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Hetzel C, Forsythe P. Phenotypic plasticity of a generalist fish species resident to lotic environments: Insights from the Great Lakes region. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10715. [PMID: 38020680 PMCID: PMC10660395 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Fish morphology is incredibly plastic and local/resident morphology can be influenced by factors including habitat, predation, resource availability, and water velocity. Through analysis of body shape using geometric morphometrics, we describe the degree of phenotypic plasticity within a generalist fish species resident to low-order tributaries of Green Bay and Lake Michigan. We predicted that isolated populations of creek chub (Semotilus atromaculatus) would display plastic responses in body shape due to differences in selective pressures imposed by stream environments. We show that body shape of creek chub was significantly different between streams which are considered to be isolated populations, and while we expected body shape variation to remain constant between study years, we found that shape was not fixed and changed over time in the same manner among focal streams. The diversity of creek chub diet and degree of agricultural land use in the watershed were significant predictors of body morphology. The effect of resource availability and land use within the watershed demonstrates how selective pressures influence phenotypes at the population level. Our study provides insight into morphological changes of stream fish populations, which may be important in the context of changing ecosystems and novel conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire Hetzel
- Department of Natural and Applied SciencesUniversity of Wisconsin‐Green BayGreen BayWisconsinUSA
| | - Patrick Forsythe
- Department of Natural and Applied SciencesUniversity of Wisconsin‐Green BayGreen BayWisconsinUSA
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Gravelle J, Wyneken J. Resilient Eggs: Highly Successful Loggerhead Sea Turtle Nesting Sites Vary in Their Characteristics. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.853835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Sea turtle nest success, defined as the number of eggs in a nest that successfully hatch and emerge, is closely linked to environmental conditions. Interacting biotic and abiotic factors influence hatching and hatchling emergence success. To date, combinations of multiple factors interacting together, which result in highly successful sea turtle nests are not well understood. Using 25 years of historic nest data and local expert experience, we identified five historically successful loggerhead (Caretta caretta) nesting beaches (hotspots) along the Florida (United States) Atlantic coast and measured nest environments along with the nest success. Principal component analysis was used to reduce 12 environmental variables so that the relative contributions of sand characteristics, nest temperatures, sand moisture, and nest location were considered. The nest environments differed among nesting beaches and were broadly segregated into two distinct climates: subtropical (hot and humid) and warm-temperate (warm and dry). We found that nests at subtropical sites, compared with warm-temperate sites, were characterized by environmental gradients in contrasting ways. Nest locations were predominantly mid-beach in subtropical sites but clustered at higher elevations and closer to the base of the dune at warm-temperate climate sites. Collectively, highly successful nest hotspots represent a mosaic of abiotic factors providing conditions that promote successful hatching and emergence. This new perspective on consistently successful loggerhead nesting beach traits demonstrate that the key traits of sea turtle nesting habitat vary with prevailing climate type and should be managed accordingly.
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Sun X, Dong J, Zhang Y, Zhan Q, Ding X, Chen Y, Zhang X. Taxonomic and functional responses of macrofaunal assemblage provide insight into ecological impacts of bottom-based Manila clam aquaculture. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2022; 174:113270. [PMID: 34971984 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Understanding ecological impacts of bottom-based clam aquaculture can improve its management. In this study, taxonomic and functional macrofaunal assemblage were evaluated for two clam farms located in Laizhou Bay, China. Beta diversity and factors potentially regulating the dissimilarity of macrofauna were estimated. Both taxonomic and functional composition of macrofauna showed large differences between the clam farm and the control area. Functional dissimilarity within the clam farms was found to be nestedness and negatively correlated to local clam abundance. Additionally, the cultured clam enhanced the functional richness but made the macrofaunal assemblage more fragile against species or function loss. This effect would increase with clam abundance, which highlights the importance of identifying optimal clam culture intensity in developing a bottom-based clam aquaculture program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Sun
- The Key Laboratory of Mariculture, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - Jianyu Dong
- The Key Laboratory of Mariculture, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - Yuyang Zhang
- The Key Laboratory of Mariculture, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - Qipeng Zhan
- The Key Laboratory of Mariculture, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - Xiayang Ding
- The Key Laboratory of Mariculture, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
| | - Yong Chen
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Xiumei Zhang
- Fisheries College, Zhejiang Ocean University, Zhoushan 316022, China.
