Submerged macrophytes facilitate dominance of omnivorous fish in a subtropical shallow lake: implications for lake restoration

Yu, Jinlei; Liu, Zhengwen; He, Hongbo; Wei, Zhen; Guan, Baohua; Chen, Feizhou; Li, Kuanyi; Zhong, Ping; Mello, Franco Teixeira de; Jeppesen, Erik

doi:10.1007/s10750-016-2717-7

Cited by 57 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…There have been comparative studies on fish production of lakes and reservoirs with and without macrophyte cover (Petry et al, ; Xie et al, ). The importance of macrophyte cover is known to facilitate dominance of omnivorous fish in lakes and has indirect implication on lake restoration (Yu et al, ). The results of the present study in conformity with some of the observations of the above studies and highlight the importance of macrophyte cover impacting on fisheries in lakes and reservoirs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A changed post‐flood management strategy enables the culture‐based fishery of the Liangzi Lake, Yangtze River Basin, China, to remain economically and environmentally viable

Wang

Lin

et al. 2019

Fisheries Management Eco

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The culture‐based fishery of Liangzi Lake, Yangtze River Basin, established in 1992, yielded 2,652 t/year (±167) between 2005 and 2015, dominated by stocked carps [Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (Val.) and Hypophthalmichthys nobilis (Richardson)] and mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis (Milne Edwards), accounting for 53% and 23% of the production and 20% and 52% in value, respectively. The lake had a macrophyte cover dominated by Vallisneria natans (Lour.) Hara with a cumulative biomass of 10,647 g/m2 that disappeared after a major flood in 2010 and changed its ecology. Management changes in stocking strategies introduced in the post‐flood period enabled the culture‐based fishery to maintain viability and sustainability to combat the major ecological change in the lake. The stocked species contributed significantly to nutrient removal of 24.71 ± 5.12 t/yr and 6.29 ± 0.87 t/yr of total nitrogen and total phosphorus, respectively.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A changed post‐flood management strategy enables the culture‐based fishery of the Liangzi Lake, Yangtze River Basin, China, to remain economically and environmentally viable

Wang

Lin

et al. 2019

Fisheries Management Eco

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“…Crucian carp was one of the dominant fish species in MDB and gut content analysis revealed that macrophytes and/or periphyton and zooplankton, especially cladocerans, were consumed by all size classes (7 ≤ all < 15 cm). Similarly, both macrophytes and zooplankton were found in the guts of sharpbelly, crucian carp, topmouth gudgeon, and bitterling in a subtropical lake [21]. In contrast, the planktivores long tailed anchovy and icefish, preying primarily on copepods, shrimp, and juvenile fish [58,59], were at the top of the food web in PDB.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, the isotope composition of crucian carp showed little change with size (6-20 cm) in MDB, indicating low ontogenetic dietary shifts between 6 cm and 20 cm as otherwise often seen in size-structured fish populations (see review in Werner & Gilliam [73]). Size-related shifts in feeding efficiency of crucian carp have been demonstrated, and researches have shown that juvenile crucian carp (<3 cm) have a preference for zooplankton than adult fish [17,21,74]. In Huizhou West Lake, fish between 4 and 47 cm were caught in surveys using 10-40 mm mesh-sized nets, while juvenile zooplanktivorous crucian carp escaped capture.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Besides feeding on periphyton, some omnivorous fish such as tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and crucian carp also include macrophytes in their diet [17][18][19], not least at elevated temperatures [16], and can attain high biomasses when macrophytes are plentiful [20]. High abundance of fish in warm macrophyte-dominated lakes, perhaps facilitated by a high degree of omnivory, yields a high predation pressure on both zooplankton and macrophytes, possibly preventing the establishment of a stable macrophyte state in eutrophic lakes following restoration [21]. Contradicting this view, however, in subtropical Lake Taihu, China, a recent study has revealed that phytoplankton was the most important primary source of organic matter for the consumers despite that macrophytes constituted a considerable proportion of the food intake of several invertebrates and fish [22].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Herbivory of Omnivorous Fish Shapes the Food Web Structure of a Chinese Tropical Eutrophic Lake: Evidence from Stable Isotope and Fish Gut Content Analyses

