Water and Nutrient Mass Balance of the Partly Meromictic Temperate Lake Verevi

Mass balances of total nitrogen and total phosphorus were calculated for Lake Verevi (area 0.126 km², maximum depth 11 m, mean depth 3.6 m), a sharply stratified small lake located in South Estonia within the borders of the town Elva. The lake has up to 10 small inflows but only three of them are nearly permanent. Accidental overflows from near-by oxidation ponds during high floods have been the major source of the nutrient load of the lake in the past. L. Verevi receives a significant part of its inflow from groundwater, which is difficult to measure. In dry years the outflow is temporary. During summer the lake is sharply thermally and chemically stratified. The spring turnover is often incomplete even in homothermal conditions, thus giving the lake some meromictic features. The influx of nitrogen exceeded the outflux at any supposed proportion (20%, 50%, 80%) of surface runoff. The lake retained 45–90% of the nitrogen influx by sedimentation and/or by denitrification. The largest nitrogen losses with loss rates more than 10 kg N d⁻¹ occurred in May and June. The calculated phosphorus retention rate became strongly negative during mixing periods. From June to November, phosphorus release from the sediment exceeded sedimentation by 205 kg in 1991 and by 79 kg in 1993. Earlier stagnation and absence of a full spring turnover in the 2000 has slowed down the recovery of the lake because less phosphorus is flushed out. However, the stronger stratification and significantly smaller phosphorus content in the epilimnion limits biological activity and as a result improves the water quality of the surface layer.     

Thermal,chemical, and optical properties of Crater Lake,Oregon

Crater Lake covers the floor of the Mount Mazama caldera that formed 7700 years ago. The lake has a surface area of 53 km² and a maximum depth of 594 m. There is no outlet stream and surface inflow is limited to small streams and springs. Owing to its great volume and heat, the lake is not covered by snow and ice in winter unlike other lakes in the Cascade Range. The lake is isothermal in winter except for a slight increase in temperature in the deep lake from hyperadiabatic processes and inflow of hydrothermal fluids. During winter and spring the water column mixes to a depth of about 200–250 m from wind energy and convection. Circulation of the deep lake occurs periodically in winter and spring when cold, near-surface waters sink to the lake bottom; a process that results in the upwelling of nutrients, especially nitrate-N, into the upper strata of the lake. Thermal stratification occurs in late summer and fall. The maximum thickness of the epilimnion is about 20 m and the metalimnion extends to a depth of about 100 m. Thus, most of the lake volume is a cold hypolimnion. The year-round near-bottom temperature is about 3.5°C. Overall, hydrothermal fluids define and temporally maintain the basic water quality characteristics of the lake (e.g., pH, alkalinity and conductivity). Total phosphorus and orthophosphate-P concentrations are fairly uniform throughout the water column, where as total Kjeldahl-N and ammonia-N are highest in concentration in the upper lake. Concentrations of nitrate-N increase with depth below 200 m. No long-term changes in water quality have been detected. Secchi disk (20-cm) clarity varied seasonally and annually, but was typically highest in June and lowest in August. During the current study, August Secchi disk clarity readings averaged about 30 m. The maximum individual clarity reading was 41.5 m in June 1997. The lowest reading was 18.1 m in July 1995. From 1896 (white-dinner plate) to 2003, the average August Secchi disk reading was about 30 m. No long-term changes in the Secchi disk clarity were observed. Average turbidity of the water column (2–550 m) between June and September from 1991 to 2000 as measured by a transmissometer ranged between 88.8% and 90.7%. The depth of 1% of the incident solar radiation during thermal stratification varied annually between 80 m and 100 m. Both of these measurements provided additional evidence about the exceptional clarity of Crater Lake.     

