Long-term impacts of invasive species on a native top predator in a large lake system

Scott A. Rush; Gordon Paterson; Tim B. Johnson; Ken G. Drouillard; Gordon D. Haffner; Craig E. Hebert; Michael T. Arts; Daryl J. McGoldrick; Sean M. Backus; Brian F. Lantry; Jana R. Lantry; Ted Schaner; Aaron T. Fisk

doi:10.1111/fwb.12014

Long-term impacts of invasive species on a native top predator in a large lake system

Freshwater Biology

By: Scott A. Rush, Gordon Paterson, Tim B. Johnson, Ken G. Drouillard, Gordon D. Haffner, Craig E. Hebert, Michael T. Arts, Daryl J. McGoldrick, Sean M. Backus, Brian F. Lantry, Jana R. Lantry, Ted Schaner, and Aaron T. Fisk

https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.12014

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Abstract

1. Declining abundances of forage fish and the introduction and establishment of non-indigenous species have the potential to substantially alter resource and habitat exploitation by top predators in large lakes. 2. We measured stable isotopes of carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) in field-collected and archived samples of Lake Ontario lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and five species of prey fish and compared current trophic relationships of this top predator with historical samples. 3. Relationships between δ¹⁵N and lake trout age were temporally consistent throughout Lake Ontario and confirmed the role of lake trout as a top predator in this food web. However, δ¹³C values for age classes of lake trout collected in 2008 ranged from 1.0 to 3.9‰ higher than those reported for the population sampled in 1992. 4. Isotope mixing models predicted that these changes in resource assimilation were owing to the replacement of rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) by round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) in lake trout diet and increased reliance on carbon resources derived from nearshore production. This contrasts with the historical situation in Lake Ontario where δ¹³C values of the lake trout population were dominated by a reliance on offshore carbon production. 5. These results indicate a reduced capacity of the Lake Ontario offshore food web to support the energetic requirements of lake trout and that this top predator has become increasingly reliant on prey resources that are derived from nearshore carbon pathways.

Additional publication details
Publication type	Article
Publication Subtype	Journal Article
Title	Long-term impacts of invasive species on a native top predator in a large lake system
Series title	Freshwater Biology
DOI	10.1111/fwb.12014
Volume	57
Issue	11
Year Published	2012
Language	English
Publisher	Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Publisher location	Oxford, UK
Contributing office(s)	Great Lakes Science Center
Description	14 p.
Larger Work Type	Article
Larger Work Subtype	Journal Article
Larger Work Title	Freshwater Biology
First page	2342
Last page	2355
Google Analytic Metrics	Metrics page