Arctic Lake Food Webs
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From 2011 to 2013 we investigated freshwater food webs of Arctic Coastal Plain lakes in Alaska to improve our understanding how Arctic freshwater food webs may respond to landscape change the warmer, drier future.
Return to Wildlife, Fish, and Habitats >> Fish and Aquatic Ecology
We used both observational and experimental approaches to examined the importance of physical drivers on fish species assembly and the foraging roles of fish, which ultimately lead to the formation and structure of aquatic food webs. This study considers the response of fish species to surface water connectivity as a primary driver of species distributions and food web function.
Funding: USGS Changing Arctic Ecosystems Initiative
Related to Arctic Coastal Plain Studies
Stream outflow from a lake on the Arctic Coastal Plain. Surface water connectivity affects the occupancy of fish species in lakes, influencing richness, composition, and food web complexity.
(Credit: Sarah Laske, USGS. Public domain.)
Ninespine stickleback experimental release. The addition of small-bodied ninespine stickleback to fishless thermokarst ponds provided valuable information on their ability to influence invertebrate prey. Through consumption, ninespine stickleback substantially reduced invertebrate biomass during the 6-week experiment.
(Credit: Sarah Laske, USGS. Public domain.)
Northern pike captured from an Arctic Coastal Plain lake. Predatory fish, like this northern pike, occupied only lakes with strong, permanent channel connections. Permanent channel connections provide movement corridors that fish use to swim between summer feeding areas and winter refuges.
(Credit: Sarah Laske, USGS. Public domain.)
A handful of adult ninespine stickleback ready to be measured for total body length. These fish are ubiquitous in freshwater habitats of the Arctic Coastal Plain, outnumbering other fish species by as many as 800 individuals to one.
(Credit: Sarah Laske, USGS. Public domain.)
Fish and Aquatic Ecology
Fish and aquatic habitats in Alaska support important commercial, sport, and subsistence fisheries and provide forage fish that support wildlife populations. The USGS Alaska Science Center conducts interdisciplinary research to inform local, state, federal, and international policy makers regarding conservation of fish, aquatic species, and their habitats. We work collaboratively with...
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Date published: August 25, 2019Status: ActiveCondition of Forage Fish in Prince William Sound During the Marine Heatwave
Changes in the body condition of a key forage fish species, Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes personatus), are examined to understand how energy transfer to predators may have been disrupted during the recent marine heatwave in the North Pacific (late 2013 to mid 2016).
Attribution: Region 11: Alaska, Alaska Science Center -
Date published: May 6, 2019Status: ActiveWinter Habitat of Juvenile Dolly Varden in the Canning River
In the Arctic, rivers often freeze all the way to the bottom each winter leaving fish with limited habitat where they can survive.
Contacts: Vanessa von Biela, Ph.D., Michael P Carey, Ph.D., Randy J. BrownAttribution: Region 11: Alaska, Alaska Science Center -
Date published: April 24, 2018Status: ActiveEcosystem Shifts in Arctic Seas
In addition to the direct effects of sea ice loss on walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) and polar bears (Ursus maritimus) that use ice as a platform, the decline of Arctic sea ice is predicted to promote a fundamental ecosystem shift from benthic animals that forage on the sea floor to pelagic animals that forage near the sea surface.
Contacts: Vanessa von Biela, Ph.D., David Douglas, Daniel Esler, Ph.D., Christian E Zimmerman, Ph.D., Bryan Black, Kenneth Dutton -
Date published: April 24, 2018Status: ActiveLake Trout Biochronologies as Long-term Climate and Productivity Indicators in Alaska Lake Ecosystems
High latitude ecosystems are among the most vulnerable to long-term climate change, yet continuous, multidecadal indicators by which to gauge effects on biology are scarce, especially in freshwater environments.
Contacts: Vanessa von Biela, Ph.D., Christian E Zimmerman, Ph.D., Bryan Black, Randy J. Brown, Dan YoungAttribution: Region 11: Alaska, Alaska Science Center -
Date published: April 19, 2018Status: ActivePrimary Production Sources and Bottom-up Limitations in Nearshore Ecosystems
Kelp forests are among the world’s most productive habitats, but recent evidence suggests that production is highly variable.
Attribution: Region 11: Alaska, Alaska Science Center -
Date published: April 18, 2018Status: ActiveHydro-Ecology of Arctic Thawing (HEAT): Ecology
Permafrost thaw is leading to a myriad of changes in physical and chemical conditions throughout the Arctic.
