Effect of detritus quality on growth and survival of gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum): potential importance to benthic–pelagic coupling

2007 ◽  
Vol 64 (12) ◽  
pp. 1805-1815 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gene W Kim ◽  
Alpa P Wintzer ◽  
Trisha K Menker ◽  
Roy A Stein ◽  
John M Dettmers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Webs ◽  
Sediment Quality ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Population Characteristics ◽  
Gizzard Shad ◽  
Dorosoma Cepedianum ◽  
Lake Productivity ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Piscivorous Fish ◽  
Detritus Quality

Gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) population characteristics vary with lake productivity, competing with and providing prey for sport fishes. Because age-0 gizzard shad (>30 mm total length) are facultative detritivores, they can link benthic energy, carbon, and nutrients to pelagic food webs. To determine how age-0 gizzard shad success varies along a detritus-quality gradient, we completed a 15-day laboratory experiment in which age-0 gizzard shad fed lake sediment and starved gizzard shad both suffered high mortality, whereas fish fed zooplankton grew and survived well. This suggested that detritus alone is insufficient to ensure gizzard shad growth and survival. When sediment quality was high in outdoor mesocosms, density-dependent factors led to rapid growth only at low fish density and high-quality sediments; however, survival generally increased with sediment quality, regardless of gizzard shad density. In four small reservoirs, annual growth of gizzard shad increased with sediment quality. Collectively, our findings suggest that detritus quality ultimately can contribute to regulation of community and ecosystem productivity, mediated by its influence on gizzard shad biomass available for trophic transfer to gape-limited predators (i.e., piscivorous fish). This role of gizzard shad can link higher trophic levels in aquatic food webs to allochthonous detritus subsidies from the surrounding watershed.

scholarly journals Influence of Larval Gizzard Shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) Density on Piscivory and Growth of Young-of-Year Saugeye (Stizostedion vitreum × S. canadense)

1994 ◽  
Vol 51 (9) ◽  
pp. 1993-2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas P. Stahl ◽  
Roy A. Stein
Keyword(s):  
Prey Availability ◽  
Gizzard Shad ◽  
Stizostedion Vitreum ◽  
Dorosoma Cepedianum ◽  
Enclosure Experiment ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Sport Fisheries

Growth and survival of young-of-year saugeye (Stizostedion vitreum ♂ × S. canadense ♀) (stocked into Ohio reservoirs to create sport fisheries) are probably influenced by prey availability, variations in which may account for historically documented variability in stocking success. Because saugeye switch from a diet of zooplankton to fish once stocked, we sought to determine experimentally if saugeye size and available ichthyoplankton, i.e., larval gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum), affected this switch and whether piscivory improved saugeye growth. In an enclosure experiment, saugeye (33.9 mm TL) immediately switched to piscivory when exposed to ichthyoplankton densities of 20 and 100∙m−3, growing faster when more gizzard shad were available. In another enclosure experiment, saugeye 30–49 mm TL consumed 14-mm gizzard shad. In ponds (N = 4 ponds∙treatment−1) containing zooplankton and chironomids, we compared saugeye growth with and without larval gizzard shad and found, as in the first enclosure experiment, that piscivory improved saugeye growth. Neither saugeye size nor ichthyoplankton density influenced how quickly saugeye switched to piscivory. We conclude that managers should stock saugeye ≥ 30 mm 1–2 wk before peak ichthyoplankton densities to improve saugeye growth and survival by enhancing opportunities for exploitation of young-of-year gizzard shad.

δ15N in riverine food webs: effects of N inputs from agricultural watersheds

2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 333-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Anderson ◽  
Gilbert Cabana
Keyword(s):  
Food Webs ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Functional Feeding Groups ◽  
Agricultural Watersheds ◽  
Watershed Scale ◽  
Nitrogen Stable Isotopes ◽  
Piscivorous Fish ◽  
Primary Consumers ◽  
Positive Correlations

We examined the use of the natural abundance of nitrogen stable isotopes (δ15N) as a tracer of anthropo genic perturbations of the nitrogen (N) cycle at the watershed scale in 82 river sites draining 13 watersheds in the St. Lawrence Lowlands in Quebec. Mean δ15N values of aquatic primary consumers varied greatly among sites (+2‰ to +15‰), most of this variation (88%) being attributable to site effects. Variation in δ15N values among functional feeding groups of primary consumers within sites was comparatively lower (<1‰). Within watersheds, δ15N values of primary consumers (and organisms of higher trophic levels) tracked longitudinal changes in the percentage of agricultural area. Overall, the percentage of total watershed area under agriculture explained up to 69% of the variation in mean primary consumer δ15N values. Similar positive correlations were observed for predatory invertebrates and non-piscivorous fish. In general, our results show that δ15N in riverine food webs reacts strongly to spatial patterns in the intensity of N inputs related to agricultural land use.

scholarly journals Comparative Population Characteristics of Muskellunge (Esox masquinongy), Northern Pike (E. lucius), and Their Hybrid (E. masquinongy × E. lucius)

