Northern Lake Michigan Research Articles

Larval coregonine density and diet composition along beaches of northern Lake Michigan

Recent oligotrophication in Lake Michigan has contributed to reduced biomass of spring zooplankton and a shift in the zooplankton assemblage toward more calanoid copepods. These changes have likely altered prey availability for first feeding native fish species that hatch in early spring. While spring zooplankton densities and assemblage compositions are routinely monitored in offshore areas of Lake Michigan, zooplankton in nearshore areas such as shallow beach environments are less studied; and associated descriptions of diet characteristics among larval coregonine species are limited. In this study, we a) describe the nearshore (<1 m depth) zooplankton assemblage at four sites in northeastern Lake Michigan during early spring 2015–2019 and b) compare diets and diet selectivity of larval lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) and Cisco (C. artedi). Zooplankton composition varied among years, but calanoid copepods and copepod nauplii consistently dominated the zooplankton assemblage. Cisco and lake whitefish larvae were captured regularly, with Elk Rapids containing the highest proportion of ciscoes each year. For both species, calanoid and cyclopoid copepods were common in diets and were positively selected as prey. Although previous research has indicated high consumption of cyclopoid copepods by larval coregonines, our results provide new evidence that larval lake whitefish and Cisco in northeastern Lake Michigan will also consume and select for calanoid copepods when they are abundant. As such, should calanoid zooplankton continue to dominate the copepod community in Lake Michigan, larval coregonines appear capable of exploiting this abundant prey resource to improve their likelihood of survival to later life stages.

Evidence of a compensatory response in invasive Rusty Crayfish (Faxonius rusticus) following intensive harvest removal from northern Lake Michigan fish spawning reefs.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10530-023-03076-6.

Investigating Geomorphic Change Using a Structure from Motion Elevation Model Created from Historical Aerial Imagery: A Case Study in Northern Lake Michigan, USA

South Manitou Island, part of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in northern Lake Michigan, is a post-glacial lacustrine landscape with substantial geomorphic changes including landslides, shoreline and bluff retreat, and sand dune movement. These changes involve interrelated processes, and are influenced to different extents by lake level, climate change, and land use patterns, among other factors. The utility of DEM of Difference (DoD) and other terrain analyses were investigated as a means of understanding interrelated geomorphologic changes and processes across multiple decades and at multiple scales. A 1m DEM was developed from 1955 historical aerial imagery using Structure from Motion Multi-View Stereo (SfM-MVS) and compared to a 2016 lidar-based DEM to quantify change. Landslides, shoreline erosion, bluff retreat, and sand dune movement were investigated throughout South Manitou Island. While the DoD indicates net loss or gain, interpretation of change must take into consideration the SfM-MVS source of the historical DEM. In the case of landslides, where additional understanding may be gleaned through review of the timing of lake high- and lowstands together with DoD values. Landscape-scale findings quantified cumulative feedbacks between interrelated processes. These findings could be upscaled to assess changes across the entire park, informing future change investigations and land management decisions.

The Hydrologic Response to a Meteotsunami in an Isolated Wetland: Beaver Island in Lake Michigan, USA

AbstractMeteotsunamis are both a well‐known and poorly understood phenomenon. In particular, the influence of and disturbance by meteotsunamis on isolated coastal wetlands is largely unknown. This paper documents a case illustrating how water levels in an incipient foredune/swale complex in northern Lake Michigan responded to a meteotsunami event. We identified potential meteotsunami influence on wetland water levels through slope‐break and wavelet analysis, verified the presence of meteotsunami waves at surrounding lake water level gauge stations with wavelet analysis, analyzed both regional and small‐scale meteorological data to establish what source of atmospheric forcing resulted in meteotsunami formation, and used a hydrodynamic model to simulate lake surface response and meteotsunami generation. On 20 July 2019, an atmospheric bore wave propagating away from a convective storm formed a meteotsunami event in Lake Michigan that struck Sand Bay, Beaver Island and generated a 36 cm increase in subsurface wetland water levels over the course of a 1‐hr period. The potential for multiple sources of meteorological forcing and secondary wave refraction highlights several challenges with predicting generation of and effects from meteotsunami events. Additionally, while irregular, the effects of these events on isolated wetland systems have the potential to alter hydrologic and sediment budgets, vegetation growth, and dune stability; yet meteotsunami influence on isolated wetlands is an understudied phenomenon. The event presented in this study make a strong case for focused research on coastal wetland response to meteotsunamis (and meteotsunami‐like events) to address this understudied impact given its implications for coastal processes and resiliency.

