Differential effects of elevated nutrient and sediment inputs on survival, growth and biomass of a common larval fish species (Dorosoma cepedianum)

SUMMARY 1. Elevated allochthonous inputs of nutrients and sediments to aquatic ecosystems are associated with eutrophication and sedimentation. Reservoirs receive substantial subsidies of nutrients and sediments from catchments due to their large catchment : lake area ratios. We examined the effect of elevated subsidies of sediments and ⁄ or dissolved nutrients on the success (survival, growth, biomass and condition factor) of larval gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum), a widespread and dominant omnivorous fish in reservoir ecosystems. 2. We simulated allochthonous agricultural subsides by manipulating dissolved nutrients and sediment inputs in a 2 · 2 factorial design in experimental mesocosms. We predicted that larval fish success would be greater under elevated nutrients. However, we propose two alternative hypotheses with respect to the overall effect of allochthonous sediment inputs. If sediment inputs negatively affect larval gizzard feeding success, larval success would be highest when only nutrients are added and lowest when only sediments are added (+N > +N+S ‡ C > +S). If high turbidity enhances larval foraging activity (due to greater contrast between prey and background), we predict that larval success would be highest when both subsidy types (nutrients and sediment) are elevated, intermediate when either nutrients or sediments are added and the lowest when no subsidies are added (+N+S > +N ‡ +S > C). 3. Our results indicate that elevated nutrient and sediment conditions enhanced larval gizzard shad biomass, but the overall nutrient addition effect was greater than the sediment addition effect (+N +N+S > +S > C). We observed differential effects of nutrient and sediment inputs on larval survival, growth and condition factors. 4. The enhancement of fish biomass in elevated nutrients (+N, +N+S) relative to control conditions was associated with improved gizzard shad survival and not greater growth. The enhancement of fish biomass in the elevated sediment treatment (+S) relative to the control conditions was caused by an increase in survival that more than compensated for a negative effect of sediment addition on growth. 5. Our findings support the recommendation that reservoir management practices must consider the links between land use practices and food web dynamics. Our results suggest that reduction of subsidies of nutrients and sediments to productive reservoirs would decrease survival of larval gizzard shad due to lower food availability.

[1]  María González,et al.  Effects of agricultural subsidies of nutrients and detritus on fish and plankton of shallow-reservoir ecosystems. , 2009, Ecological applications : a publication of the Ecological Society of America.

[2]  María González,et al.  Light, nutrients, and food-chain length constrain planktonic energy transfer efficiency across multiple trophic levels , 2008, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[3]  Michael J. Vanni,et al.  Hydrogeomorphic features mediate the effects of land use/cover on reservoir productivity and food webs , 2008 .

[4]  J. Wolfe,et al.  Influence of suspended clay on phosphorus uptake by periphyton , 2008, Hydrobiologia.

[5]  P. Xie,et al.  Experimental studies on the effects of toxic Microcystis aeruginosa PCC7820 on the survival and reproduction of two freshwater rotifers Brachionuscalyciflorus and Brachionus rubens , 2008, Ecotoxicology.

[6]  R. E. Turner,et al.  Hypoxia in the northern Gulf of Mexico: Does the science support the Plan to Reduce, Mitigate, and Control Hypoxia? , 2007 .

[7]  María González,et al.  Nutrient and light limitation of reservoir phytoplankton in relation to storm-mediated pulses in stream discharge , 2006 .

[8]  María González,et al.  Detritivory and the stoichiometry of nutrient cycling by a dominant fish species in lakes of varying productivity , 2006 .

[9]  S. Battaglene,et al.  Effect of turbidity, prey density and culture history on prey consumption by greenback flounder Rhombosolea tapirina larvae , 2006 .

[10]  Z. Brandl.  Freshwater Copepods and Rotifers: Predators and their Prey , 2005, Hydrobiologia.

[11]  S. Carpenter,et al.  Global Consequences of Land Use , 2005, Science.

[12]  W. Renwick,et al.  Trends in recent reservoir sedimentation rates in Southwestern Ohio , 2005 .

[13]  Michael J. Vanni,et al.  Release rates and potential fates of nitrogen and phosphorus from sediments in a eutrophic reservoir , 2005 .

