The relative influence of breeding competition and habitat quality on female reproductive success in lacustrine brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)

2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (12) ◽  
pp. 2694-2705 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul J Blanchfield ◽  
Mark S Ridgway
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Groundwater Flow ◽  
Habitat Quality ◽  
Brook Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Fontinalis ◽  
Relative Influence ◽  
Egg Survival ◽  
Female Reproductive Success ◽  
Redd Superimposition ◽  
Spawning Sites

Egg losses for female salmonines primarily occur through competition for egg incubation sites (i.e., redds) and the differences in quality among these sites. Through detailed observations and an experiment linking egg survival to groundwater flow, we estimated the relative influence of redd superimposition and habitat quality on female reproductive success for a population of lake-spawning brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis). Three quarters of all spawning sites were reused by multiple females; however, brood loss was much less (28%–38%) because large females spawned earlier and constructed deeper nests. The relationship between groundwater flow rate and egg survival was not linear, with consistent egg survival occurring only at sites with flows over 20 mL·m–2·min–1. Varying scenarios of redd superimposition and habitat-related egg survival resulted in an estimated 4%-21% of deposited eggs surviving to emergence and greatly reduced the size-related advantages of larger females owing to fecundity. Limited numbers of high-quality spawning sites and overall low survival of eggs resulted in habitat being the dominant route of egg loss. In the absence of female competition, spawning habitat alone accounted for egg losses of 67%–91% and points to the importance of physical habitat features in the maintenance of brook trout populations.

Groundwater and the selection of spawning sites by brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)

1995 ◽  
Vol 52 (8) ◽  
pp. 1733-1740 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Allen Curry ◽  
David L. G. Noakes
Keyword(s):  
Brook Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Fontinalis ◽  
Limited Area ◽  
Specific Mechanism ◽  
Spawning Site ◽  
Central Pennsylvania ◽  
Spawning Areas ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Spawning Sites

Spawning areas selected by brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) displayed variable relationships to discharging groundwater across geologic regions. In Canadian Shield waters, spawning was associated with areas of distinct, discharging groundwater. The specific mechanism of selection could not be determined. Groundwater did not appear to influence the selection of individual redd sites within these discharge areas. Competition among females for the opportunity to spawn in a limited area defined by the discharging groundwater appeared to control the selection of redd sites. In southwestern Ontario streams, discharging groundwater was prominent throughout areas of spawning both at redds and at adjacent, nonspawning substrates (≤7 m). Consequently, relationships between groundwater and spawning site selection were ambiguous. On the unglaciated plateau of central Pennsylvania, no groundwater was observed in redds or nonspawning substrates in streams. Brook trout management programmes must consider these groundwater relationships and therefore the impact of land use on groundwater quality and quantity.

Reproductive interactions between sympatric brook and brown trout in a small Minnesota stream

1995 ◽  
Vol 52 (9) ◽  
pp. 1958-1965 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter W. Sorensen ◽  
Tim Essington ◽  
Dana E. Weigel ◽  
James R. Cardwell
Keyword(s):  
Brown Trout ◽  
Brook Trout ◽  
Salmo Trutta ◽  
Salvelinus Fontinalis ◽  
Population Census ◽  
Sexually Active ◽  
Behavioral Interactions ◽  
Brown Trout Salmo Trutta ◽  
Reproductive Activities ◽  
Redd Superimposition

The reproductive activities of sympatric brook (Salvelinus fontinalis) and brown trout (Salmo trutta) in a Minnesota stream were documented on a regular basis for 3 years to determine whether behavioral interactions between these species might influence their spawning activities and success. The spawning seasons of brook and brown trout consistently overlapped by 2–4 weeks, during which time nearly 10% of all sexually active females were simultaneously courted by males of both species. Male brook trout attempted to hybridize most frequently; however, both our behavioral observations and population census suggested that these fish had little success. There was also strong evidence of frequent redd superimposition, particularly by the later spawning and larger brown trout. Analysis of redd site habitat demonstrated that these species had overlapping preferences. Although it seems likely that attempted hybridization and redd superimposition work to the disadvantage of both species, the effects of these activities are likely to be particularly severe for the brook trout, which spawns earlier in the season, is smaller in size, and rarely survives to be old enough to spawn twice. Thus, reproductive interactions may be partially responsible for the displacement of brook trout by brown trout in many regions of North America.

