Site fidelity of slimy sculpin (<i>Cottus cognatus</i>): insights from stable carbon and nitrogen analysis

Gray, Michelle A.; Cunjak, Rick; Munkittrick, Kelly R.

doi:10.1139/f04-108

Cited by 60 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 22 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Although there was variability in the degree of individual movements (0.5-101 m), results from the study in the Kennebecasis River provide evidence that slimy sculpin display a relatively high degree of both spatial and temporal residency. These conclusions of low mobility corroborate the findings of Gray et al (2004) in another river using stable isotope data. In that study, low variance and absence of large outliers in sculpin carbon data from the Little River indicated that few sculpin moved between sites, and they were not feeding over a broad spatial scale.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Discrete patterns in d 13 C in riverine biota were also found by Finlay (2001), Bunn et al (2003) and Forsberg et al (1993) and further indicate the potential for identifying foraging and habitat use at the sub-basin and basin scales. In this case study, then, distinct isotopic signatures (Gray et al 2004) and PIT-tracking data (this study) collectively suggest that slimy sculpin display strong site fidelity and reflect local environmental conditions. These attributes endorse the species as a suitable sentinel for environmental research when residency is an important factor.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 58%

“…Recent research by Gray et al (2004) in the Little River of northern New Brunswick showed that there was an incremental enrichment of approximately 5& in d 13 C in the muscle tissue of slimy sculpin, from headwaters to sites downstream (a 30-km distance). The sitespecific signatures suggested that slimy sculpin were not moving long distances among sites, and were incorporating their isotopic signatures over a small spatial scale.…”

Section: Case Study 3-slimy Sculpin St John Rivermentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Using stable isotope analysis with telemetry or mark-recapture data to identify fish movement and foraging

Roussel²,

et al. 2005

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Information about animal movements has often been inferred from stable isotope analysis (SIA), but is dependent on animals assimilating site-specific isotopic signatures via diet. This potential weakness in ecological interpretation can be overcome by using other investigative tools that provide precise information about individual movement patterns. In this paper, we demonstrate the value of combining SIA with telemetry or mark-recapture data from trapping, electrofishing and remote detection of individuals to study the movement and feeding ecology of fishes in different habitats. In a fjord lake system in Newfoundland, Canada, juvenile Atlantic salmon delayed downstream migration (smolts) or actively moved into a large lake (parr) where they foraged for periods reflecting different life history strategies. In the Miramichi River (New Brunswick, Canada), SIA provided evidence of distinct foraging habitats (tributary versus large river). By tracking fish implanted with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags, we distinguished between movements related to foraging versus seeking cool water refugia during high temperature events. Finally, site fidelity and limited mobility of slimy sculpin, a small benthic fish, was established where delta13C in muscle tissue showed a progressive enrichment downstream and where a median displacement of <10 m was estimated for sculpin tagged with PIT tags. Technological improvements have permitted non-destructive tissue sampling of wild fishes for SIA, and the tagging and remote detection of animals smaller than was previously possible. These advancements and the combination of investigative tools promise new insights into animal ecology.

show abstract

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 58%

Section: Case Study 3-slimy Sculpin St John Rivermentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Using stable isotope analysis with telemetry or mark-recapture data to identify fish movement and foraging

Roussel²,

et al. 2005

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…15-20 mm long) so their capacity to increase foraging rate is limited. The potential for an aggregational response is limited because slimy sculpin are relatively sedentary in streams (Morgan and Ringler 1992;Gray et al 2004). An across-generation numerical response of sculpin to salmon was unlikely in our 2-year experiment as sculpin reproduce annually.…”

Section: Importance For Populationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predators reverse the direction of density dependence for juvenile salmon mortality

Ward¹,

Nislow²,

Folt³

2008

Oecologia

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The effect of predators on prey populations depends on how predator-caused mortality changes with prey population density. Predators can enforce density-dependent prey mortality and contribute to population stability, but only if they have a positive numerical or behavioral response to increased prey density. Otherwise, predator saturation can result in inversely density-dependent mortality, destabilizing prey populations and increasing extinction risk. Juvenile salmon and trout provide some of the clearest empirical examples of density-dependent mortality in animal populations. However, although juvenile salmon are very vulnerable to predators, the demographic effects of predators on juvenile salmon are unknown. We tested the interactive effects of predators and population density on the mortality of juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) using controlled releases of salmon in natural streams. We introduced newly hatched juvenile salmon at three population density treatments in six study streams, half of which contained slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus), a common generalist predator (18 release sites in total, repeated over two summers). Sculpin reversed the direction of density dependence for juvenile salmon mortality. Salmon mortality was density dependent in streams with no sculpin, but inversely density dependent in streams where sculpin were abundant. Such predator-mediated inverse density dependence is especially problematic for prey populations suppressed by other factors, thereby presenting a fundamental challenge to persistence of rare populations and restoration of extirpated populations.

show abstract

“…Both the supply rates of C and N to algae and also the isotopic composition of these elements are affected by the boundary layer resulting in important changes to standard isotopic fractionation recognized for phytoplankton (Hecky and Hesslein 1995). Benthic algae develop isotopic signatures that can vary with water depth and location (Hershey and Peterson 1996;Gray et al 2004). Specifically, it is expected that variation in light, temperature, and physical mixing associated with depth generates variation in isotope composition in benthic lake food webs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Depth variation in isotopic composition of benthic resources and assessment of sculpin feeding patterns in an oligotrophic Alaskan lake

Cummings

Schindler

2013

Aquat Ecol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Stable isotopes of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) are commonly used to track resource flows through lake food webs. However, there remains a weak understanding of the spatial variation in isotopic composition of benthic resources and how this variation affects inference about energy flows among species. Boundary layers at the interface between benthic substrates and the overlying water column restrict diffusion of nutrients and carbon from the water column to benthic algae and may affect the isotopic composition of benthic algae as nutrient and CO 2 concentrations can become locally depleted in the benthic boundary layer. We quantified the variation in C and N stable isotope composition of benthic resources along a depth gradient in a large oligotrophic lake to assess the magnitude of change in stable isotope composition. Snails were increasingly depleted in 13 C with depth, by about 10 % from 0 to 20 m, while 15 N in snails showed only subtle enrichment over this depth range. Sculpin (Cottas aleuticus) d 13 C and d 15 N signatures did not significantly change with depth and were more enriched in 15 N than would be expected from consumption of snails alone. A comparison of d 13 C and d 15 N values from sculpins relative to shallow and deep snails, and alternative prey (marine-derived salmon resources), within a mixing model suggested sculpins feed selectively on deep grazers in this system in addition to marinederived resources provided by migrating sockeye salmon. This study illustrates the importance of accounting for depth-related variation in isotope patterns when assessing benthic resource contributions to food webs using stable isotope data.

show abstract

Site fidelity of slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus): insights from stable carbon and nitrogen analysis

Cited by 60 publications

References 22 publications

Using stable isotope analysis with telemetry or mark-recapture data to identify fish movement and foraging

Using stable isotope analysis with telemetry or mark-recapture data to identify fish movement and foraging

Predators reverse the direction of density dependence for juvenile salmon mortality

Depth variation in isotopic composition of benthic resources and assessment of sculpin feeding patterns in an oligotrophic Alaskan lake

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About