Reconstruction of the Time Series of the Underwater Light Climate in a Shallow Turbid Lake

Lake ülemiste is a shallow, eutrophic lake which has served the city of Tallinn as a water reservoir for many centuries. Its light climate was studied by combining a routinely measured data set with a modelling approach. For 26 years (1978–2004), data was collected on such optically active substances (OAS) and water parameters as water colour, turbidity and phytoplankton biomass. Simple modelling enabled the quantification of long-term time-series data and the subsequent calculation of the diffuse attenuation coefficient, euphotic depth and average light of the mixed layer. Several changes in the hydrological cycle have taken place during the period under study, among which are an increase in the water level of about 0.5 m and a decrease in the external water load from 108 million m³ year⁻¹ to about 25 million m³ year⁻¹. At the same time euphotic depth has shown a distinct trend towards increasing since the early 1990s. The euphotic depth also showed an increase (from 1.1 to 1.4 m) due to an improvement in underwater light conditions – mainly in the spring (April and May) and autumn (October and November) because of the lower amount of dissolved organic matter in the lake. The average light availability in the mixed layer has increased, but this has not affected the phytoplankton biomass as the latter is not light-limited during the summer period.     

Limnology of Botos Lake, a tropical crater lake in Costa Rica

Botos Lake, located at the Poas Volcano complex (Costa Rica) was sampled eight times from 1994 to 1996 for physicochemical conditions of the water column and phytoplanktonic community composition. Depth was measured at fixed intervals in several transects across the lake to determine its main morphometric characteristics. The lake has an outlet to the north. It is located 2580 m above sea level and is shallow, with a mean depth of 1.8 m and a relative depth of 2.42 (surface area 10.33 ha, estimated volume 47.3 hm3). The lake showed an isothermal water column in all occasions, but it heats and cools completely according to weather fluctuations. Water transparency reached the bottom on most occasions (> 9 m). The results support the idea that the lake is polymictic and oligotrophic. The lake has at least 23 species of planktonic algae, but it was always dominated by dinoflagellates, especially Peridinium inconspicuum. The shore line is populated by a sparse population of Isoetes sp. and Eleocharis sp. mainly in the northern shore where the bottom has a gentle slope and the forest does not reach the shore.     

Morphology,physics, chemistry and biology of Lake Rara in West Nepal

A survey of oligotrophic Lake Rara, the biggest lake in Nepal, was carried out from 1982 till 1984. Mean depth is 100 m, and maximum depth is 167 m. The surface area covers 9.8 km², and the lake contains 0.98 km³ volume of water. Transparency was about 16 m, photoquantum yield decreased exponentially with depth below 5 m, and the extinction coefficient was 8.3 × 10⁻². The concentration of Chl.-a was in the range of 0.06–0.46 mg m⁻³, and total nitrogen was 18–30 μg 1⁻¹. The whole water column was well oxygenated. Primary productivity was extremely low. It has more than 30 inflowing brooks and one outlet. The water quality of the brooks changes drastically with their location. The pH, electrical conductivity, and EDTA hardness in the waters from a landslide area were high. In the waters from a rich pine forest they were extremely low. The zooplankton consisted of two species of protozoa, five species of rotifers, two species of Cladocera, and two species of Copepoda. The zooplankton density range was 6200–16200 individuals m⁻³. The minimum was on November 11th, 1983 and the maximum on August 19th, 1983.     

Characteristic seasonal variation in dissolved uranium concentration induced by the change of lake water pH in Lake Biwa,Japan

Epilimnion-dominated profiles of dissolved uranium (U) have been observed during summer in an oxygenated Japanese lake, Lake Biwa, contrary to the commonly accepted view that U shows conservative behavior in oxygenated seas and lakes. Monthly observations were conducted to reveal the mechanism for such characteristic distribution and geochemical behavior of dissolved U in the lake. In the surface water, dissolved U concentration started to increase in spring, peaked in summer, and decreased from autumn to winter. In contrast, the concentration remained almost constant in the middle layer (40 m depth) and decreased slightly in the bottom layer (70 m depth) throughout the stagnation period. Mass balance calculations of U suggest that the major mechanism for seasonal variations in the surface layer is the supply of U, not via water inflow from the watershed, but by internal chemical reactions within the lake. A laboratory experiment using the lake water and sediment demonstrated that U was desorbed from and adsorbed onto sediment in response to variations in lake water pH. From these results, it is inferred that the seasonal variation in the concentration of dissolved U in the epilimnion results mainly from the desorptive/adsorptive processes of U between sediment/water interface in response to variation in water pH, which is affected by biological activity in the lake.     