Attribution: Region 11: Alaska, Alaska Science Center -
Date published: April 18, 2018Status: ActiveEffect of Elodea spp. on Fish Performance Mediated Through Food Web Interactions
The potential for invasive species introductions in Arctic and Subarctic ecosystems is growing as climate change manifests and human activity increases in high latitudes.
Contacts: Michael P Carey, Ph.D., Suresh Andrew Sethi, Ph.D., Christian E Zimmerman, Ph.D., Dan Young, Gordon Reeves, Theresa Tanner -
Date published: April 17, 2018Status: ActiveSockeye Salmon Migrating at the Northern Edge of Their Distribution
The physiological challenge for anadromous fish to migrate upriver to spawn and complete their life cycle is influenced by river temperature.
Contacts: Michael P Carey, Ph.D., Stephen D McCormick, Amy Regish, Christian E Zimmerman, Ph.D., Kevin D. Keith, Merlyn Schelske, Charlie LeanAttribution: Region 11: Alaska, Alaska Science Center -
Date published: April 16, 2018Status: ActiveNearshore Fish Surveys in the Beaufort Sea
Nearshore systems provide habitat to a unique community of marine and diadromous (lives in both fresh and saltwater) fish and support high fish abundance.
Attribution: Region 11: Alaska, Alaska Science Center -
Date published: April 3, 2018Status: ActiveAssessing heat stress in migrating Yukon River Chinook Salmon
We will examine evidence of heat stress in Yukon River Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) using heat shock proteins and gene expression.
Contacts: Vanessa von Biela, Ph.D., Christian E Zimmerman, Ph.D., Lizabeth Bowen, Shannon Waters, Stephen D McCormick, Amy Regish, Michael P Carey, Ph.D., Randy J. Brown, Sean Larson
Generalist feeding strategies in Arctic freshwater fish: A mechanism for dealing with extreme environments
Generalist feeding strategies are favoured in stressful or variable environments where flexibility in ecological traits is beneficial. Species that feed across multiple habitat types and trophic levels may impart stability on food webs through the use of readily available, alternative energy pools. In lakes, generalist fish species may take...
Laske, Sarah M.; Rosenberger, Amanda E.; Wipfli, Mark S.; Zimmerman, Christian E. Top-down control of invertebrates by Ninespine Stickleback in Arctic ponds
Despite their widespread presence in northern-latitude ecosystems, the ecological role of Ninespine Stickleback Pungitius pungitius is not well understood. Ninespine Stickleback can occupy both top and intermediate trophic levels in freshwater ecosystems, so their role in food webs as a predator on invertebrates and as a forage fish for...
Laske, Sarah M.; Rosenberger, Amanda E.; Kane, William J.; Wipfli, Mark S.; Zimmerman, Christian E. Surface water connectivity drives richness and composition of Arctic lake fish assemblages
Surface water connectivity can influence the richness and composition of fish assemblages, particularly in harsh environments where colonisation factors and access to seasonal refugia are required for species persistence. Studies regarding influence of connectivity on Arctic fish distributions are limited and are rarely applied to whole...
Laske, Sarah M.; Haynes, Trevor B.; Rosenberger, Amanda E.; Koch, Joshua C.; Wipfli, Mark S.; Whitman, Matthew; Zimmerman, Christian E.
A handful of adult ninespine stickleback
A handful of adult ninespine stickleback ready to be measured for total body length. These fish are ubiquitous in freshwater habitats of the Arctic Coastal Plain, outnumbering other fish species by as many as 800 individuals to one.
Northern pike captured from an Arctic Coastal Plain lake
Northern pike captured from an Arctic Coastal Plain lake. Predatory fish, like this northern pike, occupied only lakes with strong, permanent channel connections. Permanent channel connections provide movement corridors that fish use to swim between summer feeding areas and winter refuges.
Stream outflow from a lake on the Arctic Coastal Plain
Stream outflow from a lake on the Arctic Coastal Plain. Surface water connectivity affects the occupancy of fish species in lakes, influencing richness, composition, and food web complexity.
Ninespine stickleback experimental release
Ninespine stickleback experimental release. The addition of small-bodied ninespine stickleback to fishless thermokarst ponds provided valuable information on their ability to influence invertebrate prey. Through consumption, ninespine stickleback substantially reduced invertebrate biomass during the 6-week experiment.