[14]  Mary T. Bremigan,et al.  Linking Landscapes and Food Webs: Effects of Omnivorous Fish and Watersheds on Reservoir Ecosystems , 2005 .

[15]  A. C. Utne-Palm.  Effects of larvae ontogeny, turbidity, and turbulence on prey attack rate and swimming activity of Atlantic herring larvae , 2004 .

[16]  J. Horppila,et al.  Effects of clay turbidity and light on the predatorprey interaction between smelts and chaoborids , 2004 .

[17]  P. Bukaveckas,et al.  Seasonal and interannual variation in nutrient fluxes from tributary inputs, consumer recycling and algal growth in a eutrophic river impoundment , 2004, Aquatic Ecology.

[18]  Michael J. Vanni,et al.  Phytoplankton primary production and photosynthetic parameters in reservoirs along a gradient of watershed land use , 2003 .

[19]  D. Boesch.  Challenges and opportunities for science in reducing nutrient over-enrichment of coastal ecosystems , 2002 .

[20]  A. C. Utne-Palm,et al.  Visual feeding of fish in a turbid environment: Physical and behavioural aspects , 2002 .

[21]  J. M. Cobcroft,et al.  The effects of light intensity and algae-induced turbidity on feeding behaviour of larval striped trumpeter , 2001 .

[22]  Mary T. Bremigan,et al.  VARIABLE GIZZARD SHAD RECRUITMENT WITH RESERVOIR PRODUCTIVITY: CAUSES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR CLASSIFYING SYSTEMS , 2001 .

[23]  M. Vanni,et al.  Dissolved and particulate nutrient flux from three adjacent agricultural watersheds: A five-year study , 2001 .

[24]  W. J. Matthews,et al.  LONG‐TERM CHANGES IN A RESERVOIR FISH ASSEMBLAGE: STABILITY IN AN UNPREDICTABLE ENVIRONMENT , 2000 .

[25]  John R. Jones,et al.  Seston, Light, Nutrients and Chlorophyll in the Lower Missouri River, 1994–1998 , 2000 .

[26]  M. Vanni,et al.  EFFECTS OF GIZZARD SHAD ON PHYTOPLANKTON AND NUTRIENT DYNAMICS: ROLE OF SEDIMENT FEEDING AND FISH SIZE , 2000 .

[27]  R. M. Claramunt,et al.  The Effects of Abiotic and Biotic Factors in Determining Larval Fish Growth Rates: A Comparison Across Species and Reservoirs , 2000 .

[28]  A. C. Utne-Palm.  The effect of prey mobility, prey contrast, turbidity and spectral composition on the reaction distance of Gobiusculus flavescens to its planktonic prey , 1999 .

[29]  J. Garvey,et al.  Competition between Larval Fishes in Reservoirs: The Role of Relative Timing of Appearance , 1998 .

[30]  L. Miranda,et al.  Dietary shifts of a dominant reservoir planktivore during early life stages , 1998, Hydrobiologia.

[31]  R. Summerfelt,et al.  The influence of turbidity on larval walleye, Stizostedion vitreum, behavior and development in tank culture , 1997 .

[32]  Mary T. Bremigan,et al.  Nitrogen and phosphorus excretion by detritivorous gizzard shad in a reservoir ecosystem , 1997 .

[33]  Mary T. Bremigan,et al.  Experimental Assessment of the Influence of Zooplankton Size and Density on Gizzard Shad Recruitment , 1997 .

[34]  M. J. Maceina,et al.  Relations between Reservoir Trophic State and Gizzard Shad Population Characteristics in Alabama Reservoirs , 1996 .

[35]  J. M. Dettmers,et al.  Feeding Preferences of Omnivorous Gizzard Shad as Influenced by Fish Size and Zooplankton Density , 1996 .

[36]  L. A. Bull,et al.  Relations between trophic state indicators and fish in Florida (U.S.A.) lakes , 1996 .

[37]  J. D. Smith,et al.  Lake trophic state and the limnological effects of omnivorous fish , 1996, Hydrobiologia.

[38]  J. M. Dettmers,et al.  Food-web regulation by a planktivore : exploring the generality of the trophic cascade hypothesis , 1995 .