Size segregation and seasonal patterns in rusty crayfish Faxonius rusticus distribution and abundance on northern Lake Michigan spawning reefs

Non-native rusty crayfish are abundant egg predators on spawning reef habitats for lake trout and coregonines in northern Lake Michigan. To better understand rusty crayfish life-history on these unique habitats, we conducted monitoring in 2012 and 2013 at four locations previously identified as spawning areas for native fish. With the aid of a graphical causal model, we conducted an exploratory statistical analysis using a Bayesian multilevel modeling approach with model selection based on information criteria to identify important environmental variables for predicting rusty crayfish distribution and abundance on spawning reefs. We also compared seasonal trends in relative abundance, inferred from catch-per-unit-effort calculations from trapping, to previously reported accounts from a smaller inland lake. The results from our modeling provide evidence of size-class segregation across subtle changes in habitat characteristics of spawning reefs. Specifically, we found evidence that the distribution of >30 mm rusty crayfish was only weakly related to rock density (#/m2) relative to juveniles and smaller size classes. We also observed highest relative abundances from minnow trap monitoring in mid-October when water temperatures averaged 13.9 °C, which is later in the year and at cooler temperatures than similar monitoring from smaller inland lakes has reported. We hypothesize that unique environmental conditions elicit novel life-history responses from rusty crayfish on Lake Michigan spawning reefs and discuss our findings in the context of native fish restoration in the Laurentian Great Lakes.

Tree ring-reconstructed late summer moisture conditions, 1546 to present, northern Lake Michigan, USA

Drought can affect even humid regions like northeastern North America, which experienced significant, well-documented dry spells in the 1930s, 50s, 60s, and 80s, and proxies tell us that in the years before instrumentally recorded climate, droughts could be even more severe. To get a more complete picture of pre-recorded climate, the spatial coverage of proxy-based climate reconstructions must be extended. This can better put in context past, current, and future climate, and it can lend anthropological and historical insights. With regard to tree rings as climate proxies, however, there is increasing evidence that relationships between tree growth and climate can be inconsistent over time, in some cases decreasing the utility of tree rings in the representation of climate. We developed a chronology from white cedar Thuja occidentalis tree ring widths for the period 1469-2015 C.E. with which we modeled the relationship between growth and July-September moisture conditions (Palmer Z index). The relationship was consistent across the period of instrumentally recorded climate, 1895-present, and the model explained 27% of variability. Therefore, we used the model to reconstruct July-September moisture conditions from 1546-2014. We found the most variable century to be the 20th, the least the 18th. The severest decade-scale droughts (≤0.75 SD from mean) occurred in the 1560s, 1600s/10s, 1630s, 1770s/80s, 1840s, and 1910s/20s, the severest pluvials (≥0.75 SD) in the 1610s/20s, 1660s/70s, and the 1970s/80s. The occasional occurrence of severe droughts throughout the reconstruction, increasing variability in the 20th century, and expected climate change-enhanced late summer drought, portend a future punctuated with severe droughts.

