Great Lakes rivermouth ecosystems: Scientific synthesis and management implications

Larson, James H.; Trebitz, Anett S.; Steinman, Alan D.; Wiley, Michael J.; Mazur, Martha Carlson; Pebbles, Victoria; Braun, Heather A.; Seelbach, Paul W.

doi:10.1016/j.jglr.2013.06.002

Cited by 97 publications

(96 citation statements)

References 104 publications

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“…2b). The capacity for Sandusky Bay to act as an alternating conduit and filter for nutrients is consistent with observations in other river mouths and coastal wetlands in the Great Lakes (McCarthy et al, 2007;Larson et al, 2013;Conroy et al, 2017).…”

Section: N Removal Processessupporting

confidence: 85%

Nitrogen cycling in Sandusky Bay, Lake Erie: oscillations between strong and weak export and implications for harmful algal blooms

Salk¹,

Bullerjahn²,

McKay³

et al. 2018

Biogeosciences

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Abstract. Recent global water quality crises point to an urgent need for greater understanding of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cHABs) and their drivers. Nearshore areas of Lake Erie such as Sandusky Bay may become seasonally limited by nitrogen (N) and are characterized by distinct cHAB compositions (i.e., Planktothrix over Microcystis). This study investigated phytoplankton N uptake pathways, determined drivers of N depletion, and characterized the N budget in Sandusky Bay. Nitrate (NO − 3 ) and ammonium (NH + 4 ) uptake, N fixation, and N removal processes were quantified by stable isotopic approaches. Dissimilatory N reduction was a relatively modest N sink, with denitrification, anammox, and N 2 O production accounting for 84, 14, and 2 % of sediment N removal, respectively. Phytoplankton assimilation was the dominant N uptake mechanism, and NO − 3 uptake rates were higher than NH + 4 uptake rates. Riverine N loading was sometimes insufficient to meet assimilatory and dissimilatory demands, but N fixation alleviated this deficit. N fixation made up 23.7-85.4 % of total phytoplankton N acquisition and indirectly supports Planktothrix blooms. However, N fixation rates were surprisingly uncorrelated with NO − 3 or NH + 4 concentrations. Owing to temporal separation in sources and sinks of N to Lake Erie, Sandusky Bay oscillates between a conduit and a filter of downstream N loading to Lake Erie, delivering extensively recycled forms of N during periods of low export. Drowned river mouths such as Sandusky Bay are mediators of downstream N loading, but climate-change-induced increases in precipitation and N loading will likely intensify N export from these systems.

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Section: N Removal Processessupporting

confidence: 85%

Nitrogen cycling in Sandusky Bay, Lake Erie: oscillations between strong and weak export and implications for harmful algal blooms

Salk¹,

Bullerjahn²,

McKay³

et al. 2018

Biogeosciences

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“…It is estimated that allochthonous contributions of organic carbon provide for approximately 10% of the metabolism of heterotrophic bacteria in Lake Michigan and about 20% of the lake's primary production relies on riverine loading of phosphorus . These and other recent findings support the idea of terrestrial materials substantially subsidizing the aquatic ecosystem Gergel et al, 1999;Karlsson et al, 2002;Lennon and Pfaff, 2005;Pace and Cole, 1996;Prairie and Kalff, 1986; and are conceptually analogous to "outwelling", where highly productive estuaries or mixing zones subsidize coastal ecosystems by discharging surplus nutrients and organic matter (Larson et al, 2013;Odum and Barrett, 2005). However prior to discharge, rivers and estuaries actively process terrigenous nutrients and carbon during transport to receiving waters (Marko et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 72%

“…The biogeochemical processes and the environmental conditions that are associated with land-to-lake gradients are locally relevant to restoration and future management of large lake ecosystems (Allen et al, 2013;Larson et al, 2013) and, on a larger scale, to global carbon cycling (Cole et al, 2007;McClain et al, 2003;Weinke et al, 2014). The knowledge gained from this research project will be a useful reference source for ongoing studies in this watershed and an important comparative source for any biogeochemical land-margin study of tributaries and their receiving waters.…”

Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 91%

“…However, only ~3% of a 3400 MT DOC load was intercepted by Muskegon Lake, while most of the DOC load was discharged to Lake Michigan. The larger fractional reduction of POC and TP could be due to consumption by heterotrophic invertebrates, larger eukaryotes and autotrophs in this highly productive mesotrophic lake (Bhagat and Ruetz, 2011;Carter et al, 2006;Larson et al, 2013), while the DOC source may be a more recalcitrant than the sources that subsidize Cedar Creek heterotrophic bacterioplankton. Even under the increased residence time of Muskegon Lake, Marko et al (2013) found that the subsidy of DOC was underutilized.…”

Section: Extended Review Of Literaturementioning

confidence: 97%

“…Along this land-to-lake gradient terrestrial subsidies combined with a host of other factors making conditions "just right" for a hot-spot to emerge, highlighting Muskegon Lake estuary a "Goldilocks Zone" of net biological productivity. On the southeastern coast of Lake Michigan a common feature of major tributaries is termination in drowned river mouth lakes, which are important water bodies for nutrient exchange with the Lake Michigan nearshore (Larson et al 2013). Drowned river mouths act as freshwater estuaries and although they are subject to Lake Michigan water levels and seiche, they are mostly protected from the action of its waves and currents.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

From land to lake: Contrasting microbial processes across a Great Lakes gradient of organic carbon and inorganic nutrient inventories

Dila

Biddanda

2015

Journal of Great Lakes Research

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Yellow perch genetic structure and habitat use among connected habitats in eastern Lake Michigan

Chorak

Ruetz

Thum

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Maintenance of genetic and phenotypic diversity is widely recognized as an important conservation priority, yet managers often lack basic information about spatial patterns of population structure and its relationship with habitat heterogeneity and species movement within it. To address this knowledge gap, we focused on the economically and ecologically prominent yellow perch (Perca flavescens). In the Lake Michigan basin, yellow perch reside in nearshore Lake Michigan, including drowned river mouths (DRMs)—protected, lake‐like habitats that link tributaries to Lake Michigan. The goal of this study was to examine the extent that population structure is associated with Great Lakes connected habitats (i.e., DRMs) in a mobile fish species using yellow perch as a model. Specifically, we tested whether DRMs and eastern Lake Michigan constitute distinct genetic stocks of yellow perch, and if so, whether those stocks migrate between the two connected habitats throughout the year. To do so, we genotyped yellow perch at 14 microsatellite loci collected from 10 DRMs in both deep and littoral habitats during spring, summer, and autumn and two nearshore sites in Lake Michigan (spring and autumn) during 2015–2016 and supplemented our sampling with fish collected in 2013. We found that yellow perch from littoral‐DRM habitats were genetically distinct from fish captured in nearshore Lake Michigan. Our data also suggested that Lake Michigan yellow perch likely use deep‐DRM habitats during autumn. Further, we found genetic structuring among DRMs. These patterns support hypotheses of fishery managers that yellow perch seasonally migrate to and from Lake Michigan, yet, interestingly, these fish do not appear to interbreed with littoral fish despite occupying the same DRM. We recommend that fisheries managers account for this complex population structure and movement when setting fishing regulations and assessing the effects of harvest in Lake Michigan.

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Great Lakes rivermouth ecosystems: Scientific synthesis and management implications

Cited by 97 publications

References 104 publications

Nitrogen cycling in Sandusky Bay, Lake Erie: oscillations between strong and weak export and implications for harmful algal blooms

Nitrogen cycling in Sandusky Bay, Lake Erie: oscillations between strong and weak export and implications for harmful algal blooms

From land to lake: Contrasting microbial processes across a Great Lakes gradient of organic carbon and inorganic nutrient inventories

Yellow perch genetic structure and habitat use among connected habitats in eastern Lake Michigan

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