Production and dispersion of freshwater, anadromous, and marine fish larvae in and around a river plume in subarctic Hudson Bay, Canada
TL;DR: The timing and extent of the Great Whale River freshet influenced the distribution of marine fish larvae in southeastern Hudson Bay and determined the moment when the larvae of anadromous and freshwater species entered the Bay.
Abstract: From 1988 to 1990, fish larvae were sampled before, during, and after ice breakup within and outside the plume of the Great Whale River off Kuujjuarapik, southeastern Hudson Bay, Canada. Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) and sand lance (Ammodytes spp.) were the most abundant larvae. Half of the larval fish taxa emerged before the ice broke up in the Bay. The highest densities of Arctic cod, sand lance, slender eelblenny, and gelatinous snailfish larvae were in salinities exceeding 25 practical salinity units (p.s.u.). Arctic shanny, sculpins, and capelin larvae were more abundant at salinities between 1 and 25 p.s.u.. Burbot and coregonid larvae were clearly associated with fresh or brackish waters even when caught in the Bay. The timing and extent of the Great Whale River freshet influenced the distribution of marine fish larvae in southeastern Hudson Bay and determined the moment when the larvae of anadromous and freshwater species entered the Bay.
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Book•
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01 Jan 1999
TL;DR: In this paper, the Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology at the University of Pennsylvania has offered a course to explore the population, community, and ecosystem ecology of fishes in streams, lakes, and marshes.
Abstract: In this course, taught at the Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology in northwest Pennsylvania, students will explore the population, community, and ecosystem ecology of fishes. We will conduct field investigations in streams, lakes, and marshes. Students will attend background lectures, conduct experiments and field surveys, participate in data collection and analysis, and gain experience in the interpretation and presentation of results. We will learn how to integrate math, physics, chemistry, and biology in our study of fishes. In addition, we seek to expose students to current research in fish ecology. Students will participate in the design of experiments, data analysis, and hone their presentation skills. Most importantly, they will leave the course with a greater knowledge of and appreciation for Pennsylvania’s rich diversity of fishes.
438 citations
TL;DR: Several recent lines of evidence indicate that the polar night is key to understanding Arctic marine ecosystems, and it appears that many organisms may exhibit endogenous rhythms that trigger fitness-maximizing activities in the absence of light-based cues.
150 citations
Cites background from "Production and dispersion of freshw..."
...…life history traits of polar cod larvae in particular in relation to hatching time and survival of first feeding larvae (Sekerak, 1982; Craig et al., 1982; Cannon et al., 1991; Ponton and Fortier, 1992; Gilbert et al., 1992, Ponton et al., 1993; Fortier et al., 1996, 2006; Michaud et al., 1996)....
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TL;DR: The fate of ice-bottom algae, before and after release from the first-year sea ice into the water column, was assessed during the period of ice algal growth and decline in Resolute Passage (Canadian Arctic) as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The fate of ice-bottom algae, before and after release from the first-year sea ice into the water column, was assessed during the period of ice-algal growth and decline in Resolute Passage (Canadian Arctic). During spring 1992 (from April to June), algae in the bottom ice layer and those suspended and sinking in the upper water column (top 15 m) were sampled approximately every 4 days. Ice-bottom chlorophyll a reached a maximum concentration of 160 mg m−2 in mid-May, after which it decreased to lower values. In the water column, chlorophyll a concentrations were low until the period of ice-algal decline (∼0.1 mg m−3), with most biomass in the 65% of total export) and that ice-algae were ingested by under-ice grazers after release from the ice. These results stress the importance of ice algae for pelagic consumers during the early stages of ice melt and show that the transfer of ice algae to higher trophic levels extends beyond the period of maximum algal production in the ice bottom.
137 citations
TL;DR: It is argued that thorough, taxonomic and habitat-based comparisons of intrinsic properties of fish larvae are required to adequately project potential impacts of climate change on the distribution and productivity of marine fish species.