Effect of water level fluctuation on shore spawning of Mirogrex terraesanctae (Steinitz), (Cyprinidae) in Lake Kinneret, Israel

Mirogrex terraesanctae (Steinitz), is an endemic, open water, zooplanktivorous fish. It spawns in the shallow littoral (0–50 cm) of Lake Kinneret, from November to May with a peak in mid winter (January-February). Spawning begins shortly after nightfall, when schools of the fish move along the shoreline in rocky regions, and release their milt and eggs. The adhesive eggs are attached to the surface of recently inundated, algae-free stones. A negative relationship exists between epilithic growth and egg density and survival. Algal growth may play a key role in the determination of the spawning depth. Breeding success of M. terraesanctae depends on the rate and extent of rise in lake level which, in turn, determines the availability of a suitable spawning substratum.     

A limnological survey of Lake Dakataua, a large caldera lake on West New Britain, Papua New Guinea, with comparisons to Lake Wisdom, a younger nearby caldera lake

SUMMARY. Lake Dakataua (5°S, 150°E) is a large freshwater lake which fills the caldera at the tip of the Willaumez Peninsula on West New Britain, Papua New Guinea. A peninsula produced by post-collapse volcanic activity divides the lake into two basins connected by a narrow channel. The surface of the lake is c. 76 m above sea level, the surface area is 48 km², and the maximum depth c. 120 m (Lowder & Carmichael, 1970). A bathymetric map of the lake has been constructed from fathometer transects. In October-November, 1974, the lake was alkaline throughout with surface pH 7.6–8.2; acidity increased with depth to pH 7.1–7.5. Surface temperatures were 30.8–31.9°C. There were thermoclines at 22 m and at 40–45 m. Minimum temperature recorded was 26.8°C (at 80 m). Oxygen saturation curves were similar to the temperature curves with sharp gradients at 22 m and 40–45 m. There was no measurable O₂ from 80 m downward. Living organisms were common in dredge hauls to 20 m but were not found in those from greater depths. Carbon dioxide concentration rose steadily from 1.4 mg I^?1 at the surface to 19.6 mg I^?1 at 80 m. Average Secchi disc transparency was 11.1 m. Shallow water areas support dense beds of mixed aquatic plants (Najas tenuifolia and Chara sp.). Invertebrates collected included two species of sponge, a rotifer, an ostracod, six species of molluscs, seven species of Cladocera, a copepod, eight species of Hemiptera, two species of Trichoptera, ten species of Odonata, two species of Coleoptera, and seven species of Chironomidae. Vertebrates included frogs (two species) and crocodiles. Water birds, including ducks, grebes, and waders, were abundant. The biota of L. Dakataua is more diverse than that of nearby Lake Wisdom probably due to the combination of greater age and greater proximity to sources of colonists. Most species found in L. Wisdom are also found in L. Dakataua.     

Contribution a l'etude limnologique du lac Pavin (France). II: Relations entre parametres abiotiques-phyto et zooplancton dans la zone 0–20 metres

