Hypoxia-avoidance by planktivorous fish in Chesapeake Bay: Implications for food web interactions and fish recruitment

Ludsin, Stuart A.; Zhang, Xinsheng; Brandt, Stephen B.; Roman, Michael R.; Boicourt, William C.; Mason, Doran M.; Costantini, Marco

doi:10.1016/j.jembe.2009.07.016

Cited by 133 publications

(97 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…reported that overlap between acousticallydetected pelagic fish and zooplankton biomass decreased under severely hypoxic conditions in the Gulf, implying that low bottom DO leads to a decoupling of predators and prey in the water column. Similar studies in other systems have shown both increases (Keister et al 2000, Vanderploeg et al 2009) and decreases (Taylor et al 2007, Ludsin et al 2009 in spatial overlap of pelagic species in systems with low DO bottom water. Pierson et al (2009) suggested that a threshold amount of bottom water hypoxia was needed to alter diel patterns of vertical migration, consistent with the notion that low DO effects on avoidance behavior and associated trophic inter actions in the upper water column can depend strongly on the particular context in which they occur.…”

Section: Vertical Avoidance Of Bottom Water Hypoxiasupporting

confidence: 64%

“…Based on prior studies emphasizing species-specific variation in DO avoidance behavior (Eby & Crowder 2002, Bell & Eggleston 2005, I hypothesized that avoidance thresholds would vary among the most common demersal species in the Gulf, and I used a new analytical approach to estimate both the mean and the variance in species-specific DO avoidance thresholds over 3 yr. Further, I hypothesized that hypoxia-induced aggregations near the edge of the hypoxic zone were much stronger at the smaller spatial scales studied here than shown for brown shrimp and Atlantic croaker based on large-scale, aggregate monitoring data and that aggregation in nearby oxygenated refuges extended to other species within the demersal fish community. While hypoxia can alter the spatial overlap between predators and prey, potentially influencing predation mortality rates (Ludsin et al 2009, Neuenfeldt & Beyer 2006, Prince et al 2010, few studies have addressed hypoxia effects on interactions between harvested species and commercial fisheries. I hypothesized that spatial overlap between target (brown shrimp) and nontarget (juvenile finfishes) species of the shrimp trawl fishery and, hence, the potential for enhanced harvest and bycatch interactions, was greater in years of more severe hypoxia.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Aggregation on the edge: effects of hypoxia avoidance on the spatial distribution of brown shrimp and demersal fishes in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Craig¹

2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

128

101

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The northwestern Gulf of Mexico shelf experiences the largest seasonal hypoxic (dissolved oxygen, DO ≤ 2.0 mg l −1 ) zone in the western hemisphere. This study uses bottom trawl and hydrographic surveys over 3 yr to quantify low DO avoidance thresholds, patterns of aggregation in nearby oxygenated refuge habitats, and spatial overlap of brown shrimp Farfantepenaeus aztecus and several finfishes on the nearshore Louisiana shelf. On average, DO avoidance thresholds were low (1 to 3 mg l −1 ) and near incipient lethal levels for similar species, suggesting organisms avoid the lowest, lethal DO levels on the shelf. Avoidance thresholds varied both within and among years, indicating that behavioral responses to low DO are context-dependent and vary in relation to the severity of hypoxia and possibly other factors. Despite the absence of physical barriers to movement, evading organisms aggregated at short distances (1 to 3 km) just beyond the margins of the hypoxic zone, indicating that sublethal and indirect effects of hypoxia are probably most intense within a relatively narrow region along the hypoxic edge. DO avoidance thresholds and patterns of aggregation were similar between brown shrimp, the primary target of the commercial shrimp trawl fishery, and several juvenile and small adult finfishes that comprise most of the bycatch. In addition, spatial overlap between brown shrimp and finfishes was highest in the years when hypoxia was most severe, and this effect was stronger for benthic fishes than for pelagic fishes. These results suggest the potential for enhanced harvest and bycatch interactions along the margins of the hypoxic zone as an indirect effect of hypoxia-induced shifts in spatial patterns. Such spatially mediated indirect effects are an important means by which hypoxia influences mobile species in the Gulf.