[39]  Mary T. Bremigan,et al.  Gape-dependent larval foraging and zooplankton size : implications for fish recruitment across systems , 1994 .

[40]  R. Stein,et al.  Interactive Influence of Turbidity and Light on Larval Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) Foraging , 1993 .

[41]  J. M. Dettmers,et al.  Food Consumption by Larval Gizzard Shad: Zooplankton Effects and Implications for Reservoir Communities , 1992 .

[42]  R. Stein,et al.  Complex interactions between fish and zooplankton : quantifying the role of an open-water planktivore , 1992 .

[43]  P. Mitchell,et al.  Nitrate and organic N analyses with second-derivative spectroscopy , 1992 .

[44]  B. Cuker,et al.  Type of suspended clay influences zooplankton response to phosphorus loading , 1992 .

[45]  J. Burkholder,et al.  RESPONSE OF PERIPHYTON COMMUNITIES TO CLAY AND PHOSPHATE LOADING IN A SHALLOW RESERVOIR 1 , 1991 .

[46]  J. J. Gilbert,et al.  Suspended Clay and the Population Dynamics of Planktonic Rotifers and Cladocerans , 1990 .

[47]  J. J. Gilbert.  Differential Effects of Anabaena Affinis on Cladocerans and Rotifers: Mechanisms and Implications , 1990 .

[48]  J. Burkholder,et al.  Type of suspended clay influences lake productivity and phytoplankton community response to phosphorus loading , 1990 .

[49]  Kent W. Thornton,et al.  Reservoir Limnology: Ecological Perspectives , 1990 .

[50]  Keith E. Muller,et al.  Approximate Power for Repeated-Measures ANOVA Lacking Sphericity , 1989 .

[51]  Brett M. Johnson,et al.  Use of a Quadrat Rotenone Technique and Bioenergetics Modeling to Evaluate Prey Availability to Stocked Piscivores , 1988 .

[52]  T. E. Wissing,et al.  Nutritional importance of detritivory in the growth and condition of gizzard shad in an Ohio reservoir , 1987, Environmental Biology of Fishes.

[53]  B. Cuker.  Field experiment on the influences of suspended clay and P on the plankton of a small lake1 , 1987 .

[54]  Ray W. Drenner,et al.  Experimental Analysis of the Direct and indirect Effects of an Omnivorous Filter-Feeding Clupeid on Plankton Community Structure , 1986 .

[55]  R. Gregory,et al.  Chronology, distribution, and sizes of larval fish sampled by light traps in macrophytic Chemung Lake , 1985 .

[56]  J. Hinshaw.  Effects of Illumination and Prey Contrast on Survival and Growth of Larval Yellow Perch Perca flavescens , 1985 .

[57]  J. B. Morgan,et al.  Turbidity enhances feeding abilities of larval Pacific herring, Clupea harengus pallasi , 1985, Hydrobiologia.

[58]  G. Mccabe,et al.  The effects of suspended silt on feeding and reproduction of daphnia pulex , 1983 .

[59]  Henri J. Dumont,et al.  The dry weight estimate of biomass in a selection of Cladocera, Copepoda and Rotifera from the plankton, periphyton and benthos of continental waters , 1975, Oecologia.

[60]  Margaret Doohan.  An energy budget for adultBrachionus plicatilis Muller (Rotatoria) , 1973, Oecologia.

[61]  D. H. Wahl,et al.  Direct and Indirect Effects of Gizzard Shad on Bluegill Growth and Population Size Structure , 2003 .

[62]  M. Vanni,et al.  Biomass-Dependent Diet Shifts in Omnivorous Gizzard Shad: Implications for Growth, Food Web, and Ecosystem Effects , 2002 .

[63]  V. Smith,et al.  Eutrophication: impacts of excess nutrient inputs on freshwater, marine, and terrestrial ecosystems. , 1999, Environmental pollution.

[64]  P. H. Michaletz.  Factors Affecting Abundance, Growth, and Survival of Age-0 Gizzard Shad , 1997 .

[65]  R. Summerfelt,et al.  Comparative Performance of Intensively Cultured Larval Walleye in Clear, Turbid, and Colored Water , 1996 .

[66]  E. Mccauley,et al.  The estimation of the abundance and biomass of zooplankton in samples , 1984 .