At 1197 m in the French Massif Central, lake Pavin has a volcanic origin. It is a meromictic lake of 44 ha area and 98 meters depth.Zooplancton samples (250 liters) were collected bimonthly with a water pump from May 1973 to April 1974 at six depths from surface to 20 meters.Countings were made to study the dynamics of two Cladocera: (Daphnia longispina and Ceriodaphnia quadrangula), two copepode populations, the calanoide Acanthodiaptomus denticornis and the cyclopoide Cyclops abyssorum. For the last two species, males, females, ovigerous females, Nauplius larvae and each of the five copepodite stages were differentiated.If Cladocera have a period of development limited from June to September for Ceriodaphnia and from June to December for Daphnia, copepods are presents all around the year with two principals periods of reproduction. The first during spring (March–April), the second during fall (October–November). If this second generation presents an important development for Cyclops abyssorum, that is not the same for Acanthodiaptomus denticornis, in which species nauplius larvae died in winter. The synthetical mathematical model realized by Principal Components Analysis illustrates the relationships between phyto-and zooplancton and bio-physico-chemicals parameters and specially the fact that, in this lake, the highest values of phytoplanctonic primary production and activity coefficient (Production/Standing crop) are found when herbivorous zooplancton presents the more important development and nutrients their lowest concentrations.

     

Dissolved oxygen and thermal regimes of a Ugandan crater lake

This paper quantifies the temporal pattern of thermal stratification and deoxygenation in Lake Nkuruba, a small (3 ha), deep (maximum depth = 38 m) crater lake in western Uganda. Dissolved oxygen penetrated to an average depth of 9 m and a maximum depth of 15 m below which the lake was permanently anoxic over the 2 years of study. Although surface oxygen levels were correlated with both surface water temperature and rainfall, seasonal cycles of dissolved oxygen were not well-defined and may have been obscured by the high frequency of short-term fluctuations and by inter-annual variations caused by shifts in rainfall. Surface water temperature averaged 23.3±0.7 °C (S.D.) and varied directly with air temperature. Both diurnal changes and top-bottom temperature differentials were small averaging 1.7±0.7 °C and 1.6±0.8 °C, respectively. Thermal stability ranged from 101.3 to 499.9 g-cm cm^-2 and was positively related to surface water temperature suggesting that this small protected lake responds rapidly to short-term meteorological changes. Because contribution to the annual heat exchange cycle was confined to upper waters, the lake's annual heat budget was low, 1,073.8 cal cm^-2 yr^-1. However, net primary productivity was relatively high averaging 1.3 g C m^-2d^-1. The region where Lake Nkuruba is situated experienced a very strong earthquake (6.2 on the Richter scale) on 4 February, 1994. Subsequently, water levels dropped markedly in the lake, falling 3.14 m over a 5-month period. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Temperature dependence of sediment-water exchange in Lake Grevelingen,SW Netherlands

Extended abstract Lake Grevelingen is a brackish water lake in the SW Netherlands. The lake has an area of 108 km², a mean depth of 5.3 m (maximum 48 m), a mean chlorinity of 13 to 16%0 Cl⁻, and a hydraulic residence time of about 8 years. Mass budget studies have shown a consistent seasonal pattern in the phosphorus sediment-water exchange in Lake Grevelingen (Kelderman 1980). From May to August a P mobilization from the sediment takes place, estimated atca. 12.5 mg P · m⁻² · day⁻¹. The sediment accumulatesca. 5.5 mg P · m⁻² · day⁻¹ during the rest of the year. Temperature may be an important factor in establishing this pattern. Sediment-water exchange was studied by means of laboratory experiments under specified conditions. Sediment cores (30 cm depth, 11 cm diameter) were taken at four stations in the lake, with sediment types varying from medium- to muddy sand (Fig. 1). The cores with overlying water (ca. 21) were placed in the dark at 5 °C in thermostatically controlled water baths. After a week's incubation time the temperature was slowly raised, such that after three weeks eight cores (four sediment types, duplicates) were at 5 °C, eight were at 10 °C, eight at 15 °C and eight at 20 °C. The same procedure was applied to the four control cores, containing lake water.     

