Twelve microsatellite loci for lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush)

We describe 12 microsatellite loci isolated from lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush). The number of alleles at these loci ranged from two to 11 with an average of 5.3 alleles per locus. The expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.29 to 0.76, with an average of 0.68. Accidental (or illegal) introductions of lake trout into watersheds are decimating native trout populations in the northern Rocky Mountains, and these loci will be useful for identifying the source of these introductions and for estimating the number of founding individuals.     

Cost of predation avoidance in young-of-year lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush): growth differential in sub-optimal habitats

Selection of habitat to avoid predation may affect the diet of young-of-year (YOY) lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush). YOY lake trout may use inshore habitat to avoid predation; this habitat may be sub-optimal for growth. To test this, YOY lake trout were penned in nearshore and offshore pelagic areas of two arctic lakes. Toolik Lake had a lake trout population, the other lake, S6, did not. YOY lake trout in Toolik Lake lost weight, but those offshore lost less weight. The YOY lake trout in Lake S6 gained weight and those offshore gained more weight. The primary diet item of the YOY lake trout in both lakes during this experiment was the zooplankter Diaptomis probilofensis; it was also one of the most abundant species. However, its density inshore in Lake S6 was similar to inshore and offshore densities in Toolik Lake. The increased availability of alternative zooplankton prey in Lake S6 may account for the growth differential of YOY lake trout in Lake S6 relative to Toolik Lake. Bioenergetic modeling of YOY lake trout suggests that growth similar to that in the offshore of Lake S6 would be necessary for successful recruitment. If the reduced zooplankton availability in Toolik Lake leads to the reduced growth of YOY in the inshore and offshore pelagic areas, then these fish will be more susceptable to winter predation/starvation. For YOY lake trout to survive in Toolik Lake they most likely shift to feeding on benthic prey before the end of their first summer. Dept. of Chemical Engineering     

Integration of acoustic telemetry and GIS to identify potential spawning areas for lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush)

Locations of potential spawning areas for lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) were predicted in Lake Opeongo, Ontario, Canada using information gained via acoustic telemetry and geographic information system (GIS) technologies. From 1998 to 2000, 18 adult lake trout (mean fork length 553 mm) implanted with acoustic transmitters (battery life 2 years) were manually tracked. For evening fall locations within the erosive zone of the lake (determined using an existing sedimentation model), habitat variables (slope, depth, and effective fetch) were summarised using GIS. Sites selected by lake trout during the spawning window were in areas of mean fetch equal to 1.5 km and mean slope of 10.6% (n = 50 fixes). We used GIS to identify areas that matched the mean habitat criteria and thus locate potential spawning areas. This model correctly identified 19 of 21 known spawning sites, as well as additional sites used by spawning females in an earlier telemetry study. Depths of traditional fall netting sites are shallow compared to areas in which telemetered lake trout were found during evenings of the spawning period (means 3.1 vs. 5.1 m, respectively). Through the use of information on spawning habitat selection gained through telemetry and knowledge of the physical characteristics of the lake, we provide an alternative means of identifying potential spawning habitat for lake trout.     

Proteomic analysis of the lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) heart and blood: The beginning of a comprehensive lake trout protein database

Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) are a top-predator species in the Laurentian Great Lakes that are often used as bioindicators of chemical stressors in the ecosystem. Although many studies are done using these fish to determine concentrations of stressors like legacy persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic chemicals, there are currently no proteomic studies on the biological effects these stressors have on the ecosystem. This lack of proteomic studies on Great Lakes lake trout is because there is currently no complete, comprehensive protein database for this species. Here, we employed proteomics approaches to develop a lake trout protein database that could aid in future research on this fish, in particular exposomics and adductomics. The current study utilized heart tissue and blood from two lake trout. Our previous work using lake trout liver revealed 4194 potential protein hits in the NCBI databases and 3811 potential protein hits in the UniProtKB databases. In the current study, using the NCBI databases we identified 838 proteins for the heart and 580 proteins for the blood tissues in the biological replicate 1 (BR1) and 1180 potential protein hits for the heart and 561 potential protein hits for the blood in BR2. Similar results were obtained using the UniProtKB databases. This study builds on our previous work by continuing to build the first comprehensive lake trout protein database and provides insight into protein homology through evolutionary relationships. This data is available via the PRIDE partner repository with the dataset identifier PXD023970.     

