Feeding-Behavior Repertoire of the Alewife, Alosa pseudoharengus, and the Ciscoes Coregonus hoyi and C. artedii

1978 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 249-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Janssen
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Feeding Behavior ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Lake Michigan ◽  
Alosa Pseudoharengus ◽  
Calanoid Copepods ◽  
Mysis Relicta ◽  
Particulate Feeding ◽  
Coregonus Hoyi

Particulate feeding, where fish orient to and take prey one at a time, is shown by the alewife, Alosa pseudoharengus, and the ciscoes Coregonus hoyi and C. artedii. Specialized particulate feeding is found in ciscoes and alewives for capturing strongly swimming prey such as Mysis relicta and calanoid copepods. This involves simultaneous darting and sucking. Alewives filter feed by swimming with the mouth fully agape for 0.5–2 s while driving hard with the tail. Ciscoes do not filter feed, but they and alewives display gulping behavior where fish open and close the mouth 2–3 times/s, do not drive hard with the tail, and may take more than one prey per gulp. The alewife has difficulty feeding near or on the bottom. The ciscoes feed easily on or near the bottom and will also take buried prey. Key words: Alosa pseudoharengus, Coregonus hoyi, C. artedii, feeding behavior, Great Lakes, Lake Michigan

Density Estimates of Mysis relicta in Lake Michigan

1979 ◽  
Vol 36 (6) ◽  
pp. 694-698 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nevin E. Grossnickle ◽  
Mark D. Morgan
Keyword(s):  
Key Words ◽  
Lake Michigan ◽  
Density Estimates ◽  
Mysis Relicta ◽  
Deep Station ◽  
Late Instar ◽  
Order Of Magnitude

Density estimates of Mysis relicta based on night vertical net tows at stations of 30–50 m in Lake Michigan were about an order of magnitude larger than previous estimates based on sled tows. Significantly greater density estimates were obtained in night vertical net tows than those collected before sunset at these shallow stations. However, density estimates based on sled tows during daylight were not significantly different from those based on night vertical net tows at a 115-m station in Lake Michigan. At this deep station, a substantially larger percentage of late instar mysids was collected in sled tows than in night vertical net tows. Key words: Mysis relicta, Lake Michigan, density estimates, vertical net tows, epibenthic sled tows

Life History and Abundance of Mysis relicta in Lake Michigan

1978 ◽  
Vol 35 (9) ◽  
pp. 1165-1170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark D. Morgan ◽  
Alfred M. Beeton
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Lake Michigan ◽  
Fourth Instar ◽  
Mysis Relicta ◽  
First Instar ◽  
Males And Females

Mysis relicta was sampled in Lake Michigan approximately monthly with an epibenthic sled, August 1975–July 1976. Total numbers ranged from a low of 23 m−2 in February to a high of 337 m−2 in May and averaged 188 m−2. It was possible to partition the population into five instars. Major peaks in proportions of first instar individuals occurred in March, July, and November. It took about 1 yr for first instar individuals to reach the fourth instar. Growth averaged a little less than 1 mm/mo. Males and females reached maturity and bred in the fourth instar, so females produced their first brood at 1 yr of age. Males died at this time, but females were found to molt to the fifth instar, mate, and produce a second brood approximately 4 mo later. Key words: Mysis relicta, Lake Michigan, life history, abundance

scholarly journals Spatiotemporal variability in energetic condition of alewife and round goby in Lake Michigan

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (11) ◽  
pp. 1982-1992 ◽  
Author(s):  
David B. Bunnell ◽  
Steven A. Pothoven ◽  
Patricia M. Armenio ◽  
Lauren Eaton ◽  
David M. Warner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Great Lakes ◽  
Lake Michigan ◽  
Round Goby ◽  
Neogobius Melanostomus ◽  
Spatiotemporal Variability ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Alosa Pseudoharengus ◽  
Prey Fish ◽  
Important Prey ◽  
Energetic Condition

Pelagic-oriented alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) and benthic-oriented round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) are two important prey fishes in the Laurentian Great Lakes. In 2015, we evaluated their seasonal total energy (TE) across nine Lake Michigan transects. Round goby contained at least 48% more kilojoules of TE than alewife of equal length during spring and summer. TE varied spatially for both species, but only large alewife exhibited a consistent pattern, with higher values along the eastern shoreline. Variation in TE was not explained by site-specific prey densities for either species. Round goby energy density (ED) was higher in Lake Michigan than in central Lake Erie, but comparable to other regions of the Great Lakes. Alewife ED in 2015 was similar to that in 2002–2004 in Lake Michigan, with the exception of November (small alewife ED was 21% higher) and April (large alewife ED was 30% lower). Despite oligotrophication, our study suggests that starvation of juvenile and adults has not been directly contributing to overall declining prey fish abundance, although future research should evaluate the potential for overwinter starvation.

