Depth-specific patterns in benthicplanktonic food web relationships in Lake Superior

Sierszen, Michael E.; Peterson, Gregory; Scharold, Jill V.

doi:10.1139/f06-057

Cited by 73 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…As in our study, we recommend that depth distribution data for consumers be used to best determine at which depths Wsh are likely to be feeding during particular times of the year. Though depletion of benthic invertebrate 13 C with depth in South Bay is consistent with these other studies where dreissenids are absent (Sierszen et al 2006;Vander Zanden and Rasmussen 1999), it is possible that the enriched 13 C in South Bay nearshore invertebrates and post-invasion lake whiteWsh may be further exaggerated due to increased benthic algal productivity under increased light penetration (Fernandez et al, in press, possibly associated with dreissenid establishment).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

“…Whereas Diporeia on Lake Superior demonstrated the greatest change in isotopic signatures between 40 and 300 m (Sierszen et al 2006), various South Bay benthos showed changes of similar magnitude and direction but over much shallower (5-50 m) depth ranges. In agreement with of our Wndings, Vander Zanden and Rasmussen (1999) also demonstrated that both 13 C and 15 N varied between habitat types across a range of lakes, decreasing in 13 C and increasing in 15 N from littoral to profundal habitats.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

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Resource switching in fish following a major food web disruption

2009

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Dreissenid mussels (Dreissena polymorpha and D. bugensis) have re-engineered Great Lakes ecosystems since their introduction in the late 1980s. Dreissenids can have major indirect impacts on profundal habitats by redirecting nutrients and energy away from pelagic production (which supplies profundal production) and depositing nutrients and energy in the nearshore zones that they occupy. However, strong empirical evidence for the effects of this redirection of resources on fish populations is currently lacking. Here, we report significant shifts in isotopic signatures, depth distribution and diets of a coldwater profundal fish population that are all consistent with a greater reliance on nearshore resources after the establishment of dreissenid mussels in South Bay, Lake Huron. Isotopic signatures of scales collected from 5-year-old lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) demonstrated remarkable stability over the 50-year period prior to the establishment of dreissenids (1947-1997) and a sudden and significant change in isotopic signatures (3 per thousand enrichment in delta13C and 1 per thousand depletion in delta(15)N) after their establishment (2001-2005). These dramatic shifts in isotopic signatures were accompanied by a coincident shift in the mean depth of capture of lake whitefish towards the nearshore. A comparison of previously unpublished pre-invasion diets of lake whitefish from South Bay with contemporary diets collected between 2002 and 2005 also indicate a greater reliance on nearshore prey after the invasion of dreissenid mussels. This study is the first to report changes in the carbon source available to lake whitefish associated with restructured benthic communities after the appearance of dreissenid mussels. Further, this study contributes to a growing body of work that demonstrates the ecological insights that can be gained through isotopic analysis of archived fish bony tissues in ecosystems that have experienced significant levels of disturbance.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Resource switching in fish following a major food web disruption

2009

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“…The d 13 C DOC values are consistent with d 13 C values of phytoplankton in the lake (Keough et al 1996(Keough et al , 1998Sierszen et al 2006). The variation in d 13 C DOC in the stratified lake is limited to the freeze-dried samples from September 2007.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Radiocarbon and stable carbon isotopic insights into provenance and cycling of carbon in Lake Superior

Zigah

Minor

Werne

et al. 2011

Limnology & Oceanography

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This study applies radiocarbon and stable carbon isotopic distributions to investigate carbon sources and cycling within Lake Superior. We report the radiocarbon (D 14 C) and stable carbon isotope (d 13 C) values and the carbon concentrations within dissolved organic carbon (DOC), particulate organic carbon (POC), and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in the lake's western basin water column. Samples were taken during spring mixing and late-summer thermal stratification over a 2-yr period (2007)(2008)(2009). Distinct processes operating in the surface (photosynthesis) and deep waters (sediment resuspension and pore-water intrusion) control the relative contribution of modern and ancient DOC and POC in the water column. The terrigenous carbon input to the open lake POC varied from 13% 6 4% during late summer stratification to 9% 6 3% during spring mixing, with most of the terrestrial carbon being 14 C-enriched (modern). The DIC reservoir cycles rapidly, with a bulk D 14 C DIC value that records atmospheric radiocarbon levels from 3 yr prior to sampling. The DOC pool recycles on a longer time scale than does the DIC, with a DOC residence time of # 60 yr. The suspended POC was in most cases older than co-occurring DOC, most likely as a result of resuspension of lake sediments.

