Habitat coupling dynamics of mobile consumers along a freshwater and marine resource gradient in a sub-Arctic estuarine system

George, Jillian R. St; Petersen, Stephen D.; Roth, James D.; Ferguson, Steven H.; Yurkowski, David J.

doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2023.108449

Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science

2023

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecss.2023.108449

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Habitat coupling dynamics of mobile consumers along a freshwater and marine resource gradient in a sub-Arctic estuarine system

Jillian R. St George¹,

Stephen D. Petersen²,

James D. Roth³

et al.

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Cited by 2 publications

References 77 publications

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Trophic Structure and a Temporal Shift in Trophic Diversity of Mobile Consumers in a Subarctic Estuary

St. George,

Petersen,

Roth

et al. 2023

Estuaries and Coasts

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Quantifying trophic relationships within and between species in terms of trophic position, ontogeny and trophic diversity provides information on community-level structure and function. Little attention has been focused on examining the trophic structure and temporal changes of communities in freshwater-marine coupled systems in the subarctic and associated impacts of anthropogenic activity on trophic interactions. Therefore, the objective of this study was to quantify the trophic position of mobile consumers (15 species in total) within the lower Churchill River area (Churchill, Manitoba, Canada), examine trophic position variation in relation to ontogeny, and measure the trophic diversity of a fish assemblage before (1993–1995) and after (2019–2020) the installation of the Churchill River weir in the late 1990s. We used stable isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) to quantify individual and group-level variation in trophic position of thirteen fish species and two seal species and also assessed six community-level metrics of a three fish species assemblage between time periods. Overall, species that mainly foraged on freshwater resources occupied lower trophic positions than species that mainly consumed marine resources. Trophic position increased with fish age only in cisco, fourhorn sculpin, Greenland cod and northern pike. A temporal shift from a trophically diverse to a more trophically redundant fish assemblage occurred between 1993–1995 and 2019–2020. As a result, these predator species now play similar trophic roles. Information on the long-term change in trophic structure of this sub-Arctic estuarine system may help with understanding how anthropogenic activity and climate change have influenced the trophic diversity of a fish assemblage inhabiting this system.

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Trophic Structure and a Temporal Shift in Trophic Diversity of Mobile Consumers in a Subarctic Estuary

St. George,

Petersen,

Roth

et al. 2023

Estuaries and Coasts

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Biologging reveals rapid movements of harbour seals between freshwater and marine habitats in the subarctic

Florko,

Yurkowski,

Breiter

et al. 2024

Front. Mar. Sci.

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Biologging tools can provide invaluable information on the movement and behaviour of animals, facilitating the elucidation of ecological dynamics, especially for wide-ranging species, and supporting conservation and management efforts. Harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) exhibit extensive habitat plasticity in their vast range across the northern hemisphere, with likely recent increases in abundance at northern latitudes, yet details of their movement behaviour in subarctic areas remain largely unknown. We used satellite-telemetry data, including nearly 5,000 locations and over 12,000 dives, obtained from six harbour seals tagged in western Hudson Bay from 2021 to 2023, to address the knowledge gap on their movement behaviour between marine and freshwater habitats in subarctic regions. We document the behavioural patterns, transit speeds, and diverse aquatic system usage, including detailed records of a harbour seal track traversing over 170 km upriver on three separate trips along the Seal River, Canada. Notably, we observed a rapid downstream transit from the Seal River to Hudson Bay, covering 214 km within a single day. Additionally, we highlight the prevalence of short dive durations in the Seal and Churchill Rivers, in contrast to longer dive durations in Hudson Bay. These insights complement existing evidence of harbour seal occurrences and river use at northern latitudes, as well as enhance our understanding of harbour seal movement ecology within Hudson Bay which can be used to better inform conservation and management strategies between connected freshwater and marine environments in the Arctic.

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Habitat coupling dynamics of mobile consumers along a freshwater and marine resource gradient in a sub-Arctic estuarine system

Cited by 2 publications

References 77 publications

Trophic Structure and a Temporal Shift in Trophic Diversity of Mobile Consumers in a Subarctic Estuary

Trophic Structure and a Temporal Shift in Trophic Diversity of Mobile Consumers in a Subarctic Estuary

Biologging reveals rapid movements of harbour seals between freshwater and marine habitats in the subarctic

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