Depth and temperature drive patterns of spatial overlap among fish thermal guilds in lakes across Ontario, Canada

Benoit, David M.; Chu, Cindy; Giacomini, Henrique C.; Jackson, Donald A.

doi:10.1111/ddi.13661

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…Mixing processes are therefore lake‐wide outcomes from the energy of wind events (surface waves, internal seiche events) and have an important influence in defining niche breadth of freshwater fish. Mixing, along with heat input, determine thermal structure of seasonally stratified lakes that in turn defines the thermal niche of fish (°C, realised thermal niche; Magnuson et al., 1979) and their distribution under the familiar guild categories of cold, cool and warmwater species (Benoit et al., 2023; Hasnain et al., 2013). The same mixing processes are also pivotal in defining lake substrate characteristics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Their wide distribution and high relative abundance points to their important role in lake food webs (Vander Zanden & Vadeboncoeur, 2002). Insight into their habitat use is largely based on literature reported temperature preferenda/limits and thermal guild patterns (Benoit et al., 2023; Hasnain et al., 2013). The close functional connection between mixing and both thermal structure and substrate characteristics points to the need to consider both in the niche breadth of benthic foraging fish.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All three species have subterminal mouths and forage on lake bottom, though trophic positions can differ (Johnston et al., 2019). They are among the most widely distributed fish species in Canada (Scott & Crossman, 1973) and are recognised as belonging to two thermal guilds based on available temperature preferences (Benoit et al., 2023; supplement 1 in Hasnain et al., 2013): the coldwater guild (lake whitefish; longnose sucker) and cool water guild (white sucker). They consume diverse benthic invertebrate prey with lake whitefish sometimes incorporating fish in their diet (diet for white sucker and lake whitefish summarised in Johnston et al., 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The wash zone and habitat use among three benthic fish species in stratified lakes

Ridgway,

Bell,

Middel

et al. 2024

Ecology of Freshwater Fish

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Mixing processes in lakes are important in determining sedimentation zones and in setting the so‐called “wash zone”, the area of lake bottom in contact with an oscillating thermocline during wind‐driven internal seiche events. The wash zone also aligns with a sharp change in sediment roughness and hardness. Taken together, these rapid changes in temperature and sediment indicate that the wash zone is a distinctive ecotone in stratified lakes. Depth stratified randomised netting was used to develop count‐based habitat use models for three common benthic fish species as a function of depth or temperature covariates. Using data from two lakes with quite different wash zone depths, we show the wash zone to describe fish habitat for two of three benthic fish species by utilising the top 50% of estimated fish abundance as an indicator of habitat use. White sucker (Catostomus commersoni) habitat use was within the boundaries of the wash zone. Lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) habitat was adjacent and within the wash zone. Longnose sucker (C. catostomus) habitat use was in the deep areas of lakes dominated by sediment focusing and did not overlap white sucker. Lake whitefish habitat use overlapped both catostomids, but peak abundance of both lake whitefish and white sucker overlapped pointing to potential interactions between these species. Smaller lakes have less vigorous mixing processes and a narrower wash zone, so with a decline in lake size the likely area of the wash zone as habitat for benthic feeding fish would become smaller.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The wash zone and habitat use among three benthic fish species in stratified lakes

Ridgway,

Bell,

Middel

et al. 2024

Ecology of Freshwater Fish

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Lake temperature and morphometry shape the thermal composition of recreational fishing catch

Wszola,

Sievert,

Lynch

et al. 2024

Trans Am Fish Soc

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ObjectiveManaging freshwater fisheries in warming lakes is challenging because climate change impacts anglers, fish, and their interactions.MethodsWe integrated recent models of current and future lake temperatures with recreational fisheries catch data from 587 lakes in three north‐central U.S. states (Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin) to evaluate how the thermal composition of recreational fisheries catch varied as a function of temperature, ice coverage, and lake morphometry.ResultWe found that warmwater catch share (WCS), defined as the proportion of fish in recreational angling catch that belonged to the warmwater thermal guild (final temperature preferendum [FTP] > 25°C), increased with average annual lake surface temperature and decreased with survey ice coverage. However, we also found that WCS decreased with increased lake area and depth. Using mid‐century (2040–2060) water temperature and ice projections while holding all other variables constant, we predicted that WCS will likely increase as the climate warms but that significant thermal heterogeneity will persist.ConclusionLakes that are large (>100 ha) and deep (>10 m) and those with cooler (<3700 annual growing degree‐days) predicted future temperatures will likely hold thermal refugia for coolwater (FTP = 19–25°C) and coldwater (FTP < 19°C) fish even as average lake temperatures rise, creating the potential for management actions to resist the shift from coolwater to warmwater fisheries. Managers of smaller and more rapidly warming lakes may want to consider strategies that accept or direct emerging warmwater fishing opportunities. We suggest that the most viable path to climate adaptation in landscapes of diverse lakes may be to resist warmwater shifts where possible and to accept or direct the rise of warmwater fishing opportunities where necessary.

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Depth and temperature drive patterns of spatial overlap among fish thermal guilds in lakes across Ontario, Canada

Cited by 2 publications

References 56 publications

The wash zone and habitat use among three benthic fish species in stratified lakes

The wash zone and habitat use among three benthic fish species in stratified lakes

Lake temperature and morphometry shape the thermal composition of recreational fishing catch

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