General Description of Partly Meromictic Hypertrophic Lake Verevi,its Ecological Status,Changes during the Past Eight Decades,and Restoration Problems

The present study describes generally the ecosystem of Lake Verevi while more detailed approaches are presented in the same issue. The main task of the article is to estimate long-term changes and find the best method for the restoration of good ecological status. Lake Verevi (surface 12.6 ha, mean depth 3.6 m, maximum depth 11 m, drainage area 1.1 km², water exchange 0.63-times per year) is a hypertrophic hard-water lake located in town Elva (6400 inhabitants). Long-term complex limnological investigations have taken place since 1929. The lake has been contaminated by irregular discharge of urban wastewaters from oxidation ponds since 1978, flood from streets, and infiltrated waters from the surrounding farms. The so-called spring meromixis occurred due to extremely warm springs in recent years. The index value of buffer capacity of Lake Verevi calculated from natural conditions is on the medium level. Water properties were analysed according to the requirements of the EU Water Framework Directive. According to the classification, water quality as a long-term average of surface layers is moderate-good, but the water quality of bottom layers is bad. Values in deeper layers usually exceed 20–30 times the calculated reference values by Vighi and Chiaudani’s model. Naturally, at the beginning of the 20th century the limnological type of the lake was moderately eutrophic. During the 1980s and 1990s the ecosystem was out of balance by abiotic characteristics as well as by plankton indicators. Rapid fluctuations of species composition and abundance can be found in recent years. Seasonal variations are considerable and species composition differs remarkably also in the water column. The dominating macrophyte species vary from year to year. Since the annual amount of precipitation from the atmosphere onto the lake surface is several times higher, the impact of swimmers could be considered irrelevant. Some restoration methods were discussed. The first step, stopping external pollution, was completed by damming the inlet. Drainage (siphoning) of the hypolimnetic water is discussed. Secondary pollution occurs because Fe:P values are below the threshold. The authors propose to use phosphorus precipitation and hypolimnetic aeration instead of siphoning.     

Urmia Lake (Northwest Iran): a brief review

Lake Urmia (or Ormiyeh) is one of the largest hypersaline lakes in the world and the habitat of a unique bisexual Artemia species (A. urmiana). Despite this, and several other values of the lake, little literature on it has been published. The present paper is an attempt to provide a brief review on various aspects of the lake. Urmia Lake, located in northwestern Iran, is an oligotrophic lake of thalassohaline origin with a total surface area between 4750 and 6100 km² and a maximum depth of 16 m at an altitude of 1250 m. The lake is divided into north and south parts separated by a causeway in which a 1500-m gap provides little exchange of water between the two parts. Due to drought and increased demands for agricultural water in the lake's basin, the salinity of the lake has risen to more than 300 g/L during recent years, and large areas of the lake bed have been desiccated. Therefore, management and conservation of this incomparable ecosystem should be considered to improve the current condition by fisheries research institutes.     

Severe drought in the early Holocene (10,000–6800 BP) interpreted from lake sediment cores, southwestern Alberta, Canada

Six lake sediment vibracores from the foothills and mountain valleys of southwestern Alberta were analysed on the basis of AMS radiocarbon dates, tephrochronology and sediment geochemistry. From these results, the magnitude, timing and duration of the early Holocene warm period are presented. At about 10,000 BP, immediately following the Younger Dryas cold period, climate warmed dramatically, precipitation decreased and surface evaporation increased. Previous research has identified this warm interval, but new results have improved resolution of regional scale effects, specific timing and severity. Sedimentation changed from extra-basinal clastic to intra-basinal organic between 10,000 and 9400 BP. Changes in subalpine lakes from sand/silt deposition to biogenic carbonate precipitation suggest decreases in suspended sediment load caused by complete ablation of glacial sediment sources. Peat which formed in lakes of less than 4 m (present depth) indicates climate-induced lake level lowering in the foothills. Water depth and stratigraphic position of the peat suggest that regional water table levels decreased by up to 6.5 m. At Cartwright Lake, an erosional unconformity 6.5 m below the modern lake surface indicates the lake had completely dried out either during or immediately after Mazama tephra time (6800 BP).     