An evaluation of three trap designs for invasive rusty crayfish (Faxonius rusticus) suppression on critical fish spawning habitat in northern Lake Michigan

An evaluation of three trap designs for invasive rusty crayfish (Faxonius rusticus) suppression on critical fish spawning habitat in northern Lake Michigan

The genetic composition of wild recruits in a recovering lake trout population in Lake Michigan

Strain performance evaluations are vital for developing successful fishery management and restoration strategies. Here, we utilized genotypes from 36 microsatellites to investigate hatchery strain contribution to collections of naturally produced lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) sampled across Lake Michigan. Strain composition varied by area, with recoveries of Seneca Lake strain exceeding expectations based on stocking records in northern Lake Michigan but performing similarly to other strains in southern Lake Michigan. Interstrain hybrids were present at moderate frequencies similar to expectations based on simulations, suggesting that strains are interbreeding randomly. We hypothesize that the superior performance of the Seneca Lake strain in northern Lake Michigan is partially due to adaptive advantages that facilitate increased survival in areas with high mortality from sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) predation, such as northern Lake Michigan. However, when this selective pressure is lessened, the Seneca Lake strain performs similarly to other strains. Our study demonstrates that strain performance can vary across small spatial scales and illustrates the importance of conducting thorough strain evaluations to inform management and conservation.

Piscivory in recovering Lake Michigan cisco (Coregonus artedi): The role of invasive species

Contemporary conditions in Lake Michigan where cisco (Coregonus artedi) populations are expanding are vastly different from those encountered by the historic fish community. Invasive species introductions have substantially altered the Lake Michigan ecosystem in the last half century. Successful management efforts for cisco in Lake Michigan hinge on our ability to understand their contemporary ecology, especially diet. We collected 725 cisco stomachs opportunistically from commercial fisheries (2%) and in agency surveys (98%) over six years (2014–2019). The majority (70%) of stomachs were from East Grand Traverse Bay and 96% of these were collected at Elk Rapids. Additional samples were collected from Charlevoix (8%), Little Traverse Bay (11%), other sites in northern Lake Michigan (4%), Central Lake Michigan (6%), and Green Bay (1%). Our results indicated a high degree of piscivory, in contrast to historical and contemporary accounts of planktivory for cisco in the other Laurentian Great Lakes. The top three prey items by mass were not native to the Great Lakes and these accounted for 87% of all observed prey mass consumed: round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) (58%), Bythotrephes longimanus (15%), and alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) (14%). Round goby dominated the prey in the spring and summer, while B. longimanus and alewife occurred more in summer and fall diets. The contemporary population of cisco in Lake Michigan has been able to uniquely capitalize on abundant invasive prey resources, which may be less limiting and more energy-rich than a more typical planktivorous cisco diet.

Detection of hybrid Pyganodon grandis and P. lacustris (Bivalvia: Unionidae) using F- and M-type mitochondrial DNA sequences and geometric morphometrics

ABSTRACTPyganodon grandis and P. lacustris, widespread and common species in North America, are known to co-occur across parts of their distributions. These mussels are genetically distinguishable with a sequence divergence between 9% and 13% for the mitochondrial (mt) DNA barcoding region, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI), which is well beyond thresholds for distinct species. The objectives of this study were to (1) confirm the presence of two genetically distinct species (P. grandis and P. lacustris) in Font Lake and Lake Geneserath on Beaver Island in northern Lake Michigan, (2) identify hybrids using mitogenotype mismatch and (3) compare species and populations morphometrically. Of the 212 specimens sequenced, 146 (68.9%) were found to be heteroplasmic, with successful amplifications of both maternally (F-type, from mantle tissue) and paternally (M-type, from gonad tissue) inherited mt DNA sequences. Mismatches in species identity of the F- and M-type COI sequences were found in 22 specimens (15.1% of heteroplasmic specimens), with these being considered putative hybrids. Geometric morphometric analyses of shell shape reliably differentiated specimens by species (identified using COI sequences) and between lakes, correctly assigning 97.4% of homoplasmic and heteroplasmic specimens with matching mitogenomes to both species and lake of origin. The shape of putative hybrids generally resembled those of the F-type mt DNA sequence that was recovered. This study confirms that hybridization does occur between sympatric Pyganodon species. Additionally, our results reemphasize the value of modern morphometric techniques for distinguishing among species and populations with overlapping morphological variability.