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Restored Coastal Habitat Can “Reel In” Juvenile Sportfish: Population and Community Responses in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida, USA. SUSTAINABILITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/su132212832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Coastal habitats are declining worldwide, which has impacted economically important fisheries, especially in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida. As a result, extensive intertidal oyster reef and living shoreline restoration projects have been implemented. Restoration can also theoretically benefit predator populations, but this relationship is understudied. Here, the impact of habitat restoration on juvenile predatory fish (i.e., sportfish) populations (abundance) and communities (species richness, diversity, and assemblage) was assessed prior to and following oyster reef restoration and living shoreline stabilization for up to three years, and incorporated the influence of 17 environmental predictor variables. Juvenile sportfish abundance and richness (n = 11) were variable over time but collectively higher on restored oyster reefs compared to controls, and similar between control and stabilized shorelines. Sportfish abundance was best described by a combination of biotic features of the site (e.g., reef height and benthic substrate cover), prey abundance, decreasing distance to the nearest ocean inlet and dissolved oxygen. Results suggest future restoration site selection should emphasize adequate dissolved oxygen (~6 mg/L), oyster densities above 50/m2 and reef height above 55 mm, and minimum shoreline vegetation coverage of 50% to support macrofaunal prey and subsequently attract sportfish. These findings can help natural resource managers better use habitat restoration as a tool for enhancing fish populations in the future.
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Smith SM, Malcolm HA, Marzinelli EM, Schultz AL, Steinberg PD, Vergés A. Tropicalization and kelp loss shift trophic composition and lead to more winners than losers in fish communities. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:2537-2548. [PMID: 33694271 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Climate-mediated species redistributions are causing novel interactions and leading to profound regime shifts globally. For species that expand their distribution in response to warming, survival depends not only on their physiological capacity, but also on the ability to coexist or be competitive within the established community. In temperate marine reefs from around the world, the range expansion of tropical species, known as 'tropicalization', has been linked to the disappearance of temperate habitat-forming kelps and shifts to dominance by low-biomass turfing algae. The consequences of these range expansions and habitat changes on resident fish communities are, however, unclear. Here, we use data derived from baited remote underwater video (BRUV) surveys to analyse changes in diversity and abundance of marine fishes over a 17-year period in warming reefs that have experienced kelp loss (occurring c. 2009). Despite the loss of kelp, we found that species richness and overall abundance of fishes (measured as probability of occurrence and relative abundance), including both tropical and temperate species, increased through time. We also found dramatic shifts in the trophic composition of fish assemblages. Tropical herbivorous fish increased most markedly through time, and temperate-associated planktivores were the only group that declined, a potential consequence of tropicalization not previously identified. At the species level, we identified 22 tropical and temperate species from four trophic guilds that significantly increased in occurrence, while only three species (all temperate associated) declined. Morphological trait space models suggest increases in fish diversity and overall occurrence are unlikely to be driven by uniqueness of traits among tropical range expanders. Our results show more winners than losers and suggest that pathways of energy flow will change in tropicalized systems, as planktonic inputs become less important and a higher proportion of algal productivity gets consumed locally by increasingly abundant herbivores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannen M Smith
- Centre of Marine Science and Innovation, Ecology and Evolution Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Hamish A Malcolm
- Fisheries Research, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia
| | - Ezequiel M Marzinelli
- Faculty of Science, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Coastal and Marine Ecosystems, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- Sydney Institute of Marine Science, Mosman, NSW, Australia
| | - Arthur L Schultz
- Fisheries Research, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia
| | - Peter D Steinberg
- Centre of Marine Science and Innovation, Ecology and Evolution Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- Sydney Institute of Marine Science, Mosman, NSW, Australia
| | - Adriana Vergés
- Centre of Marine Science and Innovation, Ecology and Evolution Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Sydney Institute of Marine Science, Mosman, NSW, Australia
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Lewis DM, Troast BV, Glomb JC, Cook GS. An Ecological Characterization of Fish Assemblages in Mosquito Lagoon, Florida. SOUTHEAST NAT 2020. [DOI: 10.1656/058.019.0306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dakota M. Lewis
- The University of Central Florida, Department of Biology 4110 Libra Drive, Orlando, FL 32816
| | - Brittany V. Troast
- University of Miami Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, NOAA/OAR/AOML, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149
| | - Jackson C. Glomb
- The University of Central Florida, Department of Biology 4110 Libra Drive, Orlando, FL 32816
| | - Geoffrey S. Cook
- The University of Central Florida, Department of Biology 4110 Libra Drive, Orlando, FL 32816
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