Effects of coancestry on accuracy of individual assignments to population of origin: examples using Great Lakes lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush)

Methods for assigning individuals to population of origin are widely used in ecological genetics, resources management, and forensics. Characteristics of genetic data obtained from putative source populations that enhance accuracy of assignment are well established. How non-independence within and among unknown individuals to be classified [i.e., gene correlations within individual (inbreeding) and gene correlations among individuals within group (coancestry)] affect assignment accuracy is poorly understood. We used empirical data for six microsatellite loci and offspring from full-sib crosses of hatchery strains of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush; Salmonidae) representing known levels of coancestry (mean θ = 0.006 and 0.06) within families to investigate how gene correlations can affect assignment. Additional simulations were conducted to further investigating the influence of allelic diversity (2, 6 or 10 alleles per locus) and inbreeding (F = 0.00, 0.05, and 0.15) on assignment accuracy for cases of low and high inter-population variance in allele frequency (mean F _st = 0.01 and 0.1, respectively). Inbreeding had no effect on accuracy of assignments. In contrast, variance in assignment accuracy across replicated simulations, and for each empirical case study increased with increasing coancestry, reflecting non-independence of probabilities of correct assignment among members of kin groups. Empirical estimates of assignment error rates should be interpreted with caution if appreciable levels of coancestry are suspected. Additional emphasis should be placed on sampling designs (spatially and temporally) that define or minimize the potential for sampling related individuals.     

Proteomic Analysis of the Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) Liver Identifies Proteins from Evolutionarily Close and ‐Distant Fish Relatives

Lake trout are used as bioindicators for toxics exposure in the Great Lakes ecosystem. Here the first lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) liver proteomics study is performed and searched against specific databases: (NCBI and UniProtKB) Salvelinus, Salmonidae, Actinopterygii, and Oncorhynchus mykiss, and the more distant relative, Danio rerio. In the biological replicate 1 (BR1), technical replicate 1 (TR1), (BR1TR1), a large number of lake trout liver proteins are not in the Salvelinus protein database, suggesting that lake trout liver proteins have homology to some proteins from the Salmonidae family and Actinopterygii class, and to Oncorhynchus mykiss and Danio rerio, two more highly studied fish. In the NCBI search, 4194 proteins are identified: 3069 proteins in Actinopterygii, 1617 in Salmonidae, 68 in Salvelinus, 568 in Oncorhynchus mykiss, and 946 in Danio rerio protein databases. Similar results are observed in the UniProtKB searches of BR1RT1, as well as in a technical replicate (BR1TR2), and then in a second biological replicate experiment, with two technical replicates (BR2TR1 and BR2TR2). This study opens the possibility of identifying evolutionary relationships (i.e., adaptive mutations) between various groups (i.e., zebrafish, rainbow trout, Salmonidae, Salvelinus and lake trout) through evolutionary proteomics. Data are available via the PRIDE Q2 (PXD011924).     

Effects of vitamin B1 (thiamine) deficiency in lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) alevins at hatching stage

The objectives of this study were to examine the relationship between thiamine concentrations in unfertilized eggs and yolksac individuals of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush), along with any associated histopathological changes in the tissues of alevins at the hatching stage. We address these questions in a lake trout population from different spawning grounds of Lake Michigan (North and South), known for compromised survival due to early mortality syndrome (EMS). However, a dichotomous forage base of lake trout spawning stocks, with a dietary thiaminase-rich alewife in the North, and dietary low-thiaminase round goby in the South, provides the basis for the assumption that different diets may lead to differences in severity of EMS between different stocks. Lake trout eggs of 18 females were collected and fertilized individually with the sperm of several males. The eggs, eyed embryos and newly-hatched alevins were sampled to examine thiamine utilization during embryogenesis. Progenies of females with low (< 0.73 nmol/g) and high (> 0.85 nmol/g) levels of thiamine were chosen for histological studies. The obtained results showed that total thiamine levels in the body and yolk of eyed embryos and alevins at hatching were influenced by thiamine levels of unfertilized eggs and it decreased during embryogenesis (to 51% in eyed embryos and 28% in newly-hatched alevins in comparison to unfertilized eggs). The survival of lake trout until hatching stage does not correlate with the thiamine level, however it was affected by collection site and was significantly higher in fish from the South site (Julian's Reef). At the hatching stage, no pathological changes were observed in the brain, olfactory lobe, retina or liver in embryos regardless of thiamine concentrations in unfertilized eggs. It has been concluded that an enhanced thiamine requirement for the fast muscle mass growth near the swim-up stage is responsible for overt and histopathological signs of EMS. Current study confirms earlier findings that lake trout suffering from EMS can be successfully treated by immersion in thiamine solution as late as at the swim-up stage.     

