Parasitological evidence for specialized foraging behavior in lake-resident Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus)

1995 ◽  
Vol 52 (S1) ◽  
pp. 186-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark A. Curtis ◽  
Michel Bérubé ◽  
Andreas Stenzel
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Behavior ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Extended Period ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Intermediate Hosts ◽  
Insect Larvae ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Feeding Specialization

Analyses of statistical associations between the stomach contents and endoparasites of Arctic char, Salvelinus alpinus, from a small (9 ha) lake in northern Quebec revealed that food items found in fish stomachs at the time of capture frequently consisted of intermediate hosts for the parasites infecting the fish. Thus the stomach contents of Arctic char infected by Diphyllobothrium ditremum, D. dendriticum, and Eubothrium salvelini tended to include copepods, while fish infected by the digenean Crepidostomum farionis more frequently contained insect larvae (ephemeropterans) and fish infected by the acanthocephalan Echinorhynchus lateralis most often had amphipods in their stomachs. Moreover, strong quantitative associations were evident between parasites utilizing intermediate hosts from either the benthic or the limnetic zone of the lake. This suggests that some degree of persistent feeding specialization was present among members of the Arctic char population over an extended period of time, with individual fish predominantly feeding upon prey organisms in either limnetic or benthic habitats. In this manner an allopatric Arctic char population may function analogously to more diverse fish communities, where specialist foraging behavior is developed to most efficiently exploit the food web.

Summer stream habitat preferences of Nunavik anadromous Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) fry and parr

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Véronique Dubos ◽  
André St-Hilaire ◽  
Normand E Bergeron
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Stream Habitat ◽  
Physical Habitat ◽  
High Plasticity ◽  
Slow Velocity

Arctic char is a fish species known to occupy diverse habitats within the Arctic region. However, summer habitat use during the juvenile stage of the anadromous form is largely unknown. The present study aims to characterize fry and parr summer habitat preferences. Surveys were conducted by electrofishing, associated with physical habitat characterization on several rivers of the Ungava Bay, Nunavik, Canada. At the microhabitat and station scales, fry showed significant habitat preferences for shallow water and slow velocity. At the mesohabitat scale, fry showed a significant habitat selectivity for riffles. This habitat selectivity implies that habitat models can be built to evaluate the potential of habitat suitability for Arctic char fry. However, no significant habitat selectivity was found for parr. Parr size was nonetheless positively correlated with velocity, which was found to be a limitative factor for juvenile habitat use. This first attempt at modeling juvenile anadromous Arctic char habitat in rivers emphasizes the importance of selecting an appropriate spatial scale and reiterates the fact that parr showed relatively high plasticity in stream habitat selection.

scholarly journals Do the fastest sperm within an ejaculate swim faster in subordinate than in dominant males of Arctic char?

2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (7) ◽  
pp. 1019-1024 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Vaz Serrano ◽  
Ivar Folstad ◽  
Geir Rudolfsen ◽  
Lars Figenschou
Keyword(s):  
Swimming Speed ◽  
Social Dominance ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Sperm Cells ◽  
Sperm Velocity ◽  
Mean Velocity ◽  
Sperm Swimming Speed

Theoretical models predict that subordinate males should have higher sperm velocity to compensate for their disadvantaged mating role and because they experience sperm competition more frequently than dominant males. Differences in mean velocity between sperm of dominants and subordinates in the predicted direction are also documented for a few species, including the Arctic char, Salvelinus alpinus (L., 1758). Yet, this difference in mean velocity does not imply that the fastest sperm within an ejaculate, which are those most likely to fertilize eggs, swim faster in subordinates than in dominants. We studied the 5% and 10% fastest sperm cells in ejaculates of dominant and subordinate Arctic char. Before individuals attained their status, there were no differences in velocity between the fastest sperm of males that later became dominant or subordinate. Yet, after establishment of social position, subordinates showed significantly higher sperm swimming speed of the fastest cells in the first 30 s post activation (i.e., at 15, 20, and 30 s post activation). Males that became subordinates showed no change in sperm speed of the fast cells compared with those at pre-trial levels, whereas males that became dominant reduced the speed of their sperm (15 s post activation) compared with those at pre-trial levels. Our results suggest that males which attain social dominance are unable to maintain high sperm velocity, even among the small fraction of the fastest cells.