Influence of Salmonine Predation and Weather on Long-Term Water Quality Trends in Lake Michigan

1986 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 435-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald Scavia ◽  
Gary L. Fahnenstiel ◽  
Marlene S. Evans ◽  
David J. Jude ◽  
John T. Lehman
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Lake Michigan ◽  
Sediment Resuspension ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Water Clarity ◽  
Alosa Pseudoharengus ◽  
Calanoid Copepods ◽  
Chl A ◽  
Secchi Disk Transparency

Trends in Lake Michigan water quality over 1975–84 appear to reflect reduced nutrient loadings as indicated by gradual declines in spring total phosphorus (TP) and summer epilimnetic chlorophyll a (Chl a). Deviations from these trends during 1977 and 1983–84 were apparently caused by abiotic and biotic factors, respectively. Prolonged ice cover during 1977 decreased sediment resuspension resulting in lower TP, reduced Chl a levels, and increased water clarity. A similar dramatic result occurred in 1983 and to a lesser extent in 1984, but via a different mechanism. Burgeoning populations of stocked salmonines reduced populations of the planktivorous alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), which allowed large Daphnia to flourish. Because the Daphnia are more voracious and nonselective grazers than the formerly dominant calanoid copepods, they reduced seston concentrations, causing dramatic increases in Secchi disk transparency. These exceptions demonstrate the far-reaching consequences that unusual weather conditions and fish management practices may have on water quality indicators.

Dynamics of Lake Michigan Plankton: A Model Evaluation of Nutrient Loading, Competition, and Predation

1988 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 165-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald Scavia ◽  
Gregory A. Lang ◽  
James F. Kitchell
Keyword(s):  
Species Interactions ◽  
Lake Michigan ◽  
Nutrient Loading ◽  
Substantial Contribution ◽  
Alosa Pseudoharengus ◽  
Calanoid Copepods ◽  
Nutrient Excretion ◽  
Blue Green Algae ◽  
Phytoplankton Species Composition ◽  
Alternative Hypotheses

Lake Michigan's offshore ecosystem has been altered dramatically during the past decade. Summer zooplankton dominance has changed from calanoid copepods to Daphnia and the substantial contribution of filamentous blue-green algae to summer phytoplankton has been replaced by phytoflagellates. These changes occurred concurrently with reduced P load, P concentration, and abundance of the dominant zooplanktivore, the alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus). In this analysis we pose alternative hypotheses of nutrient loading and species interactions as determinants of zooplankton and phytoplankton species composition in the summer epilimnion. We evaluate these hypotheses with a food web model that was calibrated to measurements of the 1980s Lake Michigan plankton composition and algal production, sedimentation, and growth rates and literature estimates of zooplankton secondary production and nutrient excretion. The model simulates the influence of gradients of both P load and alewife abundance on predation–competition interactions. We conclude that summer plankton composition in Lake Michigan is controlled largely by predation. The model further predicts a return to a plankton community similar to that of the 1970s under a scenario of increasing invertebrate predation by a new zooplankton species for Lake Michigan, Bythotrephes cederstroemi.

Feeding Ecology and Vertical Migration of Adult Alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) in Lake Michigan

1980 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Janssen ◽  
Stephen B. Brandt
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Ecology ◽  
Vertical Migration ◽  
Lake Michigan ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Early Morning ◽  
Alosa Pseudoharengus ◽  
Important Food ◽  
Mysis Relicta ◽  
Early Evening ◽  
Vertical Distributions

Vertical distributions of adult alewife (135–216 mm long) and Mysis relicta were measured acoustically on a 24 h basis during July, September, and October 1975 and June 1976 at a station 8 km northeast of Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 50 m of water. Both Mysis and adult alewife concentrated on the bottom during day and migrated upwards to the base of the thermocline at night. Extent and timing of vertical migrations of Mysis and alewife coincided. During bright moonlight Mysis concentrated at depths well below the thermocline and larger adult alewives concentrated within this Mysis layer while smaller adult alewives migrated to the base of the thermocline. An examination of stomach contents indicated that vertical migrations were mechanistically linked to feeding behavior. Adult alewives fed extensively on Mysis at night. Total lengths of Mysis in alewife stomachs were significantly longer than total lengths of Mysis captured in vertical plankton tows. Pontoporeia hoyi occurred in alewife stomachs in late afternoon (September) and early evening (June, October). Microcrustacean zooplankton were eaten mostly during day (June) or early morning (October). As Mysis was the most important food, the vertical migration of alewives is interpreted as an adaptation for feeding on vertically migrating Mysis.Key words: alewives, Lake Michigan, Mysis, Pontoporeia hoyi, vertical migration, feeding ecology, light

Thyroid Activity of Alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) and Rainbow Smelts (Osmerus mordax) in the Great Lakes

