Foraging, growth, and loss rate of young-of-the-year Atlantic salmon (<i>Salmo salar</i>) in relation to habitat use in Catamaran Brook, New Brunswick

Girard, Isabelle L; Grant, James W. A.; Steingrímsson, Stefán Ó.

doi:10.1139/f04-216

Cited by 29 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Bohlin 1977;Heggenes 1988;Bremset and Berg 1999;Girard et al 2004), utilisation of stream habitats was associated with body-size. This pattern was apparent in both the age-0 and the age ¸1 cohorts, with large individuals holding position in deeper habitats.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat exclusion and reduced growth: a field experiment on the effects of inter-cohort competition in young-of-the-year brown trout

2012

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Competition during the juvenile phase is a key process for regulating density in organisms with high fecundity. Juvenile density-dependent bottlenecks may become even more pronounced if several cohorts compete, but this has received relatively limited attention in previous literature. We performed a manipulation experiment in seven coastal streams to investigate the presence of inter-cohort competition, using habitat selection, body-size and density of newly emerged (age-0) brown trout (Salmo trutta) as response variables. The trout population (age ≥ 1 fish) was estimated using electro-fishing prior to the emergence of fry (April-May) and was either removed (manipulated sections) or maintained (control sections). Age-0 habitat selection was examined in June while density and body-size was evaluated in October (end of the growth season). We found that age-0 trout selected habitats that were located further from riffles (nursery habitats) in the absence of age ≥ 1 trout, suggesting a niche overlap between cohorts in the habitat dimension and, hence, that both inter-cohort competitive interactions and ontogenetic preference may influence habitat utilisation in the wild. Furthermore, we also found age-0 body-size to be significantly larger in manipulated sections and negatively related to its own density. We argue that competition from older cohorts influence the availability of age-0 feeding territories at the critical phase of emergence with secondary negative effects on age-0 growth. These results not only have implications for understanding the mechanisms of density dependence but can also provide valuable knowledge to the management of salmonid populations and their habitats in the wild.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Habitat exclusion and reduced growth: a field experiment on the effects of inter-cohort competition in young-of-the-year brown trout

2012

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“…At low current speeds, minor swimming costs may counteract the low delivery rate of prey. In high current speeds, the high rate of prey delivery may counteract increased activity costs and thus complex trade-offs between physiological demands and the availability of drifting prey could explain such a pattern (Girard et al 2004). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Competition, predation and flow rate as mediators of direct and indirect effects in a stream food chain

2008

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Using semi-natural stream channels, we estimated the effects of competition and predation exerted by juvenile and adult exotic rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) on the diel activity pattern of juvenile native Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), a secondary consumer. We also evaluated the direct and indirect effects of competition, predation and abiotic factors (water depth and velocity) on the growth rate of salmon, the biomass of invertebrate grazers (primary consumers) and the biomass of periphytic algae (primary producers; chlorophyll a). The presence of chemical cues emanating from adult predatory trout reduced the daily activity of juvenile Atlantic salmon. In contrast, competition imposed by juvenile rainbow trout forced Atlantic salmon to be more active during the day, even if adult rainbow trout were also present. We found no effect of either competition or of predatory cues on the growth rate of Atlantic salmon, and no evidence of indirect effects on either the biomass of invertebrates or the biomass of chlorophyll a. In contrast, we demonstrated that this food chain (fish--invertebrate grazers--periphytic algae) was under the control of a critical abiotic factor, the water velocity, and of bottom-up processes. We concluded that the exotic species directly increases the risk of predation of the native Atlantic salmon, but behavioral compensation probably limits the effects on growth rate. The competition and predation imposed by the invaders had no indirect effects on lower trophic levels. Top-down effects may have been mitigated by the dominant influence of water velocity controlling all components of the food chain and by elevated levels of primary production.