Effect of temperature on the P4501A response in winter- and summer-acclimated Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) after oral benzo[a]pyrene exposure

1999 ◽  
Vol 56 (8) ◽  
pp. 1370-1375
Author(s):  
Even H Jørgensen ◽  
Johannes Wolkers
Keyword(s):  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
Hydrocarbon Contamination ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Effect Of Temperature ◽  
Temperature Changes ◽  
Protein Levels ◽  
Biomarker Response ◽  
P450 Enzyme ◽  
Polycyclic Aromatic

In this study, the time-dependent P450 response to oral benzo[a]pyrene exposure at 1 and 10°C was investigated in winter- and summer-acclimated Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus). In both seasons, a strong induction of CYP1A activities and protein levels (measured only in the winter experiment) were seen at both 1 and 10°C. At 1°C, the responses were delayed and more long-lasting than at 10°C. No within-season difference between 1 and 10°C in the magnitude of the induction response was found, but due to elevated baseline CYP1A activities, the induction response was seven times lower in winter- as compared with the response in summer-acclimated Arctic char. The results show that the CYP1A enzymes of the Arctic char respond to temperature changes in a compensatory way, and they are promising with respect to the applicability of the P450 enzyme system of the Arctic char as a biomarker for monitoring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contamination in high-latitude environments. More studies are needed, however, to reveal seasonal differences in the biomarker response to pollutants.

REGULAR ARTICLES / ARTICLES RÉGULIERS Whether to reproduce or not: immune suppression and costs of parasites during reproduction in the Arctic charr

2001 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 271-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frode Skarstein ◽  
Ivar Folstad ◽  
Ståle Liljedal
Keyword(s):  
Immune Suppression ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Arctic Charr ◽  
Indirect Evidence ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Parasitic Infections ◽  
Intermediate Hosts ◽  
Parasite Infections ◽  
Gamete Production ◽  
The Difference

Secondary sexual characters are assumed to be costly to develop, and the costs of parasite infections and immune suppression are currently an active area of research within sexual selection. We investigated differences in parasitic infections and immunological activity between reproductively active and inactive Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus). Spawning fish were found to have higher intensities of macroparasite infections than nonspawning or resting fish. The difference in intensity between spawning and resting fish was only observed in males, and can be explained by differences in exposure or susceptibility to parasites. However, there is indirect evidence that the difference in parasite intensities does not stem from varying exposure originating from group differences in consumption of carotenoid-containing intermediate hosts. We show, rather, that spawning males may be more susceptible, since they have a smaller spleen, which is an important lymphocyte-producing organ, than resting males. As these costs of spawning are found predominantly among males, they are unlikely to be the result of energetic investment in gamete production, as gamete production in general is thought to be more energetically demanding in females than in males. Rather, we suggest that the observed costs of reproduction result from immune suppression related to ornamental development and spermatogenesis.

scholarly journals Extensive Secondary Contact Among Three Glacial Lineages of Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus) in Newfoundland and Labrador

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah J. Salisbury ◽  
Gregory R. McCracken ◽  
Donald Keefe ◽  
Robert Perry ◽  
Daniel E. Ruzzante
Keyword(s):  
Newfoundland And Labrador ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
First Record ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Secondary Contact ◽  
Loop Region ◽  
Multiple Sampling ◽  
Sampling Locations ◽  
D Loop

ABSTRACTWe sequenced a portion of the D-loop region in over 1000 Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) samples from 67 locations across Newfoundland and Labrador to assess the extent of secondary contact among the Arctic, Atlantic, and Acadian glacial lineages in Newfoundland and Labrador. Within Labrador, the Arctic and Atlantic lineages were widespread. Two locations (one landlocked and one with access to the sea) also contained individuals of the Acadian lineage, constituting the first record of this lineage in Labrador. Atlantic and Acadian lineage individuals were found in both eastern and western Newfoundland. Multiple sampling locations in Newfoundland and Labrador contained fish of two or more different glacial lineages, implying their introgression. Glacial lineage did not appear to dictate contemporary genetic divergence between the pale and dark morph of char present in Gander Lake, Newfoundland. Both were predominately of the Atlantic lineage, suggesting the potential for their divergence in sympatry. This study reveals Newfoundland and Labrador to be a unique junction of three glacial lineages which have likely hybridized extensively in this region.

Resident and anadromous forms of arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) from North-East Europe: an example of high ecological variability without speciation

2019 ◽  
Vol 485 (2) ◽  
pp. 242-246
Author(s):  
A. A. Makhrov ◽  
I. N. Bolotov ◽  
V. M. Spitsyn ◽  
M. Yu. Gofarov ◽  
V. S. Artamonova
Keyword(s):  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Arctic Charr ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Coi Gene ◽  
Mitochondrial Coi ◽  
Ecological Variability ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Two Samples

Samples from 11 populations of the Arctic char of the North-European part of Russia belonging to the anadromous and resident forms and two samples from Lake Sobach'e (Taimyr) were studied. The nucleotide sequence of the mitochondrial COI gene was determined in 60 individuals. In the majority of populations, the same COI haplotype was found. In some populations of the resident chars, haplotypes differing from the widespread haplotype in a single nucleotide substitution were found. The obtained genetic data give no reason to distinguish the resident form of the Arctic char from lakes of Karelia and the Kola Peninsula as an independent species, Salvelinus lep- echini. The adaptation of the Arctic char to the unstable environmental conditions is ensured primarily by its phenotypic plasticity.

