Measuring spatial variation in secondary production and food quality using a common consumer approach in Lake Erie
Lake Erie is a large lake straddling the border of the U.S. and Canada that has become increasingly eutrophic in recent years. Eutrophication is particularly focused in the shallow western basin. The western basin of Lake Erie is hydrodynamically similar to a large estuary, with riverine inputs from the Detroit and Maumee Rivers mixing together and creating gradients in chemical and physical conditions. This study was driven by two questions: How does secondary production and food quality for consumers vary across this large mixing zone? and Are there correlations between cyanobacterial abundance and secondary production or food quality for consumers? Measuring spatial and temporal variation in secondary production and food quality is difficult for a variety of logistical reasons, so here a common consumer approach was used. In a common consumer approach, individuals of a single species are raised under similar conditions until placed in the field across environmental gradients of interest. After some period of exposure, the response of that common consumer is measured to provide an index of spatial variation in conditions. Here, a freshwater mussel (Lampsilis siliquoidea) was deployed at 32 locations that spanned habitat types and a gradient in cyanobacterial abundance in the western basin of Lake Erie to measure spatial variation in growth (an index of secondary production) and fatty acid (FA) content (an index of food quality). We found secondary production was highest within the Maumee rivermouth and lowest in the open waters of the lake. Mussel tissues in the Maumee rivermouth also included more eicosapentaenoic and docosapentaenoic fatty acids (EPA and DPA, respectively), but fewer bacterial FAs, suggesting more algae at the base of the food web in the Maumee rivermouth compared to open lake sites. The satellite-derived estimate of cyanobacterial abundance was not correlated to secondary production, but was positively related to EPA and DPA content in the mussels, suggesting more of these important FAs in locations with more cyanobacteria. These results suggest that growth of secondary consumers and the availability of important fatty acids in the western basin are centered on the Maumee rivermouth.
Citation Information
| Publication Year | 2016 |
|---|---|
| Title | Measuring spatial variation in secondary production and food quality using a common consumer approach in Lake Erie |
| DOI | 10.1890/15-0440 |
| Authors | James H. Larson, William B. Richardson, Mary Anne Evans, Jeff Schaeffer, Timothy Wynne, Michelle Bartsch, Lynn Bartsch, J. C. Nelson, Jon M. Vallazza |
| Publication Type | Article |
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Series Title | Ecological Applications |
| Index ID | 70158943 |
| Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |
| USGS Organization | Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center |
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Ecological Process Monitoring in the Western Basin Lake Erie, 2013.
Upper Midwest Water Science Center - Madison, WI, Office
1 Gifford Pinchot Drive
Madison, WI 53726
United States
James Larson
Research Fisheries Biologist
William Richardson (Former Employee)
Research Fish Biologist
Michelle R Bartsch
Research Biologist
Lynn A Bartsch
Research Fishery Biologist
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- Data
Ecological Process Monitoring in the Western Basin Lake Erie, 2013.
This dataset includes information collected from “ecological process monitoring stations� located across the western basin of Lake Erie (originating at the Maumee River and reaching as far east as the Bass Islands). Nine worksheets are included in this file, of which 1 is a meta-data sheet that describes the variable names and purpose of the other sheets. Included herein is th - Connect
Upper Midwest Water Science Center - Madison, WI, Office
1 Gifford Pinchot Drive
Madison, WI 53726
United StatesJames Larson
Research Fisheries BiologistEmailPhoneWilliam Richardson (Former Employee)
Research Fish BiologistMichelle R Bartsch
Research BiologistEmailPhoneLynn A Bartsch
Research Fishery BiologistEmailPhone