Avoidance of Low pH in Selection of Spawning Sites by Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)

1977 ◽  
Vol 34 (11) ◽  
pp. 2210-2215 ◽  
Author(s):  
David W. Johnson ◽  
Dwight A. Webster
Keyword(s):  
Brook Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Fontinalis ◽  
Low Ph ◽  
Environmental Condition ◽  
Breeding Sites ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Natural Springs ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Key Words Behavior ◽  
Spawning Sites

Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) show a strong preference for upwelling water in selection of precise spawning sites. Advantage was taken of this behavior in observing discrimination of pH by 48 breeding females. When artificial aquifers delivered ambient (6.7), alkaline (8.0), and acid water (varied at pH 4.0, 4.5 and 5.0 in three trials), females clearly avoided upwellings of pH 4.0 and 4.5 in preference to alkaline and ambient upwelling. Discrimination was not evident at pH 5.0. As natural springs in the Adirondack area are likely to be alkaline, the strong preferences of brook trout for alkaline upwelling water for breeding sites assures a satisfactory environment through egg and larval stages for at least this environmental condition. Key Words: behavior, acidity, brook trout, spawning

High rate of redd superimposition by brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and brown trout (Salmo trutta) in a Minnesota stream cannot be explained by habitat availability alone

1998 ◽  
Vol 55 (10) ◽  
pp. 2310-2316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy E Essington ◽  
Peter W Sorensen ◽  
Dean G Paron
Keyword(s):  
Brown Trout ◽  
Site Selection ◽  
Brook Trout ◽  
Salmo Trutta ◽  
Salvelinus Fontinalis ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Behavioral Experiment ◽  
Habitat Availability ◽  
Brown Trout Salmo Trutta ◽  
Redd Superimposition

This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that redd superimposition by salmonine fishes is a consequence of limited habitat availability. We monitored redd site selection by brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and brown trout (Salmo trutta) for two spawning seasons in Valley Creek, Minnesota. Redd superimposition rates were high; over one half of the brook trout and one third of the brown trout superimposed redds. We tested the role of habitat availability in this process by characterizing microhabitat at sites with and without redds in four small sections of this stream and then determined whether superimposition could be explained by random dispersal of fish over available habitat. Brown trout preferred spawning sites with high flows whereas brook trout strongly preferred deep sites with upwelling groundwater. No relationship was observed between fish density and superimposition. Additionally, the observed frequency of superimposition was greater than expected by chance in six of eight instances for brown trout and in one of three instances for brook trout. Finally, a behavioral experiment provided direct evidence that females have a behavioral preference to spawn on existing redd sites, suggesting that factors other than habitat may determine redd site selection and hence superimposition.

Parasite-induced susceptibility to predation in diplostomiasis

Parasitology ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 495-501 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Brassard ◽  
M. E. Rau ◽  
M. A. Curtis
Keyword(s):  
Brook Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Fontinalis ◽  
Marked Decrease ◽  
Infected Fish ◽  
Induced Susceptibility ◽  
Diplostomum Spathaceum

Guppies (Lebistes reticulatis) exposed to doses as low as 25 cercariae of Diplostomum spathaceum for 30 min were consistently and significantly more susceptible to predation by brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) than uninfected controls. The increase in susceptibility to predation was correlated with a marked decrease in the activity of infected fish.