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“…We selected seven sites of relatively shallow depth (<50 cm) and slow current (0.2-0.5 m·s -1 ), which are the preferred habitats for YOY Atlantic salmon in Catamaran Brook (Girard et al 2004). Within each site (mean width ± standard deviation (SD) = 8.18 ± 1.60 m), we manipulated the perceived activity of predators in three 5 m × 5 m sections as follows: a risky section received conspecific alarm cues; a control section received stream water; and a buffer section received nothing (Fig.…”

Section: Study Site and Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In stream-dwelling salmonids, studies of habitat selection typically focus on physical variables, such as current velocity and depth, which affect foraging profitability (Girard et al 2004;Rosenfeld and Taylor 2009). Although juvenile salmon prefer sites with an abundance of cover (Culp et al 1996;Dolinsek et al 2007;Venter et al 2008), little is known about how they actually assess predator abundance or activity when selecting habitats.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) use chemosensory cues to detect and avoid risky habitats in the wild?

KimJae-Woo

GrantJames

BrownGrant

2011

Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci.

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We examined whether juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in the wild adjust their behaviour in response to chemical cues of predator activity during a 4-week period after emergence from gravel nests. In each of seven 75 m 2 sites in Catamaran Brook, New Brunswick, Canada, we established three contiguous sections differing in perceived predator activity by releasing stream water in control sections, conspecific alarm cues in risky sections, and nothing in buffer sections in both 2006 and 2007. As predicted, the density of young-of-the-year (YOY) salmon tended to decrease in alarm cue sections, while it increased in control and buffer sections. After the 2-week manipulation in 2006, we switched treatments so that buffer sections became alarm cue sections and alarm cue sections became buffer sections for an additional 2-week period. After the switch, the number of YOY increased least in the new alarm cue sections and most in control and new buffer sections. In contrast with YOY, the density of age 1+ parr was not affected by the experimental treatments. Our results suggest that YOY salmon can use chemical alarm cues to assess the predator activity of habitats in the wild. Résumé : Nous examinons si de jeunes saumons atlantiques (Salmo salar) en nature ajustent leur comportement en fonction des signaux chimiques d'activité des prédateurs durant la période de 4 semaines qui suit leur émergence des nids de gravier. Dans chacun de sept sites de 75 m 2 dans Catamaran Brook, Nouveau-Brunswick, Canada, nous avons établi trois sections contiguës qui diffèrent par la perception de l'activité prédatrice en relâchant de l'eau du cours d'eau dans les sections té-moins, des signaux d'alerte de saumons dans les sections à risque et rien dans les sections tampons en 2006 et en 2007. Comme prédit, la densité des jeunes saumons de l'année (YOY) tend à diminuer dans les sections avec signaux d'alerte, tout en augmentant dans les sections témoins et tampons. Après 2 semaines de manipulations en 2006, nous avons interverti les traitements de manière à ce que les sections tampons deviennent les sections avec signaux d'alerte et que les sections avec signaux d'alerte deviennent les sections tampons pendant 2 semaines additionnelles. Après l'inversion, le nombre de YOY a augmenté le moins dans les nouvelles sections avec signaux d'alerte et le plus dans les sections témoins et les nouvelles sections tampons. Contrairement aux YOY, les tacons d'âge 1+ ne sont pas affectés par les traitements expérimentaux. Nos ré-sultats indiquent que les saumons YOY peuvent utiliser les signaux chimiques d'alerte pour évaluer l'activité des prédateurs dans les habitats en nature. [Traduit par la Rédaction]

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Foraging, growth, and loss rate of young-of-the-year Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in relation to habitat use in Catamaran Brook, New Brunswick

Cited by 29 publications

References 34 publications

Habitat exclusion and reduced growth: a field experiment on the effects of inter-cohort competition in young-of-the-year brown trout

Habitat exclusion and reduced growth: a field experiment on the effects of inter-cohort competition in young-of-the-year brown trout

Competition, predation and flow rate as mediators of direct and indirect effects in a stream food chain

Do juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) use chemosensory cues to detect and avoid risky habitats in the wild?

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