Who spawns where? Temperature, elevation, and discharge differentially affect the distribution of breeding by six Pacific salmonids within a large river basin

Austin, Catherine S.; Torgersen, Christian E.; Quinn, Thomas P.

doi:10.1139/cjfas-2022-0252

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 84 publications

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“…The winter spawning cohort was associated with lower water temperatures but higher discharges than the spring spawning cohort, and both cohorts showed elevation‐related condition preferences. The results of this study highlight the importance of high‐elevation habitats for S. thermalis spawning, supporting the idea that fish reproduction is adaptive to elevation‐related environmental changes (e.g., water temperature and discharge; Austin et al., 2023), and provides new information (e.g., winter spawning at high elevations) on the reproductive characteristics of schizothoracine fishes.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Spawning cohort trade‐offs of reproductive time and output in cyprinid fish along an elevation gradient

Liu,

Ding,

Bond

et al. 2023

Ecology of Freshwater Fish

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Understanding environmental requirements for fish reproduction in natural habitats is crucial for population conservation and restoration. However, such information is extremely scarce for the highly threatened schizothoracine fishes that cover large elevation ranges on the Tibetan Plateau. This research investigated the spawning time, output and environmental conditions of wild Schizopygopsis thermalis along an elevational gradient (i.e., from 1766 to 4372 m) in the upper Nu‐Salween River. It found that the spawning grounds of S. thermalis were mainly located at elevations between 3600 and 4372 m, and spawning habitats mostly consist of still marginal areas (still water <10 cm deep) with gravel substrates. Otolith microstructure analysis revealed, for the first time, that S. thermalis spawns in two seasons (i.e., winter: from December to next February, and spring: from April to May), with the winter spawning period generally longer than the spring spawning period. Winter spawning started earlier and ended earlier at higher elevations, while spring spawning occurred earlier at lower elevations but ended simultaneously at higher elevations. As elevation increases, reproductive output also increases, and spawning cohorts shift from winter‐dominant to spring‐dominant. Winter spawning cohorts were associated with lower water temperatures but higher discharges than the spring spawning cohort, and both cohorts showed elevation‐related environmental preferences. Our results suggest that schizothoracine fish can adapt spawning strategies to elevation‐related environmental conditions, which fill the gaps in the reproductive characteristics of schizothoracine fishes, and highlight the importance of conserving schizothoracine habitats at high elevations in the Qinghai‐Tibetan rivers.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Spawning cohort trade‐offs of reproductive time and output in cyprinid fish along an elevation gradient

Liu,

Ding,

Bond

et al. 2023

Ecology of Freshwater Fish

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“…The Dungeness and Puyallup rivers had similarly high ratios of hatchery to wild coho salmon so that attribute does not explain the result. Some aspect of the distribution of breeding and fry emergence (primarily in the tributaries of the Skagit River rather than the river itself [57]), and their subsequent rearing and movements, presumably contributes to these patterns.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social influences complement environmental cues to stimulate migrating juvenile salmon

Kururvilla,

Quinn,

Anderson

et al. 2024

Preprint

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BackgroundThe large-scale seasonal migrations undertaken by many species require complex navigational and timing decisions. Animals migrating in groups might benefit from collective decision making, especially if the environment is noisy (i.e., has high degree of local variation rather than smooth gradients in, for example, salinity or temperature), unpredictable, or the migrants cannot rely on individually acquired information. We focus on juvenile salmon whose migration from fresh water to the ocean is timed to match suitable conditions for growth and survival. While the environmental and physiological factors that influence the timing of migration have been well studied, the influence of social interactions on migration timing is poorly understood.MethodWe compiled juvenile salmon data, collected at trap over 19 years, during their downstream seaward migration in three rivers in Washington state along with a suite of relevant environmental time series. We developed state space statistical models to estimate the influence of hatchery-produced salmon to stimulate the downstream migration of wild salmon, while also incorporating potential environmental stimuli.ResultsOur results are consistent with the “pied-piper” hypothesis that large numbers of migrating hatchery-origin salmon provide a social cue stimulating migration of co-occurring wild salmon. The number of hatchery salmon counted at the trap was a strong predictor of the number of wild sub-yearling Chinook salmon in the Dungeness and Puyallup rivers and on yearling coho salmon in the Puyallup and Skagit rivers. Migration timing was also influenced by a suite of physical factors related to temperature, river flow, photoperiod, and lunar phase.ConclusionsOur findings highlight the potential for social cues to affect migration timing of downstream migrating salmon, in concert with environmental factors. Incorporating social information into timing decisions may allow animals to benefit from collective decision making strategies and better time their migrations. Moreover, understanding the effects of large-scale hatchery releases on wild salmon migration may provide valuable insights for planning the timing and duration of hatchery releases.

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Movements of anadromous coastal cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii) in Puget Sound, Washington, USA

Quinn,

Arostegui,

Ellings

et al. 2024

Environ Biol Fish

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Who spawns where? Temperature, elevation, and discharge differentially affect the distribution of breeding by six Pacific salmonids within a large river basin

Cited by 4 publications

References 84 publications

Spawning cohort trade‐offs of reproductive time and output in cyprinid fish along an elevation gradient

Spawning cohort trade‐offs of reproductive time and output in cyprinid fish along an elevation gradient

Social influences complement environmental cues to stimulate migrating juvenile salmon

Movements of anadromous coastal cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii) in Puget Sound, Washington, USA

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