Trophic structure of a landlocked Arctic char Salvelinus alpinus population from southern Baffin Island, Canada

Gallagher CP, Dick TA. Trophic structure of a landlocked Arctic char Salvelinus alpinus population from southern Baffin Island, Canada. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 2010: 19: 39–50. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S
Abstract –  Stable isotopes, diet and parasites were used to investigate the trophic structure of landlocked Arctic char ( Salvelinus alpinus ) from a small Canadian Arctic lake. Two trophic levels of char were identified. The lower trophic level comprised smaller char that consumed mainly invertebrates and harboured low numbers of the cestode plerocercoid Diphyllobothrium spp. while the higher trophic level char were larger, mainly piscivorous and had high numbers of plerocercoids. Procercoids of Diphyllobothrium spp. in copepods are eaten by char where the parasite then differentiates into a plerocercoid. Plerocercoids from smaller fish are transmitted to larger fish by piscivory where they encyst again as plerocercoids until the fish is eaten by a gull. These plerocercoids are a good indicator of trophic level as their numbers accumulate over time in larger fish. The three variables together provided a better resolution of trophic structure than applied separately. For example, plerocercoid numbers plus diet were better predictors of trophic status than stable isotopes in 4–7 year olds, but for char ≥8 years all three variables were complementary. Some char (≥10 years old) were placed in the lower trophic level based on their stable isotope values and had low Diphyllobothrium spp. abundance but were piscivorous and/or cannibalistic. The absence of sexually mature char in the higher trophic group was associated with high numbers of Diphyllobothrium spp. plerocercoids.     

Dietary plasticity in Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) in response to long‐term environmental change

Corrigan LJ, Winfield IJ, Hoelzel AR, Lucas MC. Dietary plasticity in Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) in response to long‐term environmental change.
Ecology of Freshwater Fish 2011: 20: 5–13. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S Abstract –  In the face of widespread environmental change impacts, there is a need to better understand mechanisms promoting flexibility and resilience of ecosystem components to such change to inform strategies for conservation. Glacial relict species are especially vulnerable to such changes. We investigated the behavioural responses of a native, glacial relict species, Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) to long‐term environmental changes. It was hypothesised that changes in feeding behaviour would occur as a key intermediary to reduction in habitat availability (through climate change and eutrophication) or competitive interactions [with introduced roach (Rutilus rutilus)]. Stomach content analysis was used to assess the diet of 199 charr caught from Windermere, United Kingdom, in the months of March, June, September and November 2003–2007. The results were compared to data from 1940 to 1951 prior to the environmental changes and revealed a marked increase in the contribution of benthic invertebrates in the present diet. Stable isotope analysis confirms the results of the stomach analysis, suggesting that the charr have switched their diet from zooplanktivory towards benthivory. We discuss the possibility that habitat modification and roach population expansion in Windermere have contributed to changes in charr diet. Complementary studies suggest that this diet shift is more likely to be a response to the increasing roach population than to habitat modification; however, further study in Windermere would be required to elucidate the exact mechanism. Long‐term data sets such as these provide information that is useful for determining the directivity of ecological change and the capability of species to respond to change.     

Isolation of viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus from mummichog, stickleback, striped bass and brown trout in eastern Canada

Viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus (VHSV) was isolated from mortalities occurring in populations of mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus, stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus aculeatus, brown trout, Salmo trutta, and striped bass, Morone saxatilis, in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Canada. The isolated viral strains produced a cytopathic effect on the epithelioma papillosum cyprini cell line. Serum neutralization indicated the virus was VHSV and sequencing identified the rhabdovirus isolates as the North American strain of VHSV. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the isolates are closely related and form a distinguishable subgroup of North American type VHSV. To our knowledge, this is the first report of VHSV in mummichog and striped bass.     

Trophic ecology of speckled peacock bass Cichla temensis Humboldt 1821 in the middle Negro River,Amazon, Brazil

The aim of this study was to analyse the trophic ecology of speckled peacock bass Cichla temensis inhabiting two tributaries of the middle Negro River, the Aracá River and the Demeni River. Using an analysis of stomach contents and stable isotope composition (δ¹⁵N, δ¹³C) of scales, we describe the diet and evaluate the trophic position of subadult and adult individuals. We then test whether diet shifts and trophic positions occurred among successive size classes and among sample locations. The stomach content analysis confirmed the piscivorous feeding habit of the species and showed that the speckled peacock bass preyed on a variety species belonging to different trophic guilds. The length of the ingested prey increased with the size of the speckled peacock bass. Diet composition and trophic position were not different among size classes. δ¹³C values yielded significant shifts among the size classes: larger individuals displayed higher δ¹³C values than smaller individuals. Trophic position varied between locations, with lowest values observed in fish from the Aracá River. This study demonstrated that diet of C. temensis may vary according to the size of the fish, even at the subadult or adult stages, and according to the river/locality, even within a same basin. We then suggest that further studies take into account local availability of food resources to better explore C. temensis diet and tropic ecology.