Sculpin Predation on Lake Trout Eggs in Interstices: Skull Compression as a Novel Foraging Mechanism

Marsden, J. Ellen; Tobi, Harrison

doi:10.1643/ce-14-016

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…For instance, biomass of lake trout declined after extirpation of prey species, including slimy sculpin (Kidd et al 2014). Conversely, slimy sculpins have been observed predating on eggs of large-bodied species, such as lake trout (Bunnell et al 2014;Marsden and Tobi 2014) and sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka (Walbaum in Artedi, 1792); Dittman et al 1998). The position and relationships of slimy sculpins in local and regional food webs is an important area for expanded research.…”

Section: Comparison With Other Indicatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Adult slimy sculpin preferentially select boulders, whereas young-of-the-year (YOY) tend to select gravel and rubble (Mundahl et al 2012a). The fish is also capable of squeezing through openings 19% smaller than their head width (Marsden and Tobi 2014). Furthermore, sculpins tend to prefer cold water, but like other stream fishes would also be affected by interactions of chemical and physical environment (e.g., pH and habitat; Warren et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The biology and ecology of slimy sculpin: A recipe for effective environmental monitoring

Gray

Curry

Arciszewski

et al. 2018

FACETS

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Recently, the use of small-bodied fish in environmental monitoring has increased, particularly within the Canadian environmental effects monitoring (EEM) and other adaptive programs. Although it is possible to measure changes with many small-bodied species, interpretation is often complicated by the absence of information on the biology and ecology of fish not of commercial, recreational, or traditional interest. Knowing and understanding the basic biology of these fishes aids in the sensitivity of study designs (i.e., ability to detect change) and the interpretation of all biological levels of responses (e.g., cellular to community). The increased use of slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus Richardson, 1836) in impact assessment studies in North America provides a considerable amount of information on life history aspects. The slimy sculpin has the most ubiquitous North American distribution among cottids but yet has a very small home range, thus integrating environmental conditions of localized areas. This paper describes aspects of slimy sculpin life cycle that affect collection efficiency and timing, and describes and provides data collected over more than 10 years of studies at more than 20 reference study sites. This overview provides a functional and informative compilation to support adaptive environmental monitoring and provide a baseline for comparative ecological study.

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Section: Comparison With Other Indicatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The biology and ecology of slimy sculpin: A recipe for effective environmental monitoring

Gray

Curry

Arciszewski

et al. 2018

FACETS

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“…An apparent lack of less-impacted reaches in Garvin Brook (severe flooding affected the entire stream, extending from headwater springs downstream to the confluence with the Mississippi River) suggests that survival in refuges was most likely, especially since even young-of-year sculpin were large enough by August to significantly reduce their vulnerability to elevated current velocities [5,22]. Slimy sculpin also have the ability to squeeze into extremely tight spaces by compressing their skull widths by up to 20% [46], which would permit them to retreat into very small openings beneath large boulders or into cracks between layers of sedimentary limestone bedrock that are common in regional streams [47], allowing them to wait out catastrophic flows in protected spaces. A study conducted in Gilmore Creek reported that slimy sculpin were more abundant a short time after the flood than they were prior to flooding [31].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diets, Condition, and Reproductive Fitness of Slimy Sculpin (Uranidea cognata) after Catastrophic Flooding in Trout Streams in Southeastern Minnesota, USA

