Ecological Effects of Live Salmon Exceed Those of Carcasses During an Annual Spawning Migration

Tiegs, Scott D.; Levi, Peter; Rüegg, Janine; Chaloner, Dominic T.; Tank, Jennifer L.; Lamberti, Gary A.

doi:10.1007/s10021-011-9431-0

Cited by 75 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…On the other hand, two studies did not find positive effects of carcass addition on juvenile cutthroat trout and steelhead: specific growth rate was less with carcasses than without (Wilzbach et al 2005) and growth did not change with carcass addition (Harvey and Wilzbach 2010). Notably, this study design does not take the full effect of spawning salmon into account (Tiegs et al 2011). For example, many of these studies do not include eggs, which are preferred by juvenile salmonids (Hicks et al 2005, Scheuerell et al 2007.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Effects of subsidies from spawning chum and pink salmon on juvenile coho salmon body size and migration timing

Nelson

Reynolds

2015

Ecosphere

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Abstract. Organisms transporting nutrients from highly productive ecosystems can subsidize food webs and alter ecosystem processes. For example, the carcasses and eggs of migratory Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) provide a high-quality food source that could potentially benefit other species of salmon rearing in fresh water. We investigated relationships between spawning chum (O. keta) and pink (O. gorbuscha) salmon density, and the body size and age of juvenile coho salmon (O. kisutch) in 17 streams on the central coast of British Columbia, Canada. Chum salmon density was the most consistently important and positive correlate of coho body size, in comparison with pink salmon density, juvenile coho salmon density, and numerous characteristics of habitats. This was shown by comparisons both among and within streams, and between sites above and below natural barriers to spawning chum and pink salmon. In addition, streams that had higher chum and pink salmon spawning densities had a higher proportion of age 0 coho (less age 1), suggesting earlier juvenile coho salmon migration to the ocean with increased spawning salmon nutrient availability. Most of the coho salmon sampled had little or no direct contact with spawning chum and pink salmon, which suggests an indirect, time-delayed influence on coho salmon body size.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Effects of subsidies from spawning chum and pink salmon on juvenile coho salmon body size and migration timing

Nelson

Reynolds

2015

Ecosphere

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“…Studies suggest that in Pacific salmon systems with shorter water residence times, which are more similar to the alewife lakes studied here, salmon have less influence on lake nutrient dynamics (Holtham et al 2004;Hobbs et al 2007;Selbie et al 2009). A recent study by Tiegs et al (2011) suggested that even in salmon systems with relatively long annual water residence times, salmon have the greatest effect on nutrient dynamics during the later summer when water residence times are longest. (4) The low biological activity in our systems during the alewife spawning may offer a fourth explanation for why we were unable to detect nutrient inputs from anadromous alewife.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Historical changes in nutrient inputs from humans and anadromous fishes in New England's coastal watersheds

Twining

West

Post

2013

Limnology & Oceanography

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Prior to Euro-American contact, anadromous alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) were abundant throughout eastern North America. In the 400 yr since Euro-American settlement began in the region, anadromous alewife populations have declined by an order of magnitude or more while human land use has simultaneously intensified. Here we asked how lake nutrient inputs in the southern New England region have changed over the past 400 yr by examining nutrient inputs to four lakes in coastal Connecticut that differ in their land-use history and their history of accessibility to anadromous alewife. We estimated the flux of nitrogen and phosphorus from both anadromous alewife and the landscape and conducted a paleoecological analysis of stable isotopes (d 15 N, total d 13 C, organic d 13 C) and nutrients (N : P, C : N, organic C) from lake sediment cores in each of our study watersheds. Nutrient loading models suggest that allochthonous nutrient inputs are now dominated by watershed land use and our paleoecological data also reflect major changes in human land use. Loading models also suggest that prior to Euro-American contact, anadromous alewife runs historically provided up to 95% of allochthonous phosphorus inputs and up to 68% of allochthonous nitrogen inputs to the region's coastal lakes. However, paleoecological data suggest that even the large nutrient inputs from abundant past alewife populations may never have had the same long-term effect on lake nutrient dynamics as those from the landscape due to the unique combination of the alewife's life history and coastal Connecticut's climate and geomorphology.

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“…The annual salmon migration is a quantitatively important source of nutrients to coastal catchments in Alaska (Cak, Chaloner, & Lamberti, 2008;Tiegs et al, 2011). For example, Moore et al (2007) found that, during spawning, the magnitude of nutrients imported by salmon was correlated with catchment export of total N and P, with salmon accounting for as much as 35-65% of stream fluxes of total N and P, respectively.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, Moore et al (2007) found that, during spawning, the magnitude of nutrients imported by salmon was correlated with catchment export of total N and P, with salmon accounting for as much as 35-65% of stream fluxes of total N and P, respectively. Tiegs et al, 2011). Tiegs et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Salmon‐derived nutrient and organic matter fluxes from a coastal catchment in southeast Alaska

et al. 2019

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Salmon are important vectors for biogeochemical transport across ecosystem boundaries. Here we quantified salmon contributions to annual catchment fluxes of nutrients (N and P) and organic matter (C, N, and P) from a forested catchment in coastal southeast Alaska. Concentrations of ammonium and soluble reactive phosphorus increased by several orders of magnitude during spawning and were significantly correlated with spawning salmon densities. Nitrate concentrations increased modestly during spawning and were not significantly correlated with salmon densities. Salmon had a modest legacy effect on inorganic N and P as evidenced by elevated streamwater concentrations past the end of the spawning period. Dissolved organic carbon concentrations did not respond to the presence of salmon; however, concentrations of dissolved organic nitrogen and phosphorus showed a significant positive relationship to salmon densities. Changes in spectroscopic properties of the bulk streamwater dissolved organic matter pool indicated that streamwater dissolved organic matter became less aromatic and biolabile during spawning. On an annual basis, salmon were the dominant source of streamwater fluxes of inorganic nutrients, accounting for 92%, 65%, and 74% of annual streamwater fluxes of ammonium, nitrate, and soluble reactive phosphorus, respectively. In contrast, fluxes of organic matter were dominated by catchment sources with salmon accounting for <1% of the annual catchment flux of dissolved organic carbon and 12% and 15% of the annual fluxes of dissolved organic nitrogen and phosphorous respectively. These findings indicate that, in small coastal catchments, salmon can be a quantitatively important source of dissolved streamwater nutrients with implications for productivity in downstream estuarine ecosystems.

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Ecological Effects of Live Salmon Exceed Those of Carcasses During an Annual Spawning Migration

Cited by 75 publications

References 58 publications

Effects of subsidies from spawning chum and pink salmon on juvenile coho salmon body size and migration timing

Effects of subsidies from spawning chum and pink salmon on juvenile coho salmon body size and migration timing

Historical changes in nutrient inputs from humans and anadromous fishes in New England's coastal watersheds

Salmon‐derived nutrient and organic matter fluxes from a coastal catchment in southeast Alaska

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