Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Responses to food web manipulation in a shallow waterfowl lake

  • Published:
Hydrobiologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

We evaluated effects of fish removal from a large, shallow lake that historically was an important feeding area for migrating diving ducks. In the decade before fish removal, turbidity was high, submerged macrophytes and benthic macroinvertebrates were not abundant, and waterfowl use was negligible. Zooplankton and benthic macroinvertebrates increased during the first three post-treatment years. Water clarity improved initially in response to cladoceran grazing, allowing expansion of submerged macrophytes. Subsequent increases in water transparency may have been related to decreased sediment resuspension and lower algal biomass owing to allelopathic inhibition or nutrient competition from submerged macrophytes. Use by migrating diving ducks increased dramatically, apparently owing to changes in macroinvertebrate and plant foods.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Afton, A. D. & R. H. Hier, 1991. Diets of Lesser Scaup breeding in Manitoba. J. Field Ornithol. 62: 325–334.

    Google Scholar 

  • Afton, A. D., R. H. Hier & S. L. Paulus, 1991. Lesser scaup diets during migration and winter in the Mississippi flyway. Can. J. Zool. 69: 328–333.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, J. M., 1950. Some aquatic vegetation changes following fish removal. J. Wildl. Manage. 14: 206–209.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, R. & L. G. Raasveldt, 1974. Gammarus predation and the possible effects of Gammarus and Chaohorus feeding on the zooplankton composition in some small lakes and ponds in western Canada. Can. Wild. Serv. Occ. Pap. No. 18, 23 pp.

  • Balls, H., B. Moss & K. Irvine, 1989. The loss of submerged plants with eutrophication. I. Experimental design, water chemistry, aquatic plant and phytoplankton biomass in experiments carried out in ponds in the Norfolk Broads. Freshwat. Biol. 22: 71–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bartonek, J. C. & J. J. Hickey, 1969. Food habits of canvasbacks, redheads, and lesser scaup in Manitoba. Condor 71: 280–290.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buck, D. H., M. A. Whitcare & C. F. Thoits III, 1960. Some experiments in the baiting of carp. J. Wildl. Manage. 24: 357–364.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cahoon, W. G., 1953. Commercial carp removal at Lake Mattamuskeet, North Carolina. J. Wildl. Manage. 17: 312–317.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carpenter, S. R. & J. F. Kitchell, 1988. Consumer control of lake productivity. BioScience 38: 764–769.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooper, W. E., 1965. Dynamics and productivity of a natural population of a fresh-water amphipod, Hyalella azteca. Ecol. Monogr. 31: 221–238.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crivelli, A. J., 1983. The destruction of aquatic vegetation by carp. Hydrobiologia 106: 37–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crowder, L. & W. Cooper, 1982. Habitat structural complexity and the interaction between bluegills and their prey. Ecology 63: 1802–1813.

    Google Scholar 

  • DesGranges, J. & J. Rodrigue, 1986. Influence of acidity and competition with fish on the development of ducklings in Quebec. Water, Air, and Soil Poll. 30: 743–750.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dvorak, J. & E. Best, 1982. Macro-invertebrate communities associated with the macrophytes of Lake Vechten: structural and functional relationships.

  • Eadie, J. & A. Keast, 1982. Do goldeneye and perch compete for food? Oecologia 55: 225–230.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elser, J. J. & S. R. Carpenter, 1988. Predation-driven dynamics of zooplankton and phytoplankton communities in a whole-lake experiment. Oecologia 76: 148–154.

    Google Scholar 

  • Environmental Protection Agency, 1974. Methods for chemical analysis of water and wastes. Environmental Protection Agency, Water Quality Office, Analytical Quality Control Laboratory, Cincinnati, 312 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eriksson, M. O., 1978. Lake selection by goldeneye ducklings in relation to the abundance of food. Wildfowl 29: 81–85.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eriksson, M. O., 1979. Competition between freshwater fish and goldeneyes (Bucephala clangula) for common prey. Oecologia 41: 99–107.