Abstract: We review intrinsic traits of the early life stages of marine fishes to gain a better understanding of how climate-driven changes in abiotic (temperature) and biotic (match–mismatch dynamics with prey) factors may differ among taxonomic groups and/or habitats (from low to high latitudes). Intrinsic traits related to the thermal sensitivity of development of endogenously feeding life stages included the time required for eggs to hatch (58 species, 26 families), the size of larvae at hatch (31 spp., 15 families) and the time required for young larvae to deplete energy reserves (48 spp., 22 families). These intrinsic factors will influence spatiotemporal match–mismatch dynamics at first feeding, a critical period for growth and survival. In exogenously feeding larvae, key intrinsic traits reviewed included differences in early morphology and developmental trajectories (64 spp., 20 families) and the foraging ability of marine fish larvae. Routine and critical swimming speeds were 5–10 times higher in the larvae of species from low (tropical) versus higher (temperate/polar) latitudes. Based solely on routine metabolic losses (26 spp., 15 families), sevenfold increases in larval foraging requirements were estimated between 5 and 25 °C to offset starvation. Finally, a thorough review of larval diets (57 spp., 20 families) found clear differences (particularly at first feeding) by taxon and habitat. Our review and synthesis highlights gaps in knowledge and recommends future research directions to stengthen how larval development, feeding, and growth are depicted within individual-based models, which are useful tools for examining climate-driven processes affecting marine fishes and how intrinsic properties and extrinsic factors interact to influence survival. We argue that thorough, taxonomic and habitat-based comparisons of intrinsic properties of fish larvae are required to adequately project potential impacts of climate change on the distribution and productivity of marine fish species.
127 citations
TL;DR: A review of the recent history of salmon in the Arctic and various patterns of climate change that may influence range expansions and future sustainability in Arc- tic habitats is given in this article, along with a summary of the research needs that will allow informed expectation of further Arctic coloniza- tion by salmon.
Abstract: In the warming Arctic, aquatic habitats are in flux and salmon are exploring their options. Adult Pacific salmon, including sockeye (Oncorhynchus nerka), coho (O. kisutch), Chinook (O. tshawytscha), pink (O. gorbuscha) and chum (O. keta) have been captured throughout the Arctic. Pink and chum salmon are the most common species found in the Arctic today. These species are less dependent on freshwater habitats as juveniles and grow quickly in marine hab- itats. Putative spawning populations are rare in the North American Arctic and limited to pink salmon in drainages north of Point Hope, Alaska, chum salmon spawning rivers draining to the northwestern Beaufort Sea, and small populations of chum and pink salmon in Canada's Mackenzie River. Pacific salmon have colonized several large river basins draining to the Kara, Laptev and East Siberian seas in the Russian Arctic. These populations probably developed from hatchery supplementation efforts in the 1960's. Hundreds of populations of Arctic Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) are found in Russia, Norway and Finland. Atlantic salmon have extended their range eastward as far as the Kara Sea in central Russian. A small native population of Atlantic salmon is found in Canada's Ungava Bay. The northern tip of Quebec seems to be an Atlantic salmon migration barrier for other North American stocks. Compatibility between life history requirements and ecological conditions are prerequisite for salmon colonizing Arctic habitats. Broad-scale predictive models of climate change in the Arctic give little information about feedback pro- cesses contributing to local conditions, especially in freshwater systems. This paper reviews the recent history of salmon in the Arctic and explores various patterns of climate change that may influence range expansions and future sustainability of salmon in Arc- tic habitats. A summary of the research needs that will allow informed expectation of further Arctic coloniza- tion by salmon is given.
80 citations
Cites background from "Production and dispersion of freshw..."
...Many northern anadromous fishes time their emergence to the breakup of ice at the river mouth and the development of the river plume (Ponton et al. 1993)....
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...Fresher nearshore waters may introduce and select for new trophic assemblages (Falk-Peterson et al. 2006), with varying impacts on the long-term trends of predator–prey relationships that could affect Arctic salmon distribution and abundance....
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...The timing of spawning and the selection of spawning sites by anadromous fish is particularly critical to recruitment success in the Arctic (Ponton et al. 1993)....
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...Exploited fish stocks can be particularly prone to environmental noise (Rouyer et al. 2010)....
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...Despite long winters, highly diverse delta ecosystems provide significant habitat for many Arctic fishes (Ponton et al. 1993), and are important to the salmon that currently inhabit the Arctic (Irvine et al. 2009b)....
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References
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Book•
01 Jan 1988
TL;DR: For the past twenty years, the standard reference on the varieties of species native to the Canadian Atlantic region was A.H. Scott's Fishes of the Atlantic Coast of Canada, now replaced as a comprehensive guide to over 500 species found the region.