Between-watershed movements of two anadromous salmonids in the Arctic

2015 ◽  
Vol 72 (6) ◽  
pp. 855-863 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arne Johan Jensen ◽  
Ola Håvard Diserud ◽  
Bengt Finstad ◽  
Peder Fiske ◽  
Audun Håvard Rikardsen
Keyword(s):  
Brown Trout ◽  
Salmo Trutta ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
Brown Trout Salmo Trutta

A long-term study in the River Halselva in the Arctic region of Norway demonstrated that movements between watersheds were considerably higher in anadromous brown trout (Salmo trutta) than anadromous Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus). Fourteen smolt year classes of both species were captured in a fish trap, individually tagged, and thereafter registered each time they passed the trap during their migration between the sea and fresh water every summer. Annual mean survival (i.e., recovery rate) after the first entry to sea as smolts was estimated as 31.4% in Arctic char and 26.6% in brown trout. Most surviving Arctic char returned to the River Halselva to overwinter after the same summer that they migrated to sea as smolts. However, several brown trout overwintered one to four times in other watersheds, mainly the considerably larger River Altaelva, before most eventually returned to the River Halselva upon maturation. The substantial difference in movement rate between watersheds between Arctic char (2.2%) and brown trout (39.6%) is expected to be a consequence of local geographic conditions combined with different habitat preferences of the two species.

Preliminary Observations on the Ionic Regulation of the Arctic Char Salvelinus Alpinus

1971 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 213-222
Author(s):  
R. A. ROBERTS
Keyword(s):  
Fresh Water ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Potassium Concentration ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Sodium Concentration ◽  
Sodium Content ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Total Sodium

1. The degree of euryhalinity in a fresh-water resident population of the arctic char, Salvelinus alpinus, has been determined. 2. Although isolated in fresh water for c. 10000-12000 years these fish still show a high degree of salinity tolerance characteristic of their ancestral stock, but this is variably developed in individuals. 3. In fresh water, blood sodium concentration is regulated at 150 mM/l and chloride at 130 mM/l. These increase to 233 and 218 mm/l respectively in sea water. 4. Fish in sea water show a large increase in muscle sodium, although the potassium concentration is only slightly higher than that maintained in fresh water. The total sodium content of the fish reflects the increase observed in the intracellular and extracellular compartments. 5. The rate of sodium turnover in sea-water-adapted fish is some ten times higher than in fresh-water-adapted fish, although it is significantly lower than that observed in most sea-water-adapted teleosts.

Accumulation of Persistent Pollutants in Normal and Dwarfed Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus sp. complex)

1993 ◽  
Vol 50 (12) ◽  
pp. 2574-2580 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johan Hammar ◽  
Per Larsson ◽  
Maris Klavins
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Salvelinus Alpinus ◽  
Arctic Char ◽  
Individual Growth ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Growth Strategies ◽  
Sympatric Populations ◽  
Fast Growing ◽  
Persistent Pollutants ◽  
Slow Growing

Two extreme growth fractions of introgressed sympatric populations of the Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) species complex from Lake Blåsjön, northern Sweden, were sampled for individual concentrations of persistent pollutants originating from atmospheric deposition. Slow growing char (dwarfs) had significantly higher levels of SPCB (sum of PCB congeners found) and p,p-DDE (dominating DDT-compound) than fast growing char (normals). Besides demonstrating a highly divergent growth pattern the introgressed populations also inhabit a great range of depths, and the seasonal food consumption rates may differ between extreme growth fractions, although the same major invertebrates (introduced Mysis relicta and Pallasea quadrispinosa) are consumed over the year. However, of the life history parameters differing in late spring, individual growth rate was the most important factor explaining the variation in the levels of the pollutants studied. The results support the hypothesis of a biomass "dilution" of pollutants in fish, illustrated by lower levels in fast growing char and higher levels in the slow-growing dwarfs. Individuals with alternative growth strategies in sympatric conspecific communities thus provide unique opportunities to study growth rate as a variable influencing levels of persistent pollutants in fish.

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