An exploratory investigation of the landscape-lake interface: Land cover controls over consumer N and C isotopic composition in Lake Michigan rivermouths

Larson, James H.; Richardson, William B.; Vallazza, Jonathan M.; Nelson, John C.

doi:10.1016/j.jglr.2012.09.016

Cited by 11 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…4). These seston values are substantially different from seston values elsewhere (Larson et al, 2012;Marko et al, 2013;Whall and Lasenby, 2009). A rerun of the samples produced similar results with a mean difference in δ 15 N between runs of 0.31‰ (SD = 0.27) and a mean difference in δ 13 C of 1.9‰ (SD = 2.1).…”

Section: Diet Analysis and Prey Selectivitymentioning

confidence: 61%

Mysis zooplanktivory in Lake Champlain: A bioenergetics analysis

Hrycik

Simonin

Rudstam

et al. 2015

Journal of Great Lakes Research

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Section: Diet Analysis and Prey Selectivitymentioning

confidence: 61%

Mysis zooplanktivory in Lake Champlain: A bioenergetics analysis

Hrycik

Simonin

Rudstam

et al. 2015

Journal of Great Lakes Research

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“…In a recent manuscript [8], we reported a relationship between agriculture and N isotopic composition of consumers in tributary rivers of Lake Michigan. That study suggested the influence of agriculture was disrupted by significant N sources or processing occurring within the rivermouth [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Among aquatic ecosystem types, streams have the shortest water retention time, and thus it is unsurprising that watershed agriculture and the N isotopic composition of stream consumers is strongly correlated (e.g., [4], [8]). Other ecosystems are less cleanly connected to their upstream watersheds [7], [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other ecosystems are less cleanly connected to their upstream watersheds [7], [8]. The connection between terrestrial agriculture and nutrient loading into the nearshore zone of large lakes and oceans is particularly interesting, as these coastal areas are economically important.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…That study suggested the influence of agriculture was disrupted by significant N sources or processing occurring within the rivermouth [8]. In other words, loading estimates of N to the nearshore of Lake Michigan might be inaccurate if the effect of rivermouth processing is not included.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Rivermouth Alteration of Agricultural Impacts on Consumer Tissue δ15N

et al. 2013

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Terrestrial agricultural activities strongly influence riverine nitrogen (N) dynamics, which is reflected in the δ15N of riverine consumer tissues. However, processes within aquatic ecosystems also influence consumer tissue δ15N. As aquatic processes become more important terrestrial inputs may become a weaker predictor of consumer tissue δ15N. In a previous study, this terrestrial-consumer tissue δ15N connection was very strong at river sites, but was disrupted by processes occurring in rivermouths (the ‘rivermouth effect’). This suggested that watershed indicators of N loading might be accurate in riverine settings, but could be inaccurate when considering N loading to the nearshore of large lakes and oceans. In this study, the rivermouth effect was examined on twenty-five sites spread across the Laurentian Great Lakes. Relationships between agriculture and consumer tissue δ15N occurred in both upstream rivers and at the outlets where rivermouths connect to the nearshore zone, but agriculture explained less variation and had a weaker effect at the outlet. These results suggest that rivermouths may sometimes be significant sources or sinks of N, which would cause N loading estimates to the nearshore zone that are typically made at discharge gages further upstream to be inaccurate. Identifying definitively the controls over the rivermouth effect on N loading (and other nutrients) will require integration of biogeochemical and hydrologic models.

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Bidirectional energy subsidies for fish in river mouths of a large lake as revealed by stable isotopes and fatty acids

Eglite,

Stein,

Turschak

et al. 2024

Limnology & Oceanography

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Freshwater river mouths may facilitate cross‐habitat resource use and bidirectional subsidization through (a) active cross‐habitat movement by consumers like fish and (b) water and material movement both downstream, from tributary to nearshore lake, and in the opposite direction due to backflow processes. Despite potential importance of freshwater river mouths, relative contributions of lentic and tributary energy sources to fishes along these ecotones remain understudied, in part because measuring cross‐habitat subsidization is not straightforward. We assessed cross‐habitat subsidization of three fish consumers round goby (Neogobius malanostomus), yellow perch (Perca flavescens), and alewife (Alosa psuedoharengus) in three river mouths of Lake Michigan, USA. Specifically, we (a) measured stable isotope ratios (δ13C, δ15N, δ2H, δ18O) in ambient water, bivalve shells, potential invertebrate prey, and fish soft tissue, and we assessed fish nutritional status based on essential fatty acid composition, and (b) estimated Bayesian ellipses and mixing models including either two (δ13C‐δ15N) or three (δ13C‐δ15N‐δ2H) isotope ratios. Results revealed evidence of bidirectional habitat subsidies for all fishes, but energy subsidies varied by species and across river mouths; likely related to differences in species‐specific behavior and hydrologic differences among river mouths. Relative to nearshore oligotrophic Lake Michigan, fish in productive tributary environments contained relatively low essential fatty acid content, suggesting a possible trade‐off between prey quantity and quality across habitats. This study advances our understanding of resource connectivity in lake ecosystems and the combined use of multiple stable isotopes (including mixing models) and fatty acids to document cross‐habitat subsidies along freshwater ecotones.

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An exploratory investigation of the landscape-lake interface: Land cover controls over consumer N and C isotopic composition in Lake Michigan rivermouths

Cited by 11 publications

References 63 publications

Mysis zooplanktivory in Lake Champlain: A bioenergetics analysis

Mysis zooplanktivory in Lake Champlain: A bioenergetics analysis

Rivermouth Alteration of Agricultural Impacts on Consumer Tissue δ15N

Bidirectional energy subsidies for fish in river mouths of a large lake as revealed by stable isotopes and fatty acids

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