1993 ◽  
Vol 50 (9) ◽  
pp. 1961-1968 ◽  
Author(s):  
David H. Wahl ◽  
Roy A. Stein
Keyword(s):  
Northern Pike ◽  
Population Characteristics ◽  
Gizzard Shad ◽  
First Year ◽  
Dorosoma Cepedianum ◽  
Esox Masquinongy ◽  
Survival Patterns ◽  
Prey Length ◽  
Better Than ◽  
Comparative Population

We compared growth, survival, diet, and angler catch of muskellunge (Esox masquinongy), northern pike (E. lucius), and tiger muskellunge (E. masquinongy × E. lucius) through 5 yr after their introduction into three Ohio reservoirs. Muskellunge grew slower than northern pike and tiger muskellunge through the first year but faster than northern pike in subsequent years. Large stocked esocids (180–205 mm) survived better than small ones (145 mm). Survival patterns established through the first fall were maintained through age 5; northern pike survived best, followed by muskellunge and tiger muskellunge. Angler catch reflected differences in survival as well as catchability among taxa. Northern pike were caught at smaller sizes and younger ages than other taxa. Gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) dominated esocid diets for all taxa and age classes, followed by centrarchids and cyprinids. Prey length consumed increased linearly with esocid length; northern pike selected larger gizzard shad than either muskellunge or tiger muskellunge. These differences in population characteristics among esocids should influence mangement and stocking programs. Whereas northern pike maximize angling opportunities, muskellunge probably will provide trophy fisheries. Although tiger muskellunge can be reared inexpensively, they appear to provide little recreational fishing in return.

Nutritional Implications of Surface Feeding by Gizzard Shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) on Insect Remains in an Ohio Reservoir

1977 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 269-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia A. King ◽  
Thomas E. Wissing ◽  
Edward J. De Villez ◽  
Michael J. Chimney ◽  
William B. Randall Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Digestive Tract ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Nutritive Value ◽  
Chitinase Activity ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Gizzard Shad ◽  
Insect Cuticle ◽  
Dorosoma Cepedianum ◽  
System Activity ◽  
Forage Species

On six occasions during July and August 1975, surface feeding by schools of adult gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) on insect remains was observed in Acton Lake, Ohio. Proteinases in the digestive tract presumably hydrolyze the protein in the insect cuticle. The chitin component of the cuticle also has nutritive value, as significant chitinase activity was demonstrated in extracts of gizzard mucosa, hepatopancreas, and intestinal ceca. Values were comparable to activities observed in other fish species. Chitinolytic system activity was not demonstrated.The mean caloric equivalents of the chironomid and chaoborid exuviae and winged ants in surface debris were 5355, 4363, and 6059 cal/g ash-free dry wt, respectively. Ingestion of insect remains by this forage species could accelerate the return of energy and nutrients in these materials to higher trophic levels.

scholarly journals Elevated temperature and browning increase dietary methylmercury, but decrease essential fatty acids at the base of lake food webs

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pianpian Wu ◽  
Martin J. Kainz ◽  
Fernando Valdés ◽  
Siwen Zheng ◽  
Katharina Winter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Food Webs ◽  
Essential Fatty Acids ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Essential Nutrients ◽  
Aquatic Food Webs ◽  
Aquatic Food

AbstractClimate change scenarios predict increases in temperature and organic matter supply from land to water, which affect trophic transfer of nutrients and contaminants in aquatic food webs. How essential nutrients, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), and potentially toxic contaminants, such as methylmercury (MeHg), at the base of aquatic food webs will be affected under climate change scenarios, remains unclear. The objective of this outdoor mesocosm study was to examine how increased water temperature and terrestrially-derived dissolved organic matter supply (tDOM; i.e., lake browning), and the interaction of both, will influence MeHg and PUFA in organisms at the base of food webs (i.e. seston; the most edible plankton size for zooplankton) in subalpine lake ecosystems. The interaction of higher temperature and tDOM increased the burden of MeHg in seston (< 40 μm) and larger sized plankton (microplankton; 40–200 μm), while the MeHg content per unit biomass remained stable. However, PUFA decreased in seston, but increased in microplankton, consisting mainly of filamentous algae, which are less readily bioavailable to zooplankton. We revealed elevated dietary exposure to MeHg, yet decreased supply of dietary PUFA to aquatic consumers with increasing temperature and tDOM supply. This experimental study provides evidence that the overall food quality at the base of aquatic food webs deteriorates during ongoing climate change scenarios by increasing the supply of toxic MeHg and lowering the dietary access to essential nutrients of consumers at higher trophic levels.

