Abstract
This study investigates the effect of water temperature on the development rate of eggs and larvae, the duration of the endogenous feeding period and its consequences for recruitment of smelt (Osmerus eperlanus ) in Dutch lakes IJsselmeer and Markermeer. This study measured temperature‐dependent egg and larval development rates as well as mortality rates from fertilization till the moment of absorption of the yolk‐sac and from yolk‐sac depletion onwards in temperature‐controlled indoor experiments. Using multinomial modelling the authors found significant differences in development time of egg development stages under different temperature regimes. Based on historic water temperatures, the model predicted that the larval endogenous feeding period has advanced at a rate of about 2.9 days per decade in a more than 50 year period since 1961, yet there was no change in the duration of the endogenous feeding period. As zooplankton is more responsive to daylight than water temperature cues, a mismatch between the peak of the onset of exogenous feeding of smelt and the peak of zooplankton blooms could lead to high mortality and therefore low recruitment of smelt. Such a mismatch might contribute to a decline in the smelt population in Lake IJsselmeer and Lake Markermeer.
Highlights
European smelt, Osmerus eperlanus, is a small salmonid species that inhabits coastal and landlocked waters in Western Europe (Wheeler, 1969)
Because the authors were interested in the rate of development that is representative for the smelt population in Lake IJsselmeer, they used the parameter estimates of model 4 (Table 2), which ignores the effect of Batch
By quantifying the effect of water temperature on development rate of smelt eggs and larvae, the study predicted the timing and duration of the endogenous feeding period of newly hatched smelt larvae to their start of exogenous feeding based on the evolution of the temperature conditions in winter and spring since 1961
Summary
Osmerus eperlanus ( referred to as smelt), is a small salmonid species that inhabits coastal and landlocked waters in Western Europe (Wheeler, 1969). The influence of seasonal variation in water temperature on the timing of the occurrence of smelt larvae in Lake IJsselmeer in the period 1961–2013 was studied by a simulation of the calendar date at which the degree day threshold of the 50% hatching and the 50% mortality of stage 7 as calculated earlier (Equation 3) were exceeded. Because the authors were interested in the rate of development that is representative for the smelt population in Lake IJsselmeer, they used the parameter estimates of model 4 (Table 2), which ignores the effect of Batch. Cold winter conditions led to a late onset of spawning, yet the rapid temperature increase in spring resulted in the rapid development of eggs and larvae This was reflected in the regression slopes of the day of 50% hatching and 50% mortality as a function of the first spawning day (Table 5), which were smaller than one.
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