Invasive cattail reduces fish diversity and abundance in the emergent marsh of a Great Lakes coastal wetland

Great Lakes coastal wetlands (GLCWs) provide critical fish habitat. The invasion of GLCWs by hybrid and narrow-leaved cattail, Typha × glauca and Typha angustifolia (hereafter Typha), homogenizes wetlands by out-competing native plant species and producing copious litter. However, the effect of this invasion on fish communities is little known. To measure the effect of Typha on fishes, we established plots in Typha invaded and native wetland emergent zones in a northern Lake Michigan coastal wetland, and measured environmental variables, plants, and fishes in each zone over two summers. Dissolved oxygen and water temperature were significantly lower in invaded compared to native plots. Invaded plots were dominated by Typha and its litter; whereas. sedges (Carex spp.) were the most abundant species in native plots. Fish abundance and species richness were significantly lower in Typha compared to native wetland plots. The Typha fish community was dominated by hypoxia tolerant mudminnow whereas other small, schooling, fusiform species such as cyprinids and fundulids were absent. These results illustrate the negative impact of a dominant invasive plant on Great Lakes fishes that is expected to be found in Typha invasions in other GLCWs.

Short-term variability in coastal community and ecosystem dynamics in northern Lake Michigan

AbstractDespite their ecological and economic importance, coastal biological communities and ecosystem processes in large lakes have been understudied compared to those offshore. We investigated te...

Resurgence of Cisco (Coregonus artedi) in Lake Michigan

In recent decades, many factors that were linked with the decline of Great Lakes cisco (Coregonus artedi) populations have subsided. The goal of this study was to investigate where cisco exist in Lake Michigan and evaluate evidence for recovery including when, where, and to what extent it is occurring. We evaluated datasets from several independent monitoring efforts that did and did not target cisco. We also evaluated trends in commercial and recreational catches of cisco. Across these datasets, there was strong evidence of a sustained recovery of cisco stocks that began in Lake Michigan in the mid-2000s. Fall gill net surveys and commercial fisheries provided reasonable indications of a population recovery in the northeast by 2011. Further south, Ludington Pump Storage barrier net monitoring also recorded increasing numbers of cisco starting in 2011. Recreational harvest estimates were valuable in evaluating spatial distributions but were less valuable as an early signal of abundance shifts. Measures of the recreational harvest of cisco most notably increased in 2014. The highest catch rates and harvest occurred in Grand Traverse Bay and northern Lake Michigan as evidenced by recreational, commercial, and fall netting surveys. Observations of cisco are expanding and have increased in intensity along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan south to Muskegon in both fishery dependent and independent surveys. The similarity in trends from all data sources indicate that cisco abundance has increased, and their range within the basin continues to expand.

Monitoring shallow benthic fish assemblages in the Laurentian Great Lakes using baited photoquadrats: Enhancing traditional fisheries monitoring methods

Abstract Photoquadrats and underwater video surveys are standard non-destructive monitoring methods in marine ecosystems and are becoming more common in freshwater systems. The high water clarity found in most of the Laurentian Great Lakes make them ideally suited for photoquadrat sampling. We compared the effectiveness of baited photoquadrats to monitor benthic fish communities of shallow, littoral habitats of northern Lake Michigan. We compared our results with baited minnow traps, a technique commonly used to monitor benthic fish communities in freshwater ecosystems. Photoquadrats baited with lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) eggs, the most effective attractant, proved to be an efficient tool for sampling round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) relative abundance and resulted in higher round goby catches than in photoquadrats baited with a commercially available fish attractant or unbaited photoqudrats. This method allowed sites to be surveyed rapidly (requiring