    Google Scholar 

  • Giles, N., M. Street & R. M. Wright, 1990. Diet composition and prey preference of tench, Tinca (L.), common bream, Abramis brama (L.), perch, Perca fluviatilis L. and roach, Rutilus in two contrasting gravel pit lakes: potential trophic overlap with wildfowl. J. Fish Biol. 37: 945–957.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haney, J. F. & D. F. Hall, 1973. Sugar-coated Daphnia: a preservation technique for Cladocera. Limnol. Oceanogr. 18: 331–333.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanson, M. A. & M. G. Butler, 1987. Lake Christina: Reclaiming prime waterfowl habitat. Minn. Vol. 50: 10–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanson, M. A. & M. G. Butler, 1990. Early responses of plankton and turbidity to biomanipulation in a shallow prairie lake. Hydrobiologia 200/201 (Dev. Hydrobiol. 61): 317–327.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanson, M. A., M. G. Butler, J. L. Richardson & J. L. Arndt, 1990. Indirect effects of fish predation on calcite supersaturation, precipitation, and turbidity in a shallow prairie lake. Freshwat. Biol. 24: 547–556.

    Google Scholar 

  • Henrikson, L., H. G. Nyman, H. G. Oscarson & J. A. Stenson, 1980. Trophic changes, without changes in the external nutrient loading. Hydrobiologia 68: 257–263.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hargeby, A. 1990. Macrophyte associated invertebrates and the effect of habitat permanence. Oikos 57: 338–346.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hill, D. A., R. Wright & M. Street, 1987. Survival of mallard ducklings Anas platyrhynchos and competition with fish for invertebrates in a flooded gravel quarry in England. Ibis 129: 159–167.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hohman, W. L., 1985. Feeding ecology of Ring-necked Ducks in northwestern Minnesota. J. Wild. Mgmt. 49: 546–557.

    Google Scholar 

  • Howe, J. F. & R. A. Carlson, 1969. Game lake survey instruction manual. Minnesota Department of Conservation, Division of Game and Fish, Section of Technical Services, 37 pp.

  • Hrbáček, J., M. Dvorakova, V. Korniek & L. Prochazkova, 1961. Demonstration of the effect of the fish stock on the species composition of zooplankton and the intensity of metabolism of the whole plankton association. Verh. int. Ver. Limnol. 14: 192–195.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hunter, M. L., J. J. Jones, K. E. Gibbs & J. R. Moring, 1986. Duckling responses to lake acidification: Do black ducks and fish compete? Oikos 47: 26–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Irvine, K., B. Moss & H. Balls, 1989. The loss of submerged plants with eutrophication II. Relationships between fish and zooplankton in a set of experimental ponds, and conclusions. Freshwat. Biol. 22: 89–107.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kahl, R., 1991. Restoration of canvasback migrational staging habitat in Wisconsin. Wis. Dep. Nat. Resour. Tech. Bull. No. 172. 47 pp.

  • Kelso, J. R., 1973. Seasonal energy changes in walleye and their diet in West Blue Lake, Manitoba. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 102: 363–368.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krecker, F., 1939. A comparative study of the animal population of certain submerged aquatic plants. Ecology 20: 553–562.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krull, J., 1970. Aquatic plant-macroinvertebrate associations and waterfowl. J. Wild. Mgmt. 34: 707–718.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li., S. & G. G. Ayles, 1981. An investigation of feeding habits of walleye (stizostedion vitreum) in constructed earthen ponds in the Canadian Prairies. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. aquat. Sci. No. 1040. 10 pp.

  • Lind, O, 197. Handbook of common methods in limnology. The C.V. Mosby Co., St. Louis, 199 pp.

  • Lines, K. & T. Carlson, 1988. Lake Christina reclamation project, MNDNR division of fish and wildlife completion report, 14 pp. (unpublished)

  • Lovvorn, J. R., 1989. Distributional responses of canvasback ducks to weather and habitat change. J. appl. Ecol. 26: 113–130.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mathias, J. A. & M. Papst, 1981. Growth, survival and distribution of Gammarus lacustris (Crustacea-Amphipoda) stocked into ponds. Can. Fish. Marine Serv. Tech. Rep. No. 989.