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“…The d 15 N POM in Lake Superior has been measured previously (Pang and Nriagu 1977;Keough et al 1996;Ostrom et al 1998;Harvey and Kitchell 2000;Sierszen et al 2006) and it ranges from -2 to 6.9%, similar to the typical d 15 N (from -5.7 to 10.6%) for freshwater seston (Cloern et al 2002). Most of the earlier studies emphasized local food web dynamics (Keough et al 1996;Harvey and Kitchell 2000), had limited sample sizes, or narrow geographic and temporal extent (Pang and Nriagu 1977;Ostrom et al 1998).…”

Section: Stable Isotopes In Nosupporting

confidence: 52%

“…Most of the earlier studies emphasized local food web dynamics (Keough et al 1996;Harvey and Kitchell 2000), had limited sample sizes, or narrow geographic and temporal extent (Pang and Nriagu 1977;Ostrom et al 1998). There is also a limited knowledge of depth-dependent variation in d 15 M POM (Ostrom et al 1998;Sierszen et al 2006) in the lake, which is known to increase with depth in marine systems (e.g., Saino and Hattori 1980;Altabet 1996;Minagawa et al 2001). Our study presents comprehensive temporal, spatial, and depth-dependent measurements of d 15 M POM in Lake Superior and reports the first ever values, to the best of our knowledge, of d 15 M POM during winter along with an evidence of depth-dependent increase in d 15 M POM .…”

Section: Stable Isotopes In Nomentioning

confidence: 99%

Isotopic composition of nitrogen in suspended particulate matter of Lake Superior: implications for nutrient cycling and organic matter transformation

2010

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Lake Superior, one of the largest lakes in the world, is an ecosystem where nitrate (NO 3 -) concentration has risen almost fivefold in the last century. Recent studies suggest that this increase may be due to lack of a significant nitrogen (N) sink, such as sedimentary denitrification or burial, because of low organic matter supply to the lake bottom. In light of these new findings, it is imperative to examine the origin and transformation of suspended particulate organic matter (POM) in the lake as N biogeochemistry is inextricably linked to POM dynamics. We present an analysis of spatial and temporal variations in d 15 M of POM (d 15 M POM ) in the lake and draining rivers based on extensive sampling and a synthesis of recent studies of N cycling. The d 15 M POM in the lake ranged from -4.7 to 7.6% and showed a significant (p \ 0.001) temporal variability in the surface waters with relatively enriched d 15 M during winter (mean ± SD * 1.5 ± 2.3%; n = 13) compared to summer (mean ± SD * -2.0 ± 1.4%; n = 20). Temporal variability in d 15 M POM and data for d 15 M of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) together suggest a seasonal shift in nutrient sources for plankton along with possible detrital and higher trophic level contributions to POM during winter. On an annual basis, ammonium (NH 4 ? ) appears to be the dominant N source to plankton in the lake. NO 3 -use was lower but seasonally variable with higher contributions to plankton in summer than winter. During a period of high riverine discharge, no significant difference in coastal and open-lake d 15 M POM was found, indicating limited effect of riverine POM on the lake. Significant increase in d 15 M POM and decreases in particulate N concentration with depth indicate transformations of organic matter settling to the lake bottom that are consistent with the hypothesized influence of low organic matter supply to the lake bottom leading to limited benthic denitrification.

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Depth-specific patterns in benthicplanktonic food web relationships in Lake Superior

Cited by 73 publications

References 55 publications

Resource switching in fish following a major food web disruption

Resource switching in fish following a major food web disruption

Radiocarbon and stable carbon isotopic insights into provenance and cycling of carbon in Lake Superior

Isotopic composition of nitrogen in suspended particulate matter of Lake Superior: implications for nutrient cycling and organic matter transformation

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Depth-specific patterns in benthicplanktonic food web relationships in Lake Superior

Cited by 73 publications

References 55 publications

Resource switching in fish following a major food web disruption

Resource switching in fish following a major food web disruption

Radiocarbon and stable carbon isotopic insights into provenance and cycling of carbon in Lake Superior

Isotopic composition of nitrogen in suspended particulate matter of Lake Superior: implications for nutrient cycling and organic matter transformation

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Product

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Depth-specific patterns in benthicplanktonic food web relationships in Lake Superior