Indirect Negative Impacts of Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) Management on Co-nesting Caspian Terns (Hydroprogne caspia) in Northern Lake Michigan, USA

Hat Island, Lake Michigan, Michigan, USA, is an important historical breeding location for Caspian Terns (Hydroprogne caspia) and other co-nesting species, including Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus). Although a bird sanctuary of the Michigan Islands National Wildlife Refuge, Double-crested Cormorant management (egg oiling and killing adults) was allowed on Hat Island in 2010; in 2011 and 2012, management actions were restricted to shooting Double-crested Cormorants from at least 500 m offshore. Because the Double-crested Cormorant colony was spread across much of Hat Island, in 2010, a small area of Double-crested Cormorant nests nearest the Caspian Tern colony was left undisturbed to minimize negative impacts on Caspian Terns. Yet, data indicate that management actions had indirect negative impacts on Caspian Terns. Game camera images show that Caspian Terns experienced more frequent disturbances in 2010 as compared to 2011 and 2012. Furthermore, nest inventories and chick banding, in combination with direct chick re-sighting and camera images, show Caspian Tern reproductive success was lower and the colony was abandoned earlier in 2010, as compared to other years. This illustrates that Double-crested Cormorant control actions can cause unintended consequences to co-nesters, even when those conducting management report no impact, and exemplifies that there should be greater consideration of the impacts on co-nesters prior to management.

The flathead catfish invasion of the Great Lakes

Abstract A detailed review of historical literature and museum data revealed that flathead catfish were not historically native in the Great Lakes Basin, with the possible exception of a relict population in Lake Erie. The species has invaded Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair, Lake Huron, nearly all drainages in Michigan, and the Fox/Wolf and Milwaukee drainages in Wisconsin. They have not been collected from Lake Superior yet, and the temperature suitability of that lake is questionable. Flathead catfish have been stocked sparingly in the Great Lakes and is not the mechanism responsible for their spread. A stocking in 1968 in Ohio may be one exception to this. Dispersal resulted from both natural range expansions and unauthorized introductions. The invasion is ongoing, with the species invading both from the east and the west to meet in northern Lake Michigan. Much of this invasion has likely taken place since the 1990s. This species has been documented to have significant impacts on native fishes in other areas where it has been introduced; therefore, educating the public not to release them into new waters is important. Frequent monitoring of rivers and lakes for the presence of this species would detect new populations early so that management actions could be utilized on new populations if desired.

Indexing recruitment for source populations contributing to mixed fisheries by incorporating age in genetic stock identification models

We describe a methodology for estimating relative recruitments for source populations (sources) contributing to mixed fisheries by incorporating age into genetic stock identification models. The approach produced recruitment estimates that were strongly correlated (median correlation = 0.849; 2.5 and 97.5 percentile in correlations = 0.613 and 0.951, respectively) with simulated recruitments across various design factors, including number of sources, genetic divergence among sources, and temporal variation in source recruitments. Sensitivity analyses indicated that the approach was robust to aging inaccuracies and assumed source mortalities. Application to walleye (Sander vitreus) sources contributing to the Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, fishery produced similar recruitment estimates to assessment models. There was greater discrepancy between recruitment estimates for lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) hatchery strains in northern Lake Michigan when compared with strain stocking levels, although this mismatch may stem from stocking levels being a poor recruitment measure. The estimation approach should prove beneficial for indexing source recruitment based on fishery or assessment collections from mixtures, even when long-term time series of harvest and survey data required for integrated assessments are not available.

