Incorporation of nitrogen and carbon from spawning coho salmon into the trophic system of small streams: evidence from stable isotopes

Bilby, Robert E.; Fransen, Brian R.; Bisson, Peter A.

doi:10.1139/f95-159

Cited by 396 publications

(415 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…This and other studies suggest that spawners may elevate stream productivity through stimulating lower trophic levels that support juvenile salmon and other fishes (Bilby et al 1996;Wipfli et al 1998). More spawners translate into higher nutrient loads and more energy-rich detritus (Mathisen et al 1988) for scavengers and detritivores, in turn potentially providing more prey for fish.…”

Section: Ecological Considerations and Management Implicationssupporting

confidence: 54%

“…However, these data represent a two-month time frame. Although highly speculative, longer term effects (>two months) could be different depending on the system's storage capacity (Bilby et al 1996;Kline et al 1997). Some nutrients may be stored initially and released through time.…”

Section: Mesocosm Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some nutrients may be stored initially and released through time. In other words, higher carcass loads may appear "excessive" beyond what the biota can immediately utilize in a given system in the short term (e.g., in autumn); however, the higher loads may provide nutrients that are stored (Bilby et al 1996) and then released over time and utilized by biota over the longer term. This warrants further study.…”

Section: Mesocosm Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Southeast Alaska is a major Pacific salmon producer (Wertheimer 1997) and contains over 5200 anadromous salmon streams totaling 40 000 km in length (Halupka et al 1999). Salmon have great potential to subsidize multiple trophic levels in these systems because (i) they are nutrient rich (Mathisen et al 1988), (ii) they contain desirable stoichiometry (Hesson 1997), (iii) their runs often span much of the year and achieve high numbers (Groot and Margolis 1991), (iv) they can decompose slowly (from weeks to months) (Kline et al 1997;Wipfli et al 1998) metering nutrient release over time (Parmenter and Lamarra 1991), and (v) they are consumed by many invertebrates and vertebrates in both freshwater and riparian food webs (Cederholm et al 1989;Bilby et al 1996;Wipfli et al 1998). There are several pathways by which MDN can influence freshwater and riparian food webs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Stable isotope analyses (carbon and nitrogen) have shown that MDN occur in selected components of freshwater and terrestrial food webs in the Pacific Northwest (Kline et al 1990;Bilby et al 1996). It is unclear if MDN are an obligate component of watersheds with salmon runs, truly subsidizing their productivity, or a facultative component where local nutrient supply could otherwise substitute for MDN.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Influence of salmon spawner densities on stream productivity in Southeast Alaska

Wipfli¹,

Hudson²,

Chaloner³

et al. 1999

Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci.

126

107

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Abstract:We conducted this study to determine the relationship between salmon spawner abundance and stream biofilm and benthic macroinvertebrate abundance in Southeast Alaska. Experiments took place in outdoor artificial and natural streams. Six pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) carcass treatments (0.00, 1.45, 2.90, 4.35, 5.80, and 7.25 kg wet mass) placed in artificial channels were subsampled repeatedly for biofilm ash-free dry mass (AFDM), chlorophyll a, and macroinvertebrates. In a small (nonanadromous) forest stream, we sampled benthos throughout a 66-m reach 17 days after distributing 60 carcasses along the lower half of that reach. All response variables significantly increased in response to carcass additions in both artificial and natural streams. Chlorophyll a continued to increase across all loading rates, while AFDM and total macroinvertebrate densities showed no further response to loading beyond the first treatment (1.45 kg) in artificial streams. In the natural stream, AFDM and chironomid densities continued increasing across loading levels. These results indicated that increased spawner densities increased lower trophic level abundance until a trophic capacity was reached. Salmon escapement goals should consider food web effects, especially on trophic levels that support juvenile salmonids, that ultimately affect freshwater salmon production.Résumé : Nous avons entrepris cette étude pour déterminer la relation entre, d'une part, l'abondance des saumons reproducteurs et, d'autre part, l'abondance des films biologiques fluviaux et des macroinvertébrés dans le sud-est de l'Alaska. Les expériences ont été effectuées à l'extérieur dans des canaux artificiels et un cours d'eau naturel. On a procédé à cinq traitements consistant en l'introduction de carcasses de saumon rose (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) (1,45, 2,90, 4,35, 5,80, et 7,25 kg poids humide) avec témoin (0,00 kg) dans des canaux artificiels; on y a prélevé à plusiers reprises des sous-échantillons pour mesurer la masse à sec sans cendre des films biologiques ainsi que la chlorophylle a et les macroinvertébrés. Dans un petit cours d'eau forestier non fréquenté par des saumons anadromes, nous avons échantillonné le benthos d'un tronçon de 66 m 17 jours après avoir distribué 60 carcasses dans la moitié inférieure de ce tronçon. Toutes les variables mesurées se sont significativement accrues en réponse aux introductions de carcasses tant dans les canaux artificiels que dans le cours d'eau naturel. La quantité de chlorophylle a n'a pas cessé de s'accroître d'un traitement à l'autre, tandis que la masse à sec sans cendre des films biologiques et les densités de macroinvertébrés ont plafonné dès le premier traitement (1,45 kg) dans les canaux artificiels. Dans le cours d'eau naturel, la masse à sec sans cendre des films biologiques et les densités des chironomides n'ont cessé de s'accroître d'un traitement à l'autre. Ces résultats ont indiqué que l'accroissement des densités de reproducteurs a eu pour effet d'accroître l'abondance des organismes des ...

