Seasonal and interannual effects of hypoxia on fish habitat quality in central Lake Erie

• DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2427.2010.02504.x
• Publication Date: 2010-09-30T06:36:22Z
• Authors: KRISTIN K. AREND; DMITRY BELETSKY; JOSEPH V. DePINTO; STUART A. LUDSIN; JAMES J. ROBERTS; DANIEL K. RUCINSKI; DONALD SCAVIA; DAVID J. SCHWAB; TOMAS O. HÖÖK
• Keywords: Hypoxia; Coregonus; Planktivore; Nursery habitat

1. Hypoxia occurs seasonally in many stratified coastal marine and freshwater ecosystems when bottom dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations are depleted below 2–3 mg O2 L−1. 2. We evaluated the effects of hypoxia on fish habitat quality central basin Lake Erie from 1987 to 2005, using bioenergetic growth rate potential (GRP) as a proxy for quality. compared effect (i) rainbow smelt, Osmerus mordax Mitchill (young-of-year, YOY, adult), cold-water planktivore, (ii) emerald shiner, Notropis atherinoides Rafinesque (adult), warm-water (iii) yellow perch, Perca flavescens (YOY cool-water benthopelagic omnivore (iv) round goby Neogobius melanostomus Pallas (adult) eurythermal benthivore. Annual thermal DO profiles were generated 1D hydrodynamics models developed Erie’s basin. 3. occurred annually, typically mid-July mid-October, which spatially temporally overlaps with otherwise high benthic reduced across species life stages, but magnitude reduction varied both among within because differences tolerance low levels temperatures. 4. Across years, trends mirrored phosphorus concentration water column demand Erie. The per cent owing was greatest adult smelt (mean: −35%), followed by shiner −12%), YOY −10%) perch −8.5%). 5. Our results highlight importance differential spatiotemporally interactive temperature relative quantity. These have influence performance individual well population dynamics, trophic interactions community structure.