Investigation of bathymetry and water quality of Lake Nam Co, the largest lake on the central Tibetan Plateau, China

Comprehensive field investigations have been conducted four times on Nam Co, central Tibet, from September 2005 to September 2008. Here, we present the preliminary results focusing on the bathymetric survey and water quality measurements. The isobathic map shows that Nam Co is a high-altitude, deep lake where a flat and large basin lies in the central part with a water depth of more than 90 m. Water depth data from the northwestern bank areas of Nam Co provide unquestionable evidence of rising water levels in the last 3 decades because of the formation of two small islands that were still peninsulas in the 1970s. Water quality measurements taken at 19 stations during three summer field campaigns (2006, 2007 and 2008) covering almost all of the lake areas showed that the temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen and electric conductivity of surface water are on average 11.43°C, 9.21, 8.90 mg l⁻¹ and 1,851 μS cm⁻¹, respectively. The surface water shows no obvious spatial variability among all the stations. Vertical fluctuations of profiles, however, display some differences in thermocline and related parameters, such as pH and dissolved oxygen. According to the vertical variations of water quality parameters, the water column in relatively deep lake areas of Nam Co could be divided into three layers with distinctly various features: the epilimnion is from the surface to about 18–20 m depth in which the parameters are homogeneous with higher temperature and abundant sunlight; the metalimnion ranged from 20–60 m where a thermocline develops; the deepest layer forms a cold and dark hypolimnion.     

Ostracod-based environmental reconstruction over the last 8,400 years of Nam Co Lake on the Tibetan plateau

From a 332-cm long lacustrine core taken at 60 m water depth and 25 surface sediment samples taken at different water depth sites in Nam Co lake (4,718 m a.s.l.) in the middle-south part of the Tibetan Plateau, we identified nine species of ostracods (Crustacea: Ostracoda) belonging to six genera. Using lithological data, auto-ecological information of the recovered taxa and an ostracod-based transfer function for water depth reconstruction, we distinguished three main environmental stages over the past 8,400 years: during Stage I (8,400–6,800 yr BP), the climate changed from warm-humid to cold-humid, and eventually to cold-arid. The water depth of the site was much lower than today and changed from an estimated 50 to 20–30 m. During Stage II (6,800–2,900 yr BP), environmental conditions were again warm-humid, turning into a cold-arid episode. The lake water depth initially stayed much shallower than today, but then gradually deepened to around 50 m. At the earlier period of Stage III (2,900 yr BP–present), the climate became again warm-humid from cold-arid status. There was a cold-dry event between 1,700 and 1,500 yr BP, which intensified afterward while the surface run off weakened. Early in this stage, lake depth decreased slightly, but then it continuously deepened to 60 m. Our results revealed that central Tibet experienced wavily warm toward tendency in early Holocene, a shift from warm-humid to cold-dry conditions in the middle Holocene, and from warm-humid to cold-dry conditions in the late Holocene. They also show that ostracod assemblages are not only indicative of cold-warm conditions, but are also usable to imply the dry–wet status of a lake area by the inferring water depth variations. Finally, this study provides baseline data on (natural) climate change in this mountain region against which to compare global change impacts.     

Microbial methanogenesis and acetate metabolism in a meromictic lake.

Methanogenesis and the anaerobic metabolism of acetate were examined in the sediment and water column of Knaack Lake, a small biogenic meromictic lake located in central Wisconsin. The lake was sharply stratified during the summer and was anaerobic below a depth of 3 m. Large concentrations (4,000 mumol/liter) of dissolved methane were detected in the bottom waters. A methane concentration maximum occurred at 4 m above the sediment. The production of (14)CH(4) from (14)C-labeled HCOOH, HCO(3) (-), and CH(3)OH and [2-(14)C]acetate demonstrated microbial methanogenesis in the water column of the lake. The maximum rate of methanogenesis calculated from reduction of H(14)CO(3) (-) by endogenous electron donors in the surface sediment (depth, 22 m) was 7.6 nmol/h per 10 ml and in the water column (depth, 21 m) was 0.6 nmol/h per 10 ml. The methyl group of acetate was simultaneously metabolized to CH(4) and CO(2) in the anaerobic portions of the lake. Acetate oxidation was greatest in surface waters and decreased with water depth. Acetate was metabolized primarily to methane in the sediments and water immediately above the sediment. Sulfide inhibition studies and temperature activity profiles demonstrated that acetate metabolism was performed by several microbial populations. Sulfide additions (less than 5 mug/ml) to water from 21.5 m stimulated methanogenesis from acetate, but inhibited CO(2) production. Sulfate addition (1 mM) had no significant effect on acetate metabolism in water from 21.5 m, whereas nitrate additions (10 to 14,000 mug/liter) completely inhibited methanogenesis and stimulated CO(2) formation.     

