Size-specific fish avoidance of the spined crustacean Bythotrephes: field support for laboratory predictions

Abstract

Stomach contents of juvenile fish and zooplankton samples taken simultaneously with fish were analyzed to determine whether young fish in Lake Superior utilize Bythotrephes (cederstroemi form), a spined crustacean present in the Great Lakes since the 1980s. Bythotrephes made up approximately 11% of the zooplankton samples on our sampling date; however, it comprised approximately 0.3% of the fish diet (N = 358 fish, 2.8–23.9 cm in total length). No fish < 7.0 cm in length (N = 208) contained Bythotrephes. According to the Manly–Chesson selectivity index, fish negatively selected or avoided the spined zooplankter. A Spearman rank correlation analysis indicated that although the number of Bythotrephes in the gut significantly increased with fish length, preference did not. These field results support predictions derived from laboratory experiments that (1) Bythotrephes is not a preferred prey item for young fish, (2) there is a threshold size of fish that can utilize Bythotrephes as a food source, and (3) as fish increase in size, they are more likely to consume Bythotrephes.

Particle Transport, Nutrient Cycling, and Algal Community Structure Associated with a Major Winter-Spring Sediment Resuspension Event in Southern Lake Michigan

“…On a lake scale, it is known that the quantity and composition of phytoplankton strongly depends upon available resources (Holland and Beeton 1972, Kilham and Hecky 1988, Makulla and Sommer 1993 including light, phosphorus, silica, and nitrogen. Food quality (the composition of phytoplankton) is a major factor affecting the composition and production rates of invertebrates (pelagic and benthic) that in turn serve as prey for forage fish in coastal ecosystems (Barnhisel and Harvey 1995, Rand et al 1995, Almond et al 1996.…”

Temperature, recreational fishing and diapause egg connections: dispersal of spiny water fleas (Bythotrephes longimanus)

“…Several studies subsequently clarified population dynamics and food-web interactions within the Great Lakes. Early on, the long tail spine was demonstrated to protect Bythotrephes from small young of the year (YOY) fish (Barnhisel 1991a, b;Barnhisel and Harvey 1995), although bigger fish could ingest large numbers of adults (Keilty 1988;Mills et al 1992;Branstrator and Lehman 1996). The spiny water flea was shown to be epilimnetic with mid-summer density oscillations (Berg and Garton 1988;Lehman 1991;Lehman and Cáceres 1993), to have high energetic demands (Lehman and Cáceres 1993;Yurista et al 2010), and to depress herbivorous cladocerans such as Daphnia mendotae, D. retrocurva, and Bosmina (Lehman and Cáceres 1993;Schulz and Yurista 1999;Barbiero and Tuchman 2004).…”

Dynamics of the invasive spiny water flea, Bythotrephes longimanus, in Lake Simcoe, Ontario, Canada

“…Top-down control of Bythotrephes abundance by planktivorous fish has been implicated in lakes in both its native (Straile andHalbich 2000, Palmer et al 2001) and invaded (Coulas et al 1998, Pothoven and Vanderploeg 2004, Pothoven et al 2007, Young and Yan 2008, Young et al 2009) ranges. The incorporation of Bythotrephes as a main prey item into the diets of large-sized fishes in Lake Simcoe is unsurprising given that Bythotrephes is a large, conspicuous member of the plankton community, with a prominent compound eye, bright pigmentation, and large coloured brood pouch (Barnhisel andHarvey 1995, Rivier 1998). In recent years, Bythotrephes may have replaced native cladocerans as the primary food resource in the summer diet of yellow perch, black crappie, pumpkinseed, and rock bass (Rose 1998).…”

“…Many species of fish depend on crustacean zooplankton as their primary food source, particularly during the larval stages in the summer months. In years when present in summer months, highly abundant, large-bodied Bythotrephes may outcompete small, gape-limited, planktivorous fish for prey (Garton et al 1993, Barnhisel and Harvey 1995, Compton and Kerfoot 2004, Jarnagin et al 2004, which could affect fish recruitment and biomass in Lake Simcoe. In turn, top predators (e.g., lake trout, walleye) will be impacted if the abundance of their primary or preferred prey items (e.g., lake herring, rainbow smelt) are affected by changes in the abundance or biomass of lower trophic levels.…”

“…data). In addition to these impacts on zooplankton, Bythotrephes may also have direct impacts on the fish community by competing with young-of-year fish for zooplankton prey, while its caudal spine may discourage predation by small fish (Garton et al 1993, Barnhisel and Harvey 1995, Compton and Kerfoot 2004, Jarnagin et al 2004. Bythotrephes seems to comprise a large portion of the summer diet of many Lake Simcoe fish (Rose 1998, Amtstaetter 2000, MacRae 2001, Johanson and Amtstaetter 2004, which may have consequences for fish condition and growth because Bythotrephes may provide different nutritional resources than native zooplankton prey.…”