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Section: Ecological Considerations and Management Implicationssupporting

confidence: 54%

Section: Mesocosm Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mesocosm Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Influence of salmon spawner densities on stream productivity in Southeast Alaska

Wipfli¹,

Hudson²,

Chaloner³

et al. 1999

Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci.

126

107

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Identifying migratorySalmo trutta using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios

McCarthy

Waldron

2000

Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom.

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Many Salmo trutta populations consist of non‐anadromous (freshwater‐resident) brown trout and anadromous (sea‐run migratory) sea trout. Although adult brown trout and sea trout can usually be identified using differences in size and body colouration, it is not possible to easily identify eggs/alevins as the progeny of brown trout or sea trout. In this study we show that δ13C and δ15N, measured using a continuous flow isotope ratio mass spectrometer (CF‐IRMS), can accurately identify fish eggs as the progeny of freshwater‐resident (δ13C(egg) = −25.7 ± 1.9‰,δ15N(egg) = 9.2 ± 1.8‰) or migratory (δ13C(egg) = −19.9 ± 1.1‰, δ15N(egg) = 14.3 ± 1.5‰) adult female Salmo trutta. Case studies show that stable isotope analysis is a more reliable technique for distinguishing anadromous adult fish than differentiation using morphological characteristics. For example, stable isotope analysis of brown trout from Loch Eck, Scotland, revealed that some individuals possessed δ13C and δ15N signatures indicative of marine feeding despite visual identification as freshwater‐resident fish. It is most likely that these fish are misidentified sea trout although it possible that these fish may be brown trout that have adopted an estuarine feeding strategy to avoid interspecific competition for food within Loch Eck with salmon, powan and Arctic charr. Most stable isotope studies of fish ecology use terminal tissue sampling to provide sufficient biological material for isotopic analysis; however, our study suggests that adipose fin tissue could provide a comparable measure of δ13C and δ15N. Such a strategy would be invaluable when studying the trophic ecology or migration patterns of fish of high conservation value. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Stable Isotope Tracing of Temporal and Spatial Variability in Organic Matter Sources to Freshwater Ecosystems

Finlay¹,

Kendall²

2007

Stable Isotopes in Ecology and Environmental Science

259

264

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Incorporation of nitrogen and carbon from spawning coho salmon into the trophic system of small streams: evidence from stable isotopes

Cited by 396 publications

References 17 publications

Influence of salmon spawner densities on stream productivity in Southeast Alaska

Influence of salmon spawner densities on stream productivity in Southeast Alaska

Identifying migratorySalmo trutta using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios

Stable Isotope Tracing of Temporal and Spatial Variability in Organic Matter Sources to Freshwater Ecosystems

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