Convection of waters in Lakes Maninjau and Singkarak,tropical oligomictic lakes

The ecology of a lake is mainly controlled by mixing processes; particularly, in tropical oligomictic lakes, the occurrence frequency and magnitude of convection govern the vertical mixing of chemicals and organisms. In this study, vertical profiles of water temperature, dissolved oxygen, electric conductivity, turbidity, and chlorophyll a were measured in 2014, 2015, 2017, and 2018 in two Sumatran deep lakes, Lakes Maninjau and Singkarak. In Lake Maninjau, intensive surveys on the profiles were also conducted in three different seasons in 2018. The comparison of the profiles between 2015 and 2017 indicated the events of large convection down to the lake bottoms happened in both of the lakes. Similarly, small convection down to around 30 m depth was found in the period between May and Jul, 2018. Air temperature drops up to five degrees centigrade were observed in these periods, confirmed by the changes in lake surface temperature estimated by MODIS imagery for the lakes. The magnitudes of the convective events were discussed with the observed amounts of heat loss and the estimated heat transfer through lake surface. Furthermore, the influences of such events on anoxic hypolimnetic waters were evaluated and considered from the view of climate change.

     

Seasonal variation in the diet of juvenile lake sturgeon,Acipenser fulvescens,Rafinesque, 1817, in the Winnipeg River,Manitoba, Canada

The lake sturgeon, Acipenser fulvescens, is a threatened species across most of its range. To understand any potential shifts in diet across season or habitat, stomach contents were examined from juvenile lake sturgeon caught in the Winnipeg River, Manitoba, Canada. This information will aid in assessment of environmental impacts and conservation initiatives for this threatened species. From 2006 to 2008 gut contents were collected from juvenile lake sturgeon using a non‐lethal gastric lavage methodology. Juvenile lake sturgeon were sampled from four discrete deep water habitat types (13.7–27.4 m depths), during the months of May, June, July and October. In total, 13 066 prey items belonging to 14 prey groups were collected from 345 juvenile lake sturgeon (251–835 mm TL). Overall, juvenile lake sturgeon consumed a low diversity of organisms; insect larvae from three invertebrate orders, Trichoptera, Diptera and Ephemeroptera, accounted for 97.4% of the total numeric abundance of prey items recovered. A relationship between size of juvenile lake sturgeon and prey quantity or type was not observed. Diet of juvenile lake sturgeon varied in relation to season, with Diptera (77.6%) being the most abundant prey in May, Trichoptera the most abundant in June (n = 3,056, 60.4%) and July (n = 2,055, 52.6%). During October, 96% of stomachs examined were empty. In terms of habitat type, the standardized abundance of invertebrate prey items was highest in deep water habitats characterized by medium water velocity (depths > 13.7 m) and coarse substrate (particle sizes > 0.063 mm) in May and June when compared to deep water habitats characterized by low water velocity (<0.2 m.s^?1) and fine substrate (particle sizes < 0.063 mm). However, in July, the opposite was observed and prey abundance in juvenile lake sturgeon stomachs decreased with increasing particle size. Results suggest a high degree of dietary overlap among juvenile lake sturgeon from multiple size/age classes occupying deep‐water habitats of the Winnipeg River.