Mundahl

2024

Fishes

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Slimy sculpin (Uranidea cognata) inhabit coldwater streams in southeastern Minnesota, USA, many of which were subjected to probable 2000-year flood events in August 2007. Floods scoured streambeds, created new stream channels, and greatly reduced benthic invertebrate communities that serve as the primary food resource for sculpin. Diets and Fulton condition of sculpin in Gilmore Creek (with moderate flooding) and Garvin Brook (with very severe flooding) had been examined just prior to flooding and were re-examined 2 weeks after flooding to assess possible diet and condition changes. Diets, body condition, and reproductive fitness of sculpin were examined 7 months post-flood in these same two streams, plus nearby Trout Run (which also experienced very severe flooding). Sculpin condition declined slightly post-flood in Garvin Brook but improved in Gilmore Creek. Prior to spring spawning, the condition of Garvin Brook sculpin had improved, but Gilmore Creek fish condition had worsened. Sculpin diets were more diverse before and after flooding in Gilmore Creek than in Garvin Brook, although the diets of fish from both streams were dominated (>55%) by midge (Diptera: Chironomidae) larvae. Diets remained largely unchanged before versus after flooding in the more severely flooded Garvin Brook, but they changed in Gilmore Creek, becoming more midge-dominated. Prey number per sculpin stomach declined post-flood in Gilmore Creek but not in Garvin Brook, although the dry mass of prey/fish wet mass declined post-flood in both streams. Pre-spawn sculpin displayed no patterns in reproductive fitness (gonadosomatic index, hepatosomatic index, oocyte number) among the three streams that may have been related to flooding severity the previous summer. Sculpin diets and condition were not altered as expected by flooding, and food resource recovery apparently was rapid enough to prevent longer-term impacts on sculpin condition and reproductive fitness in the streams examined.

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“…An apparent lack of less-impacted reaches in Garvin Brook (severe flooding affected the entire stream, extending from headwater springs downstream to the confluence with the Mississippi River) suggests that survival in refuges was most likely, especially since even young-ofyear sculpin were large enough by August to significantly reduce their vulnerability to elevated current velocities [5,22]. Slimy sculpin also have the ability to squeeze into extremely tight spaces by compressing their skull widths by up to 20% [42], which would permit them to retreat into very small openings beneath large boulders or into cracks between layers of sedimentary limestone bedrock that are common in regional streams [43], allowing them to wait out catastrophic flows in protected spaces. A study conducted in Gilmore Creek reported that slimy sculpin were more abundant a short time after the flood than they were prior to flooding [31].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diets, Condition, and Reproductive Fitness of Slimy Sculpin (Uranidea cognata) after Catastrophic Flooding in Trout Streams in Southeastern Minnesota, USA

Mundahl

2024

Preprint

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Slimy sculpin (Uranidea cognata) inhabitat coldwater streams in southeastern Minnesota, USA, many of which were subjected to probable 2000-year flood events in August 2007. Floods scoured streambeds, created new stream channels, and greatly reduced benthic invertebrate communities that serve as the primary food resource for sculpin. Diets and Fulton condition of sculpin in Gilmore Creek (with moderate flooding) and Garvin Brook (with very severe flooding) had been examined just prior to flooding, and were re-examined two weeks after flooding to assess possible diet and condition changes. Diets, condition, and reproductive fitness of sculpin were examined seven months post-flood in these same two streams, plus nearby Trout run (also experienced very severe flooding). Sculpin condition declined significantly post-flood in Garvin Brook, but improved in Gilmore Creek. Prior to spring spawning, condition of Garvin Brook sculpin had improved, but Gilmore Creek fish condition worsened. Sculpin diets were more diverse before and after flooding in Gilmore Creek than in Garvin Brook, although diets of fish from both streams were dominated (>55%) by midge (Diptera: Chironomidae) larvae. Diets differed significantly before versus after flooding in the more severely flooded Garvin Brook, but not in Gilmore Creek. Prey number per sculpin stomach declined post-flood in Gilmore Creek, but not in Garvin Brook, although dry mass of prey/fish wet mass declined post-flood in both streams. Pre-spawn sculpin displayed no patterns in reproductive fitness (gonadosomatic index, hepatosomatic index, oocyte number) among the three streams that may have been related to flooding severity the previous summer. Although sculpin diets and condition were altered significantly immediately post-flood in the more severely flooded stream, food resource recovery apparently was rapid enough to prevent longer-term impacts on sculpin condition and reproductive fitness.

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Sculpin Predation on Lake Trout Eggs in Interstices: Skull Compression as a Novel Foraging Mechanism

Cited by 7 publications

References 21 publications

The biology and ecology of slimy sculpin: A recipe for effective environmental monitoring

The biology and ecology of slimy sculpin: A recipe for effective environmental monitoring

Diets, Condition, and Reproductive Fitness of Slimy Sculpin (Uranidea cognata) after Catastrophic Flooding in Trout Streams in Southeastern Minnesota, USA

Diets, Condition, and Reproductive Fitness of Slimy Sculpin (Uranidea cognata) after Catastrophic Flooding in Trout Streams in Southeastern Minnesota, USA

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