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Utility of Macrophyte Habitat for Juvenile Fishes: Contrasting Use in Turbid and Clearwater Conditions of Maumee Bay, Lake Erie

Miller, Jacob William
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1434633926

Abstract Details

2015, Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, Biological Sciences.
Many of the lake-dwelling fish species of Lake Erie rely on shallow, heavily vegetated bays as spawning grounds to increase offspring probability of survival during early life stages. Multiple complex abiotic and biotic factors can affect mortality especially during early life stages; the loss or absence of suitable habitat is one of these key factors leading to poor recruitment of fish species. Submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV)/macrophyte beds in clearwater systems act as refuges for juvenile fish decreasing mortality from predation while foraging on prey resources. However, it also has been shown that river discharge “plumes” (areas of high turbidity) may act as habitat/refuge for young-of-the-year fishes. The Maumee River and Maumee Bay, once with abundant macrophyte beds, have experienced substantive increases in suspended solids over the last century. Historical introduction of benthivorous feeding carp (especially Cyprinus carpio), sediment pollution from surface runoff in the surrounding watershed and relatively high wave energy further increases the levels of turbidity in bays and decrease the amount of SAV habitat. The potential colonization of western Lake Erie by Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) could further reduce the distribution of the SAV that may serve as a crucial habitat for economically and ecologically important Lake Erie fish species. I mapped the distribution of macrophytes in the northern section of Maumee Bay to quantify the utilization of SAV by juvenile fishes and the current distribution of SAV. In summer 2014 I used side scan sonar images processed in Quester Tangent™ computer programs in order to provide this baseline distribution. The 300-hectare mapped area was primarily inhabited by two SAV species, eel grass (Vallisneria americana) and variable pondweed iv (Potamogeton gramineus), and this SAV was distributed over 43.7% of the area (131.2 hectares). The distribution of SAV seemed to be more related to the influx of sediments (increased turbidity) from the Ottawa and Maumee Rivers than depth, since the depth was fairly consistent throughout the surveyed area. Using an active capture gear (neuston net, 9.5 mm mesh), I sampled the communities of juvenile fish utilizing the open (turbid) and SAV habitat areas. The areas of SAV contained a greater species richness than the surrounding turbid habitat (averaging 8.6 species vs. 5 species), and was dominated by juvenile centrarchids including Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides), Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) and Black Crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus) (3,334 individuals vs 99 individuals). The ecologically valuable fish species Western Banded Killifish (Fundulus diaphanus menona), Logperch (Percina caprodes) and Bluntnose Minnow (Pimephales notatus) serve as important food resource for larger piscivorous games fish species and preferred SAV habitat. This evidence suggests that SAV still serves as a crucial habitat for juvenile fish species even when the surrounding water column is turbid. SAV distributions should be preserved and enhanced in the western bays of Lake Erie to maintain/expand a crucial nursery habitat for economically and ecologically valuable fish species.
Jeff Miner, Dr. (Advisor)
Patrick Kocovsky, Dr. (Committee Member)
Dan Wiegman, Dr. (Committee Member)
54 p.
Aquatic Sciences; Biology; Environmental Management; Wildlife Conservation; Wildlife Management
Submerged Aquatic Vegetation SAV; juvenile fish communities; centrarchid; estuaries; side-scan sonar

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Miller, J. W. (2015). Utility of Macrophyte Habitat for Juvenile Fishes: Contrasting Use in Turbid and Clearwater Conditions of Maumee Bay, Lake Erie [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1434633926

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Miller, Jacob. Utility of Macrophyte Habitat for Juvenile Fishes: Contrasting Use in Turbid and Clearwater Conditions of Maumee Bay, Lake Erie. 2015. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1434633926.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Miller, Jacob. "Utility of Macrophyte Habitat for Juvenile Fishes: Contrasting Use in Turbid and Clearwater Conditions of Maumee Bay, Lake Erie." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1434633926

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.