Plasma metabolites of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in relation to diet and storage conditions

• 1.1. The effects of storage temperature (2, −20 and −80°C) and duration (3, 9 and 27 days) on plasma metabolites concentrations of lake trout fed three dietary protein levels (20, 40 and 60%) and a single lipid level (20%) for 28 days were investigated.
• 2.2. Significantly high plasma urea and glucose concentrations were associated with low (20%) and high (60%) dietary protein intake in fish; while, high plasma creatinine concentration seems to characterize insufficient dietary protein and energy consumption.
• 3.3. Deproteinization of plasma with 5.0% sulfosalicylic acid did not confer better storage stability for any of the plasma metabolites except ammonia which was significantly high in non-deproteinized samples when stored at 2°C over 3, 9 and 27 day periods.
• 4.4. These studies suggest that non-deproteinized fish plasma can be stored at − 20°C without affecting the baseline concentrations of ammonia, creatinine and glucose for up to 9 days and, urea and total protein for up to 27 days.

     

Rapid changes in fish community structure and habitat distribution following the precipitation of lake phosphorus with aluminium

1. Fish community structure and habitat distribution of the abundant species roach, perch and ruffe were studied in Lake Nordborg (Denmark) before (August 2006) and after (August 2007) aluminium treatment to reduce internal phosphorus loading. 2. Rapid changes in fish community structure, abundance and habitat distribution occurred following a decline in in‐lake phosphorus concentrations from 280 to 37 μg P L^?1 and an increase in Secchi depth transparency from 1.1 to 1.9 m (August). The proportion of perch in overnight gill net catches increased, whilst roach decreased, and the average weight of all key species increased. 3. The habitat distribution of perch and roach changed from a high proportion in the upper pelagic and littoral zones in 2006, towards enhanced proportions in the deeper pelagic and profundal zone in 2007. The abundance of large‐bodied zooplankton increased and the abundance of benthic invertebrates decreased in the same period, suggesting that the habitat shift was not induced by food limitation. 4. Ruffe shifted from the littoral and upper profundal zones towards the deep profundal zone, likely reflecting an increased predation risk in the littoral zone and better oxygen conditions in the deep profundal. 5. Our results indicate that enhanced risk of predation in the upper pelagic and the littoral zones and perhaps improved oxygen concentrations in the deeper profundal zone at decreasing turbidity are responsible for the observed habitat shift. The results indicate that fish respond rapidly to changes in nutrient state, both in terms of community structure and habitat use.     

Changes in the North Channel fish community,with emphasis on pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha Walbaum)

Historical trends in commercial fishery yields were examined for evidence of structural changes in the North Channel fish community. Significant declines in the abundance of indigenous species occurred primarily as a result of man's activities. Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens Rafinesque) were harvested down to low levels by 1900. Introductions of exotics to the fish community were associated with major changes. Rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax Mitchill) and sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus Linnaeus) colonized the channel in the late 1930s. Concurrently, lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush Walbaum) and burbot (Lota lota Linnaeus), the top deepwater predators, declined to near extinction. Lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis Mitchill) and shallow-water cisco (Coregonus artedii Lesueur) also declined. Without predation pressure, smelt abundance increased to high levels in the 1950s and alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus Wilson), another exotic, peaked during the 1960s. Both species equilibrated at lower levels in the 1970s, perhaps favouring colonization by pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha Walbaum). Pink salmon which are larger and more fecund in Lake Huron than in Lake Superior, are increasing rapidly in numbers and are expanding their range in the channel. Certain whitefish stocks have increased sufficiently to support fishery yields greater than those of the 1930s, despite considerable exploitation pressure. This success is partially in response to the control of sea lamprey since 1961. However both lake whitefish and walleye (Stizostedion vitreum Mitchill) are now rare in the east end of the channel, possibly due to environmental factors such as acid precipitation and metal contaminants. Community stability will not likely be attained until a suitable climax predator becomes reestablished.     

