Abstract
Size selective predation on molluscs was apparent for lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and round whitefish (Prosopium cylindraceum), but not for arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus), in the Toolik Lake region of arctic Alaska during the summer of 1986. Lake trout consumed significantly larger molluscs of all taxa than did round whitefish, and selected larger molluscs than were available on either rocky or soft-sediment habitats. Round whitefish were not size-selective on the snail Lymnaea, but were size-selective on the snail Valvata and on clams from the soft sediments. Round whitefish consumed fewer and smaller Lymnaea compared to lake trout. Because lake trout ate more Lymnaea and also tended to select larger, reproductive-sized individuals, this fish could potentially have a more detrimental impact on the Lymnaea population. Finally, differences in Lymnaea densities and size distributions between lakes with and without lake trout suggest that these fish may be responsible for the pattern of distribution, size, and density observed for Lymnaea in Toolik Lake and other area lakes.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Bendock, T. & J. Burr, 1981. Index to North Slope streams and lakes survey. Alaska Fish and Game Report.
Crowder, L. B. & E. C. Cooper, 1982. Habitat structural complexity and the interaction between bluegills and their prey. Ecology 63: 1802–1813.
Cuker, B. E., 1983. Competition and coexistence among the grazing snail Lymnaea, Chironomidae, microcrustacea in an arctic epilithic lacustrine community. Ecology 64: 10–15.
Eddy, S. & J. C. Underhill, 1974. Northern Fishes. Minneapolis, Mn. Univ. of Mn. Press. 414 pp.
Gilinsky, E., 1984. The role of fish predation and spatial heterogeneity in determining benthic community structure. Ecology 65: 455–468.
Hall, D. J., W. E. Cooper & E. E. Werner, 1970. An experimental approach to the production dynamics and structure of freshwater animal communities. Limnol. Oceanogr. 15: 839–848.
Hanson, K. L., A. E. Hershey & M. E. McDonald, 1992. A comparison of slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus) populations in arctic lakes with and without piscivorous predators. Hydrobiologia 240: 189–201.
Hershey, A. E., 1985. Experimental effects of predatory sculpin on the chironomid communities of two arctic littoral zone habitats. Ecology 66: 1131–1138.
Hershey, A. E., 1990. Snail populations in arctic lakes: Competition mediated by predation? Oecologia 82: 26–32.
Hershey, A. E. & M. E. McDonald, 1985. Diet and digestion rates of the slimy sculpin, Cottus cognatus, in an Alaskan arctic lake. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 42: 483–487.
Johnson, L., 1972. Keller Lake: characteristics of a culturally unstressed salmonid community. J. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 29: 731–740.
Johnson, L., 1976. Ecology of arctic populations of lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush, lake whitefish, Coreonus clupe-aformis, arctic char, S. alpinus, and associated species in unexploited lakes of the Canadian Northwest Territories. J. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 33: 2459–2488.
Kerr, S. R., 1971. A simulation model of lake trout growth. J. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 28: 815–819.
Kettle, D. & W. J. O'Brien, 1978. Vulnerability of Arctic zooplankton species to predation by small Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush). J. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 35: 1495–1500.
Konkle, B. R. & W. G. Sprules, 1986. Planktivory by stunted lake trout in an Ontario Lake. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 115: 515–521.
Macan, T. T., 1966. The influence of predation on a moorland fishpond. Arch. Hydrobiol. 61: 432–452.
Martin, N. V., 1966. The significance of food habits in the biology, exploitation, and management of Algonquin Park, Ontario, lake trout. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 81: 415–422.
McDonald, M. E., B. E. Cuker & S. C. Mozley, 1982. Distribution, production, and age structure of slimy sculpin in an arctic lake. Envir. Biol. Fishes 7: 171–176.
Merrick, G. W., A. E. Hershey & M. E. McDonald, 1991. Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) control of snail density and size distribution in an arctic lake. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sci. 48: 498–502.
Miller, M. C., G. R. Hater, P. Spatt, P. Westlake & D. Yeakel, 1986. Primary production and its control in Toolik Lake, Alaska. Arch. Hydrobiol./Suppl. 4: 97–131.
O'Brien, W. J., C. Buchanan & J. F. Haney, 1979. Arctic zooplankton community structure: Exceptions to some general rules. Arctic 32: 237–247.
SAS User's Guide: Statistics, Version 5 Edition, 1985. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, N.C.
Scott, W. B. & E. J. Crossman, 1973. Freshwater Fishes of Canada. Bulletin 184. J. Fish. Res. Bd Can.
Smith, S. H., 1972. Factors in the ecological succession in oligotrophic fish communities of the Laurentian Great Lakes. J. Fish Res. Bd Can. 29: 717–730.
Sokal, R. R. & F. J. Rohlf, 1981. Biometry, W. H. Freeman and Company, San Francisco.
Stein, R. A., C. G. Goodman & E. A. Marshall, 1984. Using time and energetic measures of cost in estimating prey value for fish predators. Ecology 65: 702–715.
Thorp, J. H. & E. A. Bergey, 1981a. Field experiments on responses of a freshwater, benthic macroinvertebrate community to vertebrate predators. Ecology 62: 365–375.
Thorp, J. H. & E. A. Bergey, 1981b. Field experiments on interactions between vertebrate predators and larval midges (Diptera: Chironomidae) in the littoral zone of a reservoir. Oecologia 50: 285–290.
Vermeij, G. L. & A. P. Covich, 1978. Coevolution of freshwater gastropods and their predators. Am. Nat. 112: 833–843.
Ware, D. M., 1972. Risk of epibenthic prey to predation by rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri). J. Fish. Res. Bd Can. 30: 787–797.
Ware, D. M., 1973. Predation by rainbow (Salmo gairdneri): The influence of hunger, prey density, and prey size. J. Fish Res. Bd Can. 29: 1193–1201.
Werner, E. E. & D. J. Hall, 1977. Competition and habitat shift in two sunfishes (Centrarchidae). Ecology 58: 869–876.
Werner, E. E., J. F. Gilliam, D. J. Hall & G. G. Mittelbach, 1983. An experimental test of the effects of predation risk on habitat use in fish. Ecology 64: 1540–1548.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Merrick, G.W., Hershey, A.E. & McDonald, M.E. Salmonid diet and the size, distribution, and density of benthic invertebrates in an arctic lake. Hydrobiologia 240, 225–233 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00013464
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00013464