1977 ◽  
Vol 34 (8) ◽  
pp. 1242-1244 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Sonstegard ◽  
J. F. Leatherland ◽  
R. Moccia
Keyword(s):  
Thyroid Hormone ◽  
Great Lakes ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Osmerus Mordax ◽  
Alosa Pseudoharengus ◽  
Thyroid Activity ◽  
Thyroid Glands ◽  
Sexually Mature ◽  
Annual Mortality

Thyroid glands, collected in 1974 and 1976 from sexually mature prespawning alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) captured in lakes Ontario, Huron, and Michigan and from sexually mature, spawning rainbow smelts (Osmerus mordax) from lakes Ontario and Erie, showed no evidence of the thyroid exhaustion described in these species collected from identical sites and seasons in 1952. The observations suggest a change in the apparent thyroid activity of these species from those in earlier studies, and that the annual mortality of alewives is not directly related to an inability to produce sufficient thyroid hormone. Key words: alewives, rainbow smelts, thyroid, mortality, Great Lakes

Use of the lateral line in particulate feeding in the dark by juvenile alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus)

1995 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 358-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Janssen ◽  
Warren R. Jones ◽  
Audrey Whang ◽  
Philip E. Oshel
Keyword(s):  
Lateral Line ◽  
Vertical Migration ◽  
Artemia Salina ◽  
Sensory Cells ◽  
Alosa Pseudoharengus ◽  
Mysis Relicta ◽  
Infrared Video ◽  
Particulate Feeding ◽  
Feeding Observations ◽  
Individual Prey

The alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) is an obligate planktivore which uses a variety of methods for capturing zooplankton. Alewife eat Mysis relicta, especially larger individuals, at night during a vertical migration by both predator and prey. We proposed and tested the hypothesis that alewife use the lateral line to sense prey and feed particulately (single prey at a time) in the dark. We used Daphnia magna and Artemia salina adults as prey. Prey densities were such that they did not elicit filter feeding. Observations using infrared video showed that alewife captured individual prey and bit at a vibrating inert bead. We concluded that under appropriate conditions, alewife were size selective and that streptomycin (which blocks the lateral line sensory cells) eliminated this feeding behavior.

Thermal Habitat Shifts by Fishes at the Thermocline in Lake Michigan

1982 ◽  
Vol 39 (7) ◽  
pp. 1046-1050 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larry B. Crowder ◽  
John J. Magnuson
Keyword(s):  
Lake Michigan ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Fish Distribution ◽  
Niche Shift ◽  
Alosa Pseudoharengus ◽  
Thermal Habitat ◽  
Thermal Distribution ◽  
Lake Bottom ◽  
Competition For Food ◽  
Coregonus Hoyi

We documented thermal habitats of Lake Michigan fishes by bottom trawling at the intersection of the thermocline and the lake bottom near Grand Haven, Michigan. Fish distribution by temperature strata was surveyed during day and night on September 7–13, 1977, and repeated on August 27–September 1, 1979. In the interim, bloaters (Coregonus hoyi) had increased substantially. By comparing these two periods, we suggest that bloaters dramatically altered the thermal distribution of adult alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus). While comprising less than 1% of the trawl catch in 1977, bloaters comprised 42% in 1979. Bloaters were the most-abundant species from 5 to 16 °C in 1979. Adult alewife shifted their thermal distribution from 11 to 16 °C in 1977 to 4 to 8 °C in 1979. This shift is interpreted in terms of competition for food and thermal habitat, or predation by salmonids. The idea that the altered thermal distribution of alewife results from competitive interactions with bloaters is favored by existing data.Key words: competition, fishes, habitat partitioning, Lake Michigan, niche shift, predation, salmonids, temperature, thermocline

Recent Changes in the Inshore Forage Fish of Lake Michigan

1985 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 1154-1157 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Jude ◽  
Frank J. Tesar
Keyword(s):  
Yellow Perch ◽  
Lake Michigan ◽  
Forage Fish ◽  
Commercial Fishing ◽  
Osmerus Mordax ◽  
Alosa Pseudoharengus ◽  
Rainbow Smelt ◽  
Pelagic Larvae ◽  
Coregonus Hoyi ◽  
Predatory Pressure

Concerns have been expressed that increasing predatory pressure by salmonids may change the forage fish community of Lake Michigan. A decline in alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus), the major forage fish, would be a forewarning of such a change. Our 1973–82 surveys showed that alewife declined 86% in 1980–82; concurrently, rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) and yellow perch (Perca flavescens) increased threefold and fivefold, respectively. Spottail shiner (Notropis hudsonius) and trout-perch (Percopsis omiscomaycus) showed no long-term changes. Bloater (Coregonus hoyi) increased 24-fold since commercial fishing was prohibited in 1976. These trends imply that (1) alewife declined from predatory pressure, (2) alewife suppressed rainbow smelt and yellow perch, presumably by preying on their pelagic larvae, (3) alewife did not substantially affect spottail shiner and trout-perch, presumably because their demersal larvae escaped alewife predation, and (4) overfishing, more than the alewife, suppressed bloater.

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