EARLIEST MICROBOTANICAL EVIDENCE FOR MAIZE IN THE NORTHERN LAKE MICHIGAN BASIN

There is no recorded maize (Zea maysspp.mays) from sites predating circa cal AD 800 in the northern Lake Michigan or Lake Superior basins of the western Great Lakes, despite the presence of maize microbotanicals including phytoliths and starches in Michigan, New York, and Quebec as early as 400 cal BC. To evaluate the potential for an earlier maize presence in the northern Lake Michigan basin, samples of carbonized food residues adhering to 16 ceramic vessels were obtained from the Winter site (20DE17) located on the Garden Peninsula in the northern Lake Michigan basin. Each sample was split and sent to two analysts. Both analysts identified low incidences of maize starch and phytoliths in multiple samples, with overlapping identifications on several. Three direct accelerator mass spectrometry dates on the carbonized residues reveal maize incorporated into the residues as early as the second century cal BC, 800 years before any regional macrobotanical evidence. Although the method of dispersal cannot be determined, these results support the proposition that initial northern dispersal of maize in the region may have been nearly 800 years earlier than macrobotanical evidence would suggest and is consistent with the timing of its introduction to the lower Great Lakes area.

Swimming responses of larval and juvenile freshwater fishes to nearshore and offshore water sources

AbstractDispersal of young fish through wind‐driven currents has a growing research focus in large freshwater lakes; however, the influence of behaviour on such dispersal has not been tested. Fish may orient to different environmental cues and use swimming behaviours to navigate towards or retain their position within important habitats. To examine the ability of larval and juvenile fishes of the Laurentian Great Lakes to perceive and orient to nearshore or offshore habitats, we carried out a series of behavioural trials in a flume in which fish choose between different combinations of nearshore and offshore water, and well water. Water and a natural assemblage of larval and juvenile nearshore fish (Dominant species: white sucker, Catostomus commersonii, and spottail shiners, Notropis hudonius) used in the experiment were collected from northern Lake Michigan near Beaver Island. Results of our study suggest that young fish are capable of distinguishing and responding to different water sources, indicating a potential to orient within their environment, such as through the use of olfactory cues. We did not see a difference in fish response to changing concentrations of water cues, possibly suggesting that the threshold for fish response occurs at lower concentrations than were tested in our experiments. This preliminary study into orientation of Great Lakes fishes demonstrates the capacity of these fish to orient to cues in water sources and indicates the need to consider active movement in future studies of larval dispersal and habitat choice in the large freshwater lakes.

Current and historical concentrations of poly and perfluorinated compounds in sediments of the northern Great Lakes - Superior, Huron, and Michigan.

Current and historical concentrations of 22 poly- and perfluorinated compounds (PFASs) in sediment collected from Lake Superior and northern Lake Michigan in 2011 and Lake Huron in 2012 are reported. The sampling was performed in two ways, Ponar grabs of surface sediments for current spatial distribution across the lake and dated cores for multi-decadal temporal trends. Mean concentrations of the sum of PFASs (∑PFASs) were 1.5, 4.6 and 3.1 ng g-1 dry mas (dm) in surface sediments for Lakes Superior, Michigan and Huron, respectively. Of the five Laurentian Lakes, the watersheds of Superior and Huron are the less densely populated by humans, and concentrations observed were typically less and from more diffuse sources, due to lesser urbanization and industrialization. However, some regions of greater concentrations were observed and might indicate more local, point sources. In core samples concentrations ranged from <LOQ to 46.6 ng g-1 dm among the three lakes with concentrations typically increasing with time. Distributions of PFASs within dated cores largely corresponded with increase in use of PFASs, but with physiochemical characteristics also affecting distribution. Perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFSAs) with chain lengths >7 that include perfluoro-n-octane sulfonate (PFOS) bind more strongly to sediment, which resulted in more accurate analyses of temporal trends. Shorter-chain PFASs, such as perfluoro-n-butanoic acid which is the primary replacement for C8 PFASs that have been phased out, are more soluble and were identified in some core layers at depths corresponding to pre-production periods. Thus, analyses of temporal trends of these more soluble compounds in cores of sediments were less accurate. Total elemental fluorine (TF) and extractable organic fluorine (EOF) indicated that identified PFASs were not a significant fraction of fluorine containing compounds in sediment (<0.01% in EOF).