Improvements in water quality following biomanipulation of gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) in Lake Denham, Florida

2011 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 287-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walt Godwin ◽  
Michael Coveney ◽  
Edgar Lowe ◽  
Lawrence Battoe
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Gizzard Shad ◽  
Dorosoma Cepedianum

Reflecting materials in the eyes of three teleosts, Orthopristes chrysopterus, Dorosoma cepedianum and Anchoa mitchilli

1973 ◽  
Vol 184 (1074) ◽  
pp. 15-27 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Body Length ◽  
Pigment Epithelium ◽  
Total Body Length ◽  
Gizzard Shad ◽  
Dorosoma Cepedianum ◽  
Anchoa Mitchilli ◽  
First Report ◽  
Total Body ◽  
Bay Anchovy

The tapeta lucida of three species of teleosts were examined to determine the composition of the reflecting material. The fishes were bay anchovy Anchoa mitchilli (Engraulidae), gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum (Clupeidae) and pigfish Orthopristes chrysopterus (Haemulidae). The tapetum of each species was situated in the pigment epithelium of the eye. That of the pigfish contained triglycerides identified as chiefly glyceryl tridocosahexaenoate. A reduced pteridine, 7, 8-dihydroxanthopterin, occurred in the tapetum of the gizzard shad. Guanine occurred in the tapetum of the bay anchovy. The tapetum of the shad contained brightly reflecting particles about 0.5 μm in diameter There were 10.8 mg of dihydroxanthopterin in the tapetum of a shad (total body length 23 cm) and 0.46 mg of guanine in the tapetum of an anchovy (total body length 9 cm). This is the first report of a pteridine acting as a retinal reflector in vertebrates. Various aspects of retinal reflectors of teleosts are discussed and their variety and common characteristics commented upon.

Functional diversity alters the effects of a pulse perturbation on the dynamics of tritrophic food webs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruben Ceulemans ◽  
Laurie Anne Myriam Wojcik ◽  
Ursula Gaedke
Keyword(s):  
Food Web ◽  
Food Webs ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Feedback Loop ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Nutrient Pulse ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Food Web Model

Biodiversity decline causes a loss of functional diversity, which threatens ecosystems through a dangerous feedback loop: this loss may hamper ecosystems' ability to buffer environmental changes, leading to further biodiversity losses. In this context, the increasing frequency of climate and human-induced excessive loading of nutrients causes major problems in aquatic systems. Previous studies investigating how functional diversity influences the response of food webs to disturbances have mainly considered systems with at most two functionally diverse trophic levels. Here, we investigate the effects of a nutrient pulse on the resistance, resilience and elasticity of a tritrophic---and thus more realistic---plankton food web model depending on its functional diversity. We compare a non-adaptive food chain with no diversity to a highly diverse food web with three adaptive trophic levels. The species fitness differences are balanced through trade-offs between defense/growth rate for prey and selectivity/half-saturation constant for predators. We showed that the resistance, resilience and elasticity of tritrophic food webs decreased with larger perturbation sizes and depended on the state of the system when the perturbation occured. Importantly, we found that a more diverse food web was generally more resistant, resilient, and elastic. Particularly, functional diversity dampened the probability of a regime shift towards a non-desirable alternative state. In addition, despite the complex influence of the shape and type of the dynamical attractors, the basal-intermediate interaction determined the robustness against a nutrient pulse. This relationship was strongly influenced by the diversity present and the third trophic level. Overall, using a food web model of realistic complexity, this study confirms the destructive potential of the positive feedback loop between biodiversity loss and robustness, by uncovering mechanisms leading to a decrease in resistance, resilience and elasticity as functional diversity declines.

Digestive enzyme and gut surfactant activity of detritivorous gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum)

2000 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 1113-1119 ◽  
Author(s):  
James C Smoot ◽  
Robert H Findlay
Keyword(s):  
Enzyme Activity ◽  
Protease Activity ◽  
Feeding Strategy ◽  
Digestive Enzyme ◽  
Artificial Substrates ◽  
Gizzard Shad ◽  
Dorosoma Cepedianum ◽  
Digestive Physiology ◽  
Protease Enzyme ◽  
Surfactant Activity

Measuring digestive enzyme and surfactant activities tested specialization of gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) digestive physiology to a detritivorous feeding strategy. Digestive enzyme activity was measured in adult and larval gizzard shad using fluorescently labeled artificial substrates. Surfactant activity in gizzard shad was measured by comparing gut juice drop diameters over a range of dilutions. Enzyme activity in the ceca region of adult gizzard shad was high for esterase, beta-glucosidase, lipase, and protease. Enzyme activity was lower in posterior intestine sections than in anterior intestine sections, although protease activity remained high for the greatest distance in the intestine. Micelles were detected in adult gizzard shad gut juice, and surfactant activity was greatest in the ceca region. Larval gizzard shad protease activity was similar to that of adult fish, and surfactants were below their critical micelle concentration. Gizzard shad coupled digestive physiology with gut anatomy to obtain nutrients from detritus, and these adaptations may explain elevated growth rates observed in these fish when they are planktivorous.

The role of water ventilation and sediment ingestion in the uptake of benzo[A]pyrene in gizzard shad (dorosoma cepedianum)

1996 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 1752-1759 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan S. Kolok ◽  
James N. Huckins ◽  
Jimmie D. Petty ◽  
James T. Oris
Keyword(s):  
Gizzard Shad ◽  
Dorosoma Cepedianum
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