Accumulation, distribution and toxicology of dietary nickel in lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) and lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush)

An 18-day experiment was conducted to investigate the uptake and sublethal toxicity of dietary Ni in adult lake whitefish (LWF, Coregonus clupeaformis) and lake trout (LT, Salvelinus namaycush) fed diets containing 0, 1000 and 10000 microg Ni/g, prepared with and without brine shrimp. The results of this experiment were used to design an experiment of longer duration in which one of the fish species was selected and exposed to lower dietary Ni doses. In the present study feed refusal was observed in LT and LWF fed 10000 microg Ni/g, after three and 4-5 feedings, respectively. LT fed Ni-contaminated diets exhibited different patterns of Ni accumulation than LWF. Increased Ni concentrations in all LWF tissues, except the intestine, were associated with increased doses of Ni. Copper and Zn concentrations in kidney and liver of LWF were altered. Metallothionein concentrations in kidneys of LT fed 1000 microg Ni/g and 10000 microg Ni/g and LWF fed 10000 microg Ni/g and in livers of LWF fed 10000 microg Ni/g (diet without shrimp only) increased significantly. Increased lipid peroxide production in the plasma of LT fed 10000 microg Ni/g was observed. Blood glucose and electrolytes were affected by Ni exposure. Histopathological alterations were observed in kidneys of LWF fed low and high dose diets, livers of whitefish fed high dose diets, and intestines of LWF fed high dose diets and LT fed low and high dose diets. LT fed high dose diets exhibited significant decreases in weight.     

Responses of the fish community to the flood pulse and siltation in a floodplain lake of the Trombetas River,Brazil

The distributions of the fish species were examined in relation to environmental variables, to evaluate the effects of environmental degradation on the fish community of Batata Lake, a typical Amazonian clearwater lake. From 1979 to 1989, tailings composed of water and clay, extracted from bauxite by water jets, were discharged into Batata Lake. The tailings spread into about 30% of the lake’s area, where the level of the lake bottom rose and turbidity increased. In the present study, multivariate analyses were performed on data for environmental parameters and fish density and biomass. Fish were collected with gillnets during the annual hydrological cycle (filling, flood, drawdown and dry periods), in the silted area, the partly silted area (intermediate) and the natural area. Values of the Shannon index, density and biomass were compared among areas and periods to evaluate the effects of the tailings on community structure. Sediment resuspension, which reduces transparency, is accentuated in shallow water, and was the main factor regulating differences in the community structure between the natural and silted areas. The decrease in transparency occurs mainly during the filling period in the silted area and during the low-water period in the silted and intermediate areas, when sediment resuspension increases concentrations of nutrients and chlorophyll-a. The strong influence of migratory and piscivore species in low-transparency waters is likely associated with the greater bacterioplankton productivity and turnover rate observed by other authors in the silted area, increasing the importance of the heterotrophic food chain in Batata Lake. Reduction of transparency in the silted area was a selective factor for fish species. The death of part of the flooded forest vegetation was decisive in lowering densities of the igapó-associated species in the silted area. The unconsolidated substrate, the death of part of the igapó forest and the negative effects of low transparency – inhibiting resident visually oriented species in the affected areas – are the main factors causing the low diversity in the silted area as a whole. The correlations between CPUEs, conductivity and nutrients and chlorophyll-a concentrations do not appear to reflect cause–effect relationships, indicating that these environmental parameters are poor predictors of fish density in Batata Lake.     

莱州湾及黄河口水域鱼类群落结构的季节变化

根据2011年5月—2012年4月对莱州湾及黄河口水域9个航次的渔业底拖网调查数据,对该水域鱼类群落结构特征及其季节变化进行了初步研究。结果表明:莱州湾及黄河口水域共捕获鱼类62种,隶属于11目、34科、53属,主要由暖水种和暖温种组成,其中鲈形目种类最多(37种),其次是鲉形目(7种)和鲽形目(6种)。春季优势种包括矛尾鰕虎鱼(Chaeturichthys stigmatias)、鲱衔(Callionymus beniteguri)、短吻红舌鳎(Cynoglossus joyneri)、矛尾复鰕虎鱼(Synechogobius hasta)和方氏云鳚(Enedrias fangi),其渔获量占总渔获量的70.8%;夏季包括矛尾鰕虎鱼、斑鰶(Konosirus punctatus)、鲱衔和短吻红舌鳎,占总渔获量的68.1%;秋季包括矛尾鰕虎鱼、赤鼻棱鳀(Thrissa kammalensis)、鳀(Engraulis japonicus)、青鳞小沙丁鱼(Sardinella zunasi)、斑鰶、小黄鱼(Larimichthys polyactis)和矛尾复鰕虎鱼,占总渔获量的87.1%。平均单位时间渔获量存在显著季节变化,以秋季最高(22.63kg/h),其次是夏季(16.75kg/h),春季最低(1.29kg/h)。春季(5月)平均单位时间渔获量为0.69kg/h,为1959年、2003年、2006年和2008年春季(5月)的0.3%、0.3%、1.7%和541.2%,鱼类资源量虽有所回升,但总体呈大幅下降的趋势。鱼类种类数、丰富度指数和多样性指数夏季较高,秋季次之,春季最低,但是以渔获尾数计算的均匀度指数,夏季最大,春季最小,以渔获量计算的均匀度指数则相反,且丰富度指数和多样性指数与表层温度呈极显著相关(P0.01),丰富度指数和均匀度指数与表层盐度呈极显著相关(P0.01)。     