  • McQueen, D. J., 1990. Managing lake community structure: Where do we go from here? Freshwat. Biol. 23: 613–620.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meijer, M. L., A. J. Raat & R. W. Doff., 1989. Restoration by biomanipulation of Lake Bleiswijkse Zoom (The Netherlands): First results. Hydrobiol. Bull. 23: 49–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meijer,M. A.,M. W. deHaan, A. W. Breukelaar & H. Buiteveld, 1990. Is reduction of the benthivorous fish an important cause of high transparency following biomanipulation in shallow lakes? Hydrobiologia 200/201 (Dev. Hydrobiol. 61): 303–315.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ordal, N., 1966. Lake Christina. Naturalist 17: 20–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perhsson, O., 1984. Relationships of food to spatial and temporal breeding strategies of mallards in Sweden. J. Wild. Mgmt. 48: 322–339.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perhsson, O., 1991. Egg and clutch size in the mallard as related to food quality. Can. J. Zool. 69: 156–162.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterka, J. J. & L. J. Brooks, 1989. Biology of Gammarus lacustris in the Devils Lake chain. Report No. A-1175 to the North Dakota Game and Fish Dept. Div. of Fish, 79 pp.

  • Phillips, G. L., D. Eminson & B. Moss, 1978. A mechanism to account for macrophyte decline in progressively eutrophicated freshwaters. Aquat. Bot. 4: 103–126.

    Google Scholar 

  • Price, C., W. Tonn & C. Paszkowski, 1991. Intraspecific patterns of resource use by fathead minnows in a small boreal lake. Can. J. Zool. 69: 2109–2115.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ricker, W. E. & J. Gottschalk, 1940. An experiment in removing coarse fish from a lake. Trans. am. Fish. Soc. 70: 382–390.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robel, R. J., 1962. The relationship of carp to waterfowl food plants on a western marsh. Utah Dept. of Game and Fish Informational Bulletin 62-4, 103 pp.

  • Rogers, J. P. & L. J. Korschgen, 1966. Foods of lesser scaups on breeding, migration, and wintering areas. J. Wildl. Manage. 30: 258–264.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sas Institute, 1988. SAS/STAT guide for personal computers, version 6 edition. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, North Carolina. 1028 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shapiro, J. & D. J. Wright, 1984. Lake restoration by biomanipulation: Round Lake, Minnesota, the first two years. Freshwat. Biol. 14: 371–383.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, J. D., 1946. The canvasback in Minnesota. Auk 63: 73–81.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spencer, C. N. & D. L. King, 1984. Role of fish in regulation of plant and animal communities in eutrophic ponds. Can. J. Fish. aquat. Sci. 41: 1851–1855.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strickland, J. D. & T. R. Parsons, 1972. A practical handbook of seawater analysis. Bull. Fish. Res. BD. Can. Queen's Printer, Ottawa, 310 pp.

  • Swanson, G. & H. Duebbert, 1989. Wetland habitats of waterfowl in the prairie pothole region. In A. Van der Valk (ed.), Northern prairie wetlands. Iowa State Univ. Press, Ames, (IA): 228–267.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swanson, G., 1978, A plankton sampling device for shallow wetlands. J. Wildl. Manage. 42: 670–672.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Donk, E., R. D. Gulati & M. P. Grimm, 1989. Food web manipulation in Lake Zwemlust: positive and negative effects during the first two years. Hydrobiol. Bull. 23: 19–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Donk, E., R. D. Gulati & M. P. Grimm, 1990. Restoration by biomanipulation in a small hypertrophic lake: first-year results. Hydrobiologia 191 (Dev. Hydrobiol. 53): 285–295.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vanni, M., C. Leucke, J. F. Kitchell & J. J. Magnuson, 1990. Effects of planktivorous fish mass mortality on the plankton community of Lake Mendota, Wisconsin: implications for biomanipulation. Hydrobiologia 200/201 (Dev. Hydrobiol. 61): 329–336.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weier, J. L. & D. F. Starr, 1950. The use of rotenone to remove rough fish for the purpose of improving migratory waterfowl refuge areas. J. Wildl. Manage. 14: 203–205.

    Google Scholar 

  • Winfield, I., D. Winfield & C. Tobin, 1990. Interactions between Roach, Rutilus, and waterfowl populations of Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland. Envir. Biol. Fishes 33: 207–214.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Mark A. Hanson

    Present address: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Wetland Wildlife Populations & Research Group, 102 23rd St., 56601, Bemidji, MN, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, North Dakota State University, 58105, Fargo, ND, USA

    Mark A. Hanson & Malcolm G. Butler

Authors
  1. Mark A. Hanson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Malcolm G. Butler
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hanson, M.A., Butler, M.G. Responses to food web manipulation in a shallow waterfowl lake. Hydrobiologia 279, 457–466 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00027877

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00027877

Key words

Search

Navigation