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Section: Vertical Avoidance Of Bottom Water Hypoxiasupporting

confidence: 64%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aggregation on the edge: effects of hypoxia avoidance on the spatial distribution of brown shrimp and demersal fishes in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Craig¹

2012

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

128

101

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“…Hypoxic and anoxic conditions in the water column have serious negative effects on zooplanktonic organisms as, apart from causing direct mortality, they also affect the metabolism, fecundity, growth, vertical migration patterns, and distribution of plankton (Auel & Verheye, 2007). However, many zooplanktonic organisms have been found to tolerate or even prefer hypoxic or anoxic layers in order to complete their diel or seasonal migration, or find refuge from predators (Ludsin et al, 2009). Thus, the presence, even in very low numbers, of several taxa in the anoxic deep water layers in September is worth noting.…”

Section: Zooplankton Variationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Zooplankton variation in relation to hydrology in an enclosed hypoxic bay (Amvrakikos Gulf, Greece)

Kehayias

Aposporis

2014

Medit. Mar. Sci.

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This study investigated the temporal and spatial variation of the zooplankton community of a hypoxic coastal embayment (Amvrakikos Gulf, Western Greece) in relation to hydrological characteristics during an annual cycle. The main hydrological feature was the prolonged water stratification, which determined hypoxic conditions in the deeper layers that became anoxic close to the bottom in September, while vertical mixing occurred for a very short period (October-November). The total zooplankton abundance fluctuated between 44.6 and 159.7 ind l -1 . Fourteen groups were recorded, among which copepods dominated accounting on average for 86.4 %. Most of the groups presented higher abundance values in winter and spring when increased chlorophyll-α concentrations were found. Oxygen depletion affects the vertical distribution of most zooplankton groups and the vertical habitat partitioning between copepod orders and their ontogenetic stages. Several taxa were recorded even in the deep, anoxic layers, but only the polychaete larvae increased in abundance with depth. Calanoids, appendicularians and bivalve larvae presented an eastward decrease of abundance in the deepest layers following the same pattern of oxygen decrease. Notwithstanding hypoxic conditions in its deepest layers, the Amvrakikos Gulf was considered a mesotrophic ecosystem, with the nutrient concentration being lower than in the past. Several biotic elements indicate that the gulf is in a transitional phase towards a better quality state and these results reinforce the need for consistent monitoring of this ecosystem.

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“…Many zooplanktonic organisms have been found to tolerate or even prefer hypoxic layers in order to complete their diel or seasonal migration (Auel & Verheye, 2007), or to find refuge from predators (Ludsin et al, 2009). Adaptation to anoxia has also been found to exist in some cases.…”

Section: Zooplanktonmentioning

confidence: 99%

Zooplankton diversity and distribution in a deep and anoxic Mediterranean coastal lake

Kehayias¹,

Ramfos

Ioannou³

et al. 2013

Medit. Mar. Sci.

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The variation of the smaller size fraction of zooplankton was investigated during a two-year period in a brackish deep and anoxic coastal lake of western Greece (Aitoliko), along with the specific environmental characteristics of this ecosystem. The zooplanktonic community comprised a relatively small number of taxa and it was dominated by brackish-water calanoid copepods (Paracartia latisetosa, Calanipeda aquaedulcis) and in certain periods by rotifers and tintinnids. The zooplankton abundance showed an increase in the warmer period starting from late spring and reached maximum values in July. In the well oxygenated surface layer, temperature was the most important parameter influencing the seasonal cycles of all groups. In contrast, the oxygen depletion a few meters under the surface affected the vertical distribution of most of the zooplankton groups, which were found restricted in the surface layer, especially from spring until autumn. Only the meroplanktonic larvae of polychaetes presented increased proportions in the deeper layers. Salinity has not significantly influenced the zooplanktonic assemblages. The results reveal the degraded status of the Aitoliko basin, where the hypoxic/anoxic layers resulted in a high portion of dead organic material identified as copepod carcasses; they also underline the necessity of monitoring this ecosystem.

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Hypoxia-avoidance by planktivorous fish in Chesapeake Bay: Implications for food web interactions and fish recruitment

Cited by 133 publications

References 76 publications

Aggregation on the edge: effects of hypoxia avoidance on the spatial distribution of brown shrimp and demersal fishes in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Aggregation on the edge: effects of hypoxia avoidance on the spatial distribution of brown shrimp and demersal fishes in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Zooplankton variation in relation to hydrology in an enclosed hypoxic bay (Amvrakikos Gulf, Greece)

Zooplankton diversity and distribution in a deep and anoxic Mediterranean coastal lake

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