable effects selective organic matter (OM) preservation can have on bulk sedimentary C / N ratios, decoupling the primary source C / N signatures from those in sedimentary paleoenvironmental archives. Our study further underscores that the role of estuarine sediments as efficient sinks of bioavailable nitrogen is strongly influenced by the release of DON during early diagenetic reactions, and that DON fluxes from continental margin sediments represent an important internal source of N to the ocean.

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