Significance of wounding to female reproductive success in Hawaiian monk seals (Monachus schauinslandi) at Laysan Island

1993 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 469-474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa M. Hiruki ◽  
Ian Stirling ◽  
William G. Gilmartin ◽  
Thea C. Johanos ◽  
Brenda L. Becker
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Adult Male ◽  
Reproductive Rate ◽  
Lactation Period ◽  
Female Reproductive Success ◽  
Monachus Schauinslandi ◽  
Lower Survival Rate ◽  
Adult Females ◽  
Pup Survival ◽  
Monk Seals

We studied reproductive rate, length of lactation period, pup survival, and mortality of injured and uninjured female Hawaiian monk seals (Monachus schauinslandi) on Laysan Island, northwestern Hawaiian Islands, in 1983 – 1989. The severity and timing of nonfatal injuries were influential in determining their effect on female reproductive success. There was a tendency towards a shorter mean lactation period and lower survival rate of pups for females with major injuries than for uninjured females. Females with minor injuries were similar to uninjured females in terms of reproductive rate, length of lactation, and pup survival. For females injured shortly before the birth of their pup or during lactation, pup survival was lower than for uninjured females, whereas for females injured during the year prior to pupping, measures of reproductive success were not significantly different from those for uninjured females. Immature (aged 4 – 8 years) females entering the reproductive population were injured by adult male seals significantly more often than females aged 0 – 3 years, but at a similar rate to adult females. The major effect of injuries on female reproductive success is an increase in female mortality: 87.5 % of the adult females (n = 16) that died on Laysan Island in 1983 – 1989 sustained injuries from adult male seals.

scholarly journals Brook trout passage performance through culverts

2016 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elsa Goerig ◽  
Theodore Castro-Santos ◽  
Normand Émile Bergeron
Keyword(s):  
Brook Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Fontinalis ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Passive Integrated Transponder ◽  
Complex Interactions ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Several Variables ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Steep Slopes ◽  
Corrugated Metal

Culverts can restrict access to habitat for stream-dwelling fishes. We used passive integrated transponder telemetry to quantify passage performance of >1000 wild brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) attempting to pass 13 culverts in Quebec under a range of hydraulic and environmental conditions. Several variables influenced passage success, including complex interactions between physiology and behavior, hydraulics, and structural characteristics. The probability of successful passage was greater through corrugated metal culverts than through smooth ones, particularly among smaller fish. Trout were also more likely to pass at warmer temperatures, but this effect diminished above 15 °C. Passage was impeded at higher flows, through culverts with steep slopes, and those with deep downstream pools. This study provides insight on factors influencing brook trout capacity to pass culverts as well as a model to estimate passage success under various conditions, with an improved resolution and accuracy over existing approaches. It also presents methods that could be used to investigate passage success of other species, with implications for connectivity of the riverscape.

Food Specialization By Individual Trout

1972 ◽  
Vol 29 (11) ◽  
pp. 1615-1624 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E. Bryan ◽  
P. A. Larkin
Keyword(s):  
Rainbow Trout ◽  
Brook Trout ◽  
Salvelinus Fontinalis ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Cutthroat Trout ◽  
Salmo Gairdneri ◽  
Potential Prey ◽  
Repeated Observation ◽  
Size Growth ◽  
Salmo Clarki

Analyses of stomach contents showed that the kinds of prey eaten by brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), cutthroat trout (Salmo clarki), and rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) were seldom distributed at random among the individuals. Repeated observation of food eaten by individuals in a stream and ponds showed that prey types were eaten in proportions which were characteristic for an individual.Specialization occurred on several different kinds of prey. Although the degree of specialization was higher during shorter intervals, the data suggested that some specialization persisted for half a year. There were no striking correlations between degree of specialization and other individual properties such as size, growth rate, weight of food, number of food items, previous specialization, or area of recapture.In addition to the observations on trout in relatively undisturbed habitats, a field experiment was conducted using laboratory-reared rainbow trout held in small ponds. The food of each trout in the experiment was sampled repeatedly. In analysis of variance, interaction among the individuals and kinds of prey eaten showed that food specialization occurred. Both the absolute and relative abundance of potential prey were constant during the experiment.

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