Abstract: For the past twenty years, the standard reference on the varieties of species native to the Canadian Atlantic region was A.H. Leim and W.B. Scott's Fishes of the Atlantic Coast of Canada. This new work, by W.B. Scott in collaboration with M.G. Scott, now replaces the earlier volume as a comprehensive guide to over 500 species found the region. Arranged in three parts, it offers keys to families, or major categories, and to the members, ot species, within each family. Accounts for each include habitat, reproduction, food, growth, predation, parasites and diseases, distribution, utilization, and physical description. An introduction provides an overview of Canadian Atlantic fisheries and the oceanography of the region. Fully illustrated, this long awaited volume will be indispensable to all those involved in the fisheries resource and allied studies.
817 citations
"Production and dispersion of freshw..." refers background in this paper
...Three of the 14 families of marine fish inhabiting Hudson Bay were not represented in our samples: Zoarcidae (three Arctic species) whose reproduction is poorly documented (Scott and Scott 1988), Cyclopteridae (three non-Arctic species) whose larvae are never truly planktonic (Russel 1976), and Clupeidae (Clupea harengus)....
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01 Jan 1989
TL;DR: The required ingestion to support average growth rate increased threefold in the 10°_ 30°C range, indicating that fish larvae in warm seas may be more likely to starve than larvae in cold seas and density-depen dent regulation is more probable in high than in low latitudes.
Abstract: Vital rates and energetics of marine fish larvae were examined in relation to tempera ture to determine if recruitment potential and spawning strategies might vary as a consequence of differences in these traits among species. Litera ture-derived values of growth rates, mortality rates. larval stage durations, gross growth efficien cies, and oxygen uptakes were considered. Results were presumed to reflect latitudinal variation among species. Instantaneous daily growth and mortality rates each increased approximately 0.01 per °C increase in temperature. But. there was no significant regression of gross growth efficiency on temperature (mean K) = 0.29), indicating no lati tudinal relationship. The large increases in growth rate at high temperatures must be supported by increased food consumption, not increased growth efficiency. Oxygen uptakes also increased signifi cantly in relation to temperature. but relatively slowly compared to growth rates. Larval stage duration was inversely related to growth rate. The potential variability in growth rate was observed to increase with temperature, but the opposite trend was observed for stage duration. Thus. stage dura tions tended to be both long and potentially vari able in high latitudes. Because of these characteris tics it is suggested that early life. density-depen dent regulation is more probable in high than in low latitudes. The required ingestion to support average growth rate increased threefold in the 10°_ 30°C range. indicating that fish larvae in warm seas may be more likely to starve than larvae in cold seas. Spawning in low latitudes often is protracted with frequent batches in contrast to spawning in high latitudes. where seasons are brief. with one or a few batches. The different strategies may have been selected and maintained to counter energetic and dynamic constraints in the larval stage. Variability in growth and mortality rates of ma rine fish larvae can cause fluctuations in recruit ment levels. The two processes, growth and death, may interact and can be viewed as a
697 citations
"Production and dispersion of freshw..." refers background in this paper
...Fish larvae emerging in these environments often present a protracted larval phase due to poor feeding conditions and slow growth (Houde 1989)....
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...Because of this slow development and the short production season, fish larvae are presumably more likely to encounter adverse environmental conditions at these high latitudes than at lower latitudes (Houde 1989)....
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TL;DR: Although the extreme seasonal range of spawning time shown by Atlantic herring is not fully accounted for by a new hypothesis, current theory is not supported by the hypothesis or by empirical data, the management implications are discussed.
Abstract: The number of genetically distinct herring stocks is determined by the number of distinct, geographically stable larval retention areas. Spawning sites in these areas may be highly localized or dispersed. Absolute population size mostly depends on the retention area available to the density-dependent larval-postlarval stage. Although the extreme seasonal range of spawning time shown by Atlantic herring is not fully accounted for by a new hypothesis, current theory is not supported by the hypothesis or by empirical data. The management implications are discussed.
617 citations
"Production and dispersion of freshw..." refers background in this paper
...favorable spawning sites by adults (Iles and Sinclair 1982) should be particularly critical for the recruitment success of fish species inhabiting Arctic and subarctic environments....
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Book•
01 Jan 1976
539 citations
"Production and dispersion of freshw..." refers background in this paper
...Three of the 14 families of marine fish inhabiting Hudson Bay were not represented in our samples: Zoarcidae (three Arctic species) whose reproduction is poorly documented (Scott and Scott 1988), Cyclopteridae (three non-Arctic species) whose larvae are never truly planktonic (Russel 1976), and Clupeidae (Clupea harengus)....
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