Gao

Zhong

Ning

et al. 2017

Water

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Studies suggest that, unlike the situation in temperate lakes, high biomasses of omnivorous fish are maintained in subtropical and tropical lakes when they shift from a turbid phytoplankton-dominated state to a clear water macrophyte-dominated state, and the predation pressure on large-bodied zooplankton therefore remains high. Whether this reflects a higher degree of herbivory in warm lakes than in temperate lakes is debatable. We combined food web studies using stable isotopes with gut content analyses of the most dominant fish species to elucidate similarities and differences in food web structure between a clear water macrophyte-dominated basin (MDB) and a turbid phytoplankton-dominated basin (PDB) of Huizhou West Lake, a shallow tropical Chinese lake. The δ 13 C-δ 15 N biplot of fish and invertebrates revealed community-wide differences in isotope-based metrics of the food webs between MDB and PDB. The range of consumer δ 15 N (NR) was lower in MDB than in PDB, indicating shorter food web length in MDB. The mean nearest neighbor distance (MNND) and standard deviation around MNND (SDNND) were higher in MDB than in PDB, showing a markedly low fish trophic overlap and a more uneven packing of species in niches in MDB than in PDB. The range of fish δ 13 C (CR) of consumers was more extensive in MDB than in PDB, indicating a wider feeding range for fish in MDB. Mixing model results showed that macrophytes and associated periphyton constituted a large fraction of basal production sources for the fish in MDB, while particulate organic matter (POM) contributed a large fraction in PDB. In MDB, the diet of the dominant fish species, crucian carp (Carassius carassius), consisted mainly of vegetal matter (macrophytes and periphyton) and zooplankton, while detritus was the most important food item in PDB. Our results suggest that carbon from macrophytes with associated periphyton may constitute an important food resource for omnivorous fish, and this may strongly affect the feeding niche and the strength of the top-down trophic cascade between fish and zooplankton in the restored, macrophyte-dominated basin of the lake. This dual effect (consumption of macrophytes and zooplankton) may reduce the chances of maintaining the clear water state at the prevailing nutrient levels in the lake, and regular removal of large crucian carp may therefore be needed to maintain a healthy ecosystem state.

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“…However, in temperate lakes, repeated fish removal is suggested to obtain a longer-lasting clear water state [3,50], and such repeated removal may also be recommended for warm shallow lakes. The warm lakes are dominated by omnivorous fish in both the turbid and the clear water states [32], and it has been shown that adult omnivores feed mainly on submerged macrophytes in the restored part of Huizhou West Lake [37] as well as in Lake Wuli [38], and high abundances of these species could lead to a return of the turbid state.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Restoration of Shallow Lakes in Subtropical and Tropical China: Response of Nutrients and Water Clarity to Biomanipulation by Fish Removal and Submerged Plant Transplantation

Liu

et al. 2016

Water

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Fish removal has been used to restore temperate lakes, and positive effects on ecological state and water clarity have frequently been recorded in many lakes. Recently, a supplementary measure, transplantation of submerged macrophytes after fish removal, has been applied to restore warm Chinese shallow lakes in order to compensate for the expected lack of increasing grazing control of phytoplankton after the biomanipulation. These measures have successfully shifted turbid warm lakes to a clear water state, but little is known about the responses to restoration of key physico-chemical variables. We analyzed the seasonal variation in nutrient concentrations in two subtropical and one tropical biomanipulated shallow Chinese lakes subjected to restoration. In all three lakes, a marked decline occurred in the concentrations of lake total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), total suspended solids (TSS), and chlorophyll a (Chl a), while the transparency (SD:WD ratio, Secchi depth to water depth ratio) increased. A clear water state was established, lasting so far for 7 to 23 months, and TN, TP, Chl a, and TSS levels in the three restored lakes decreased to, on average, 49%, 58%, 41%, and 18% of the level prior to restoration and/or the level in a reference lake, respectively, while the annual mean SD:WD ratio exhibited a 1.5-4 fold increase. In conclusion, lake restoration by transplantation of submerged macrophytes after fish removal had major positive effects on the physico-chemical variables in our study lakes. However, continuous control of omnivorous and herbivorous fish biomass is recommended as the fish typically present in warm, shallow lakes to some extent feed on submerged macrophytes, when available.

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Submerged macrophytes facilitate dominance of omnivorous fish in a subtropical shallow lake: implications for lake restoration

Cited by 57 publications

References 52 publications

A changed post‐flood management strategy enables the culture‐based fishery of the Liangzi Lake, Yangtze River Basin, China, to remain economically and environmentally viable

A changed post‐flood management strategy enables the culture‐based fishery of the Liangzi Lake, Yangtze River Basin, China, to remain economically and environmentally viable

Herbivory of Omnivorous Fish Shapes the Food Web Structure of a Chinese Tropical Eutrophic Lake: Evidence from Stable Isotope and Fish Gut Content Analyses

Restoration of Shallow Lakes in Subtropical and Tropical China: Response of Nutrients and Water Clarity to Biomanipulation by Fish Removal and Submerged Plant Transplantation

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