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Bernthal FR, Armstrong JD, Nislow KH, Metcalfe NB. Nutrient limitation in Atlantic salmon rivers and streams: Causes, consequences, and management strategies. AQUATIC CONSERVATION : MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS 2022; 32:1073-1091. [PMID: 35915662 PMCID: PMC9314074 DOI: 10.1002/aqc.3811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Freshwater catchments can experience nutrient deficits that result in reduced primary and secondary productivity. The most commonly limiting nutrients are nitrogen and phosphorus, either separately or together. This review considers the impact of increasing nutrient limitation in temperate basin stream and river systems, focusing on upland areas that currently or previously supported wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) populations.Anthropogenic changes to land use and increases in river barriers have altered upland nutrient dynamics, with particular impacts on salmon and other migratory fish species which may be net importers of nutrients to upland streams. Declining salmon populations may further reduce nutrient sources, reducing ecosystem and fisheries productivity below desired levels.Experimental manipulations of nutrient levels have examined the impacts of this cultural oligotrophication. There is evidence that growth and biomass of juvenile salmon can be increased via appropriate additions of nutrients, offering potential as a conservation tool. However, further research is required to understand the long-term effects of these additions on salmon populations and stream ecosystems, and to assess the vulnerability of downstream habitats to eutrophication as a result.Although purposeful nutrient addition with the aim of enhancing and conserving salmonid populations may be justified in some cases, it should be undertaken in an adaptive management framework. In addition, nutrient addition should be linked to nutrient retention and processing, and integrated into large-scale habitat restoration and recovery efforts.Both the scientific and the management community should recognize that the ecological costs and benefits associated with adding nutrients to salmon streams may change in a non-stationary world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fionn R. Bernthal
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative MedicineUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowUK
| | - John D. Armstrong
- Marine Scotland – ScienceFreshwater Fisheries LaboratoryFaskallyPitlochryUK
| | - Keith H. Nislow
- USDA Forest Service Northern Research StationAmherstMassachusettsUSA
| | - Neil B. Metcalfe
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health and Comparative MedicineUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowUK
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Azan SS, Yan ND, Celis-Salgado MP, Arnott SE, Rusak JA, Sutey P. Could a residential wood ash recycling programme be part of the solution to calcium decline in lakes and forests in Muskoka (Ontario, Canada)? Facets (Ott) 2019. [DOI: 10.1139/facets-2018-0026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
One possible solution to the recent decline of calcium (Ca) concentrations in Canadian Shield forests and lakes in eastern North America is the addition of Ca-rich wood ash to watersheds. We investigated the feasibility of using small, mainly residential sources of non-industrial wood ash (NIWA) for this purpose by quantifying concentrations of its major nutrients and metals, its toxicity to Daphnia in aqueous extracts, and estimating the amount of NIWA available in the District of Muskoka in central Ontario. Locally collected NIWA averaged 30% Ca, and also contained smaller but significant amounts of K, Mg, Na, and P. Of these, K was so soluble that it was toxic to Daphnia over 48 h in the concentrate and 10-fold dilution; however, sedimented ash was not toxic over 15 d. Most metal levels in NIWA were below targets permitting unrestricted land application. However, Cu and Zn were just above these targets, but well below those for conditional use. Muskoka residents generate about 235 000 kg of NIWA annually, not enough to treat all central Ontario areas affected; however, a NIWA recycling programme implemented across southern Ontario could generate enough ash to solve the Ca decline problem in Muskoka’s forests and lakes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shakira S.E. Azan
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
- Friends of the Muskoka Watershed, P.O. Box 416, Bracebridge, ON P1L 1T7, Canada
| | - Norman D. Yan
- Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
- Friends of the Muskoka Watershed, P.O. Box 416, Bracebridge, ON P1L 1T7, Canada
| | - Martha P. Celis-Salgado
- FLAMES Laboratory, Dorset Environmental Science Centre, Queen’s University, 1026 Bellwood Acres Road, P.O. Box 39, Dorset, ON P0A 1E0, Canada
| | - Shelley E. Arnott
- Department of Biology, Queen’s University, 116 Barrie Street, Kingston, ON K7L 3J9, Canada
| | - James A. Rusak
- Dorset Environmental Science Centre, 1026 Bellwood Acres Road, P.O. Box 39, Dorset, ON P0A 1E0, Canada
| | - Peter Sutey
- Dorset Environmental Science Centre, 1026 Bellwood Acres Road, P.O. Box 39, Dorset, ON P0A 1E0, Canada
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