Genetic variation,inheritance, and quaternary structure of malic enzyme in brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)

Electrophoretic variation is described for malic enzyme (ME) for the first time in brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis). Since the quaternary structure of ME was not clear from examination of banding patterns in brook trout alone, ME phenotypes in rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) × brook trout hybrids as well as in esocid species demonstrated that ME is tetrameric. A model of two duplicated loci is proposed to account for the observed variation. One locus (ME-2) is fixed and one locus (ME-1) is variable with three electrophoretically distinct alleles; the protein products of ME-1 are reduced in activity relative to the protein products of ME-2. Joint segregation was examined between ME-1 and ten other biochemical loci in brook trout, and between ME-1, ME-2, and nine other biochemical loci in a splake—lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) × brook trout hybrid—backcross. All pairwise examinations showed random assortment except ME-2 with an isocitrate dehydrogenase locus (IDH-3), which showed complete linkage in the splake backcross. This may be due to a chromosomal aberration.Authorized for publication as Paper No. 5599 in the Journal Series of The Pennsylvania Agricultural Experiment Station, University Park, Pennsylvania, in cooperation with the Benner Spring Fish Research Station, The Pennsylvania Fish Commission, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. M.S. was supported by an NSF Graduate Fellowship.     

The response of burbot (Lota lota) to change in lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) abundance in Lake Opeongo,Ontario

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that the burbot and lake trout compete with or prey on each other, and that a change in the abundance of lake trout has triggered a response in the burbot population. Burbot growth, length-weight relationship and population size did not change, and it appears that at these population levels, the changes in lake trout abundance had no detectable effect on burbot. It is suggested that the burbot population in Lake Opeongo is limited at the larval stage by competition with, or predation by, a planktivore, the lake herring.     

Stoneflies (Plecoptera) in the diet of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis Mitchell) in Libby Creek,Wyoming, USA

The stonefly component of a naturally reproducing population of brook trout ( Salvelinus fontinalis) was studied by analyzing 216 stomach pump samples collected between May 15 and August 10, 1991 and 1992, from Libby Creek, an alpine stream in the Medicine Bow National Forest in Wyoming. Stoneflies constituted 10.3% of the total items recovered and were the second most abundant order in the samples. Nineteen species of Plecoptera representing five families were identified. Approximately 43% of all stoneflies were Sweltsa lamba; the next most prevalent species was Zapada haysi (12%). The other prevalent insect orders in the samples were Diptera (57.2%), Ephemeroptera (8.4%) and Trichoptera (6.1%). Terrestrial Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, and Hemiptera were most common in July and August. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

种间互作对雷州湾海域鱼类群落结构的影响

从鱼类种间互作及其生态网络特征视角研究鱼类群落结构特征,对解析多鱼种共存机制和基于群落水平的多鱼种资源管理均具有重要意义。为分析鱼类资源利用的竞争互作对群落结构稳定性的影响,根据2016-2018年8个航次的雷州湾海域底拖网调查的鱼类数据,将空间生态位重叠理论和生态网络建模相结合,从种间互作的角度应用加权聚类系数C、加权平均路径长度A、关联度Co等指标分析鱼类的群落结构。结果表明：①鱼类生态位重叠所形成的种间互作网络季节变动较大,而年度变动则相对较小,共包含鱼类58-122种,种间互作的关系数量1318-7103。②雷州湾海域鱼类群落内种间互作密集,聚合程度高（C介于0.84-0.98）且能量传递效率高（A介于0.02-0.09）,呈现互作弱化之趋势（Co介于0.32-0.48）,群落结构总体较稳定。③小尺度范围（20°40''-21°00''N,110°30''-110°45''E）内,鱼类群落内种间互作特征是维持多种鱼类共存的重要内因。该特征表现为季节和年度的变化总体上相似,种间直接关联程度与种间互作强度呈正相关（P<0.01）,而局部聚合程度与种间直接关联、互作强度均呈负相关（P<0.01）。本研究可为鱼类群落结构稳定性的量化评价和资源养护的管理规划提供参考依据。