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Fish Migration as an Ecosystem Linkage between Lake Erie and its Tributaries

Pritt, Jeremy Joseph
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1396277643

Abstract Details

2014, Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
Migratory fish are globally harvested by humans and are important to ecosystem function. The management of migratory fish depends on an ability to monitor populations and a sound understanding of the role of fish migrations in an ecosystem context. Lake Erie is a highly productive freshwater fishery and many of Lake Erie’s fishes are potamodromous, migrating from Lake Erie into tributaries to spawn. The goal of this dissertation was to improve methods for monitoring migratory fishes and examine the role of fish migrations in ecosystem processes. First, I developed techniques for monitoring spawning stocks of migratory fishes in the Maumee River, one of Lake Erie’s largest tributaries, using hydroacoustic sampling, gill net sampling, and Bayesian state-space modeling. I determined that the spawning stock abundance for Walleye was approximately 650,000 fish in 2011 and 550,000 individuals in 2012. Second, I examined the importance of fish migrations as a material subsidy to upstream riverine consumers using stable isotope analysis. I found that although migratory fish inputs (eggs and carcasses) were a negligible pool of carbon relative to other sources. However, migratory fish biomass had low carbon to nitrogen ratios, indicating high nutritional quality, and stable isotope analysis supported the hypothesis that some riverine fishes and invertebrates consume these inputs. Third, I estimated detection probabilities for larval fishes in the Maumee and Detroit rivers and demonstrated how detection information can be used to inform indices of abundance and taxonomic richness estimates. Detection probabilities varied among taxa and were generally greater in the Maumee River than the Detroit River. Taxa with the greatest detection probabilities were those with high fecundities, small hatching lengths, and no nesting behaviors. Accounting for incomplete detection greatly increased an index of abundance for a species with low detection probability but had a relatively minor influence on a species with high detection probability. Fourth, I conducted a literature review to synthesize habitat use of larval fishes in the Great Lakes. Habitat use varied among species, with some preferring nearshore, shallow habitats and others preferring offshore, deep habitats. From this information, I created three habitat groups: Lotic, Lentic Nearshore, and Lentic Offshore. Life history traits partially explained species’ membership into the three habitat groups and may be useful for predicting the response of larval fishes to habitat restoration and possible habitat use of future invasive species. My study provides methodological advances for the monitoring of adults and larvae of migratory. I also showed that migratory fish are used as a food source by some resident fishes in lower reaches of Lake Erie tributaries; however, I hypothesize that the importance of migratory fish to upstream ecosystems has been diminished by anthropogenic disturbances. Thus, ecosystem-based management efforts should therefore consider the potential importance of migratory fish as ecosystem linkages.
Christine Mayer (Committee Chair)
Thomas Bridgeman (Committee Member)
Johan Gottgens (Committee Member)
Patrick Kocovsky (Committee Member)
Edward Roseman (Committee Member)
197 p.
Ecology; Freshwater Ecology; Wildlife Management
Fish migration, ecosystem linkages, larval fish, hydroacoustics, stable isotopes

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Pritt, J. J. (2014). Fish Migration as an Ecosystem Linkage between Lake Erie and its Tributaries [Doctoral dissertation, University of Toledo]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1396277643

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Pritt, Jeremy. Fish Migration as an Ecosystem Linkage between Lake Erie and its Tributaries. 2014. University of Toledo, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1396277643.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Pritt, Jeremy. "Fish Migration as an Ecosystem Linkage between Lake Erie and its Tributaries." Doctoral dissertation, University of Toledo, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1396277643

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

toledo1396277643
641
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This open access ETD is published by University of Toledo and OhioLINK.