Abstract
Nutrient-rich, turbid river plumes that are common to large lakes and coastal marine ecosystems have been hypothesized to benefit survival of fish during early life stages by increasing food availability and (or) reducing vulnerability to visual predators. However, evidence that river plumes truly benefit the recruitment process remains meager for both freshwater and marine fishes. Here, we use genotype assignment between juvenile and larval yellow perch (Perca flavescens) from western Lake Erie to estimate and compare recruitment to the age-0 juvenile stage for larvae residing inside the highly turbid, south-shore Maumee River plume versus those occupying the less turbid, more northerly Detroit River plume. Bayesian genotype assignment of a mixed assemblage of juvenile (age-0) yellow perch to putative larval source populations established that recruitment of larvae was higher from the turbid Maumee River plume than for the less turbid Detroit River plume during 2006 and 2007, but not in 2008. Our findings add to the growing evidence that turbid river plumes can indeed enhance survival of fish larvae to recruited life stages, and also demonstrate how novel population genetic analyses of early life stages can contribute to determining critical early life stage processes in the fish recruitment process.
Highlights
The recruitment process in fishes is complex and influenced by a large number of factors, both biotic and abiotic [1,2]
Our genotype assignment analyses showed that larval YP from the Maumee River plume experienced significantly higher recruitment though their first summer than the Detroit River plume larvae in 2006 and 2007, but not in 2008
Roseman et al [51], working in the southern part of western Lake Erie, showed that walleye (Sander vitreus) larvae were found in higher densities in waters with higher zooplankton availability, higher temperatures, and lower water clarity
Summary
The recruitment process in fishes is complex and influenced by a large number of factors, both biotic and abiotic [1,2]. For many freshwater and marine populations, processes operating during early life stages have been shown to be important determinants of survival to older (and fishable) life stages, with factors that influence food availability and predation risk to larvae being seen as especially important (see reviews by [1,2]). River Plumes Enhance Recruitment in Larval Yellow Perch. Grant #814014 (http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/index_ eng.asp): no individuals employed or contracted by the NSERC played any role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript; and 3) Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR) base funds (https:// www.ontario.ca/environment-and-energy/aquaticresearch): no individuals employed or contracted by the OMNR (other than co-author T.B. Johnson) played any role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have