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Increased abundance of the non-indigenous zooplanktivore, Bythotrephes longimanus, is strongly correlated with greater spring prey availability in Canadian Shield lakes

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Abstract

The non-indigenous zooplanktivore, Bythotrephes longimanus, is a large Palaearctic cladoceran that is spreading rapidly in the Great Lakes watershed in North America. As a voracious predator, Bythotrephes can reduce herbivorous cladoceran abundance and diversity; however, the variables that affect its abundance are not well understood. To determine what bottom-up factors are associated with the abundance and seasonal dynamics of established Bythotrephes populations, two Bythotrephes datasets from lakes in south-central Ontario, Canada, were analysed using multiple regression and multivariate analyses: a multi-lake dataset of nine lakes sampled in 2003 and a multi-year dataset of one of these lakes, Harp Lake, sampled from 1994–1998 and 2001–2004. Bottom-up variables tested were Secchi disk depth, epilimnetic temperature, cladoceran (prey) density, total phosphorus, dissolved organic carbon and Chlorophyll a, as well as maximum depth for the multi-lake dataset. In both analyses and datasets, springtime abundance of herbivorous cladocerans was consistently found to be a significant factor associated with Bythotrephes (June–September) abundance; Bythotrephes annual abundance was significantly and positively associated with mean May and June prey abundance, along with mean Secchi disk depth for the multi-lake dataset, and groups of lakes or years with similar Bythotrephes seasonal abundance patterns were predicted by June prey abundance. Additionally, prey availability was the dominant contributor towards changes in weekly Bythotrephes birth rates calculated for two of the study lakes. Our study suggests that prey availability influences Bythotrephes abundance, which provides evidence that Bythotrephes establishment success is affected by the abundance of its prey.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Emily Parrott for counting Bythotrephes in the 2003 lake dataset and Brady Yu for counting a portion of the Harp Lake 2003 and Peninsula Lake 2004 datasets. From the OMOE’s Dorset Environmental Science Centre, we thank Andrew Paterson, Robert Girard and Ron Ingram for access to field equipment and Harp Lake Bythotrephes, temperature, chemical and zooplankton data, and Keith Somers for statistical consulting. B. Yu, E. Parrott, Jonathon Hovius, Greg Puncher and Alison Croft provided assistance in the field. We are very grateful for the detailed and helpful comments provided by two reviewers and the editor. Funding for this project was provided by an Ontario Graduate Scholarship in Science and Technology to JDY, and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada grants to ALS and NDY. We also thank Shelley Arnott for guidance and funding.

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  1. Joelle D. Young

    Present address: Water Monitoring Section, Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Toronto, ON, M9P 3V6, Canada

  2. Angela L. Strecker

    Present address: School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biology Department, York University, Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada

    Joelle D. Young & Norman D. Yan

  2. Department of Biology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada

    Angela L. Strecker

  3. Dorset Environmental Science Centre, Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Dorset, ON, P0A 1E0, Canada

    Norman D. Yan

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Correspondence to Joelle D. Young.

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Young, J.D., Strecker, A.L. & Yan, N.D. Increased abundance of the non-indigenous zooplanktivore, Bythotrephes longimanus, is strongly correlated with greater spring prey availability in Canadian Shield lakes. Biol Invasions 13, 2605–2619 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-011-0077-9

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