Life After Death in Lake Erie: Nutrient Controls Drive Fish Species Richness, Rehabilitation
2001; Wiley; Volume: 11; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/3061113
ISSN1939-5582
AutoresStuart A. Ludsin, Mark W. Kershner, Karen A. Blocksom, Roger L. Knight, Roy A. Stein,
Tópico(s)Aquatic Ecosystems and Phytoplankton Dynamics
ResumoEcological ApplicationsVolume 11, Issue 3 p. 731-746 Article LIFE AFTER DEATH IN LAKE ERIE: NUTRIENT CONTROLS DRIVE FISH SPECIES RICHNESS, REHABILITATION Stuart A. Ludsin, Stuart A. Ludsin Aquatic Ecology Laboratory, Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University, 1314 Kinnear Road, Columbus, Ohio 43212-1156 USASearch for more papers by this authorMark W. Kershner, Mark W. Kershner Aquatic Ecology Laboratory, Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University, 1314 Kinnear Road, Columbus, Ohio 43212-1156 USA Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242-0001 USA.Search for more papers by this authorKaren A. Blocksom, Karen A. Blocksom Aquatic Ecology Laboratory, Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University, 1314 Kinnear Road, Columbus, Ohio 43212-1156 USA Present address: National Exposure Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268 USA.Search for more papers by this authorRoger L. Knight, Roger L. Knight Sandusky Fisheries Research Unit, Ohio Department of Natural Resources–Division of Wildlife, 305 E. Shoreline Drive, Sandusky, Ohio 44870 USASearch for more papers by this authorRoy A. Stein, Roy A. Stein Aquatic Ecology Laboratory, Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University, 1314 Kinnear Road, Columbus, Ohio 43212-1156 USASearch for more papers by this author Stuart A. Ludsin, Stuart A. Ludsin Aquatic Ecology Laboratory, Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University, 1314 Kinnear Road, Columbus, Ohio 43212-1156 USASearch for more papers by this authorMark W. Kershner, Mark W. Kershner Aquatic Ecology Laboratory, Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University, 1314 Kinnear Road, Columbus, Ohio 43212-1156 USA Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio 44242-0001 USA.Search for more papers by this authorKaren A. Blocksom, Karen A. Blocksom Aquatic Ecology Laboratory, Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University, 1314 Kinnear Road, Columbus, Ohio 43212-1156 USA Present address: National Exposure Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 26 West Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45268 USA.Search for more papers by this authorRoger L. Knight, Roger L. Knight Sandusky Fisheries Research Unit, Ohio Department of Natural Resources–Division of Wildlife, 305 E. Shoreline Drive, Sandusky, Ohio 44870 USASearch for more papers by this authorRoy A. Stein, Roy A. Stein Aquatic Ecology Laboratory, Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University, 1314 Kinnear Road, Columbus, Ohio 43212-1156 USASearch for more papers by this author First published: 01 June 2001 https://doi.org/10.1890/1051-0761(2001)011[0731:LADILE]2.0.CO;2Citations: 133 Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Abstract We explored the recent (1969–1996) dynamics of fish communities within Lake Erie, a system formerly degraded by eutrophication and now undergoing oligotrophication owing to phosphorus abatement programs. By merging bottom trawl data from two lake basins of contrasting productivity with life-history information (i.e., tolerances to environmental degradation, diet and temperature preferences), we examined (1) the relationship between system productivity and species richness, (2) whether fish communities are resilient to eutrophication, and (3) whether oligotrophication necessarily leads to reduced sport and commercial fish production. Reduced phosphorus loading has led to fish community rehabilitation. In the productive west basin, six species tolerant of eutrophy (i.e., anoxia, turbidity) declined in abundance, whereas the abundance of three intolerant species increased through time. In the less productive central basin, although only one tolerant species declined, four species intolerant of eutrophic conditions recovered with oligotrophication. These differential responses appear to derive from dissimilar mechanisms by which reduced productivity alters habitat and resource availability for fishes. Specifically, enhanced bottom oxygen, combined with reduced biogenic turbidity and sedimentation, likely drove the loss of tolerant species in the west basin by reducing detrital mass or the ability of these species to compete with intolerant species under conditions of improved water clarity. In contrast, reduced bottom anoxia, which enhanced availability of cool- and cold-water habitat and benthic macroinvertebrate communities, appears important to the recovery of intolerant species in the central basin. Ultimately, these productivity-induced shifts caused species richness to decline in Lake Erie's west basin and to increase in its central basin. Beyond confirming that unimodal models of productivity and species diversity can describe fish community change in a recovering system, our results provide optimism in an otherwise dismal state of affairs in fisheries management (e.g., overexploitation), given that many recovering intolerant species are desired sport or commercial fishes. Citing Literature Volume11, Issue3June 2001Pages 731-746 RelatedInformation
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