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New insight into the spawning behavior of lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush, from a recovering population in the Laurentian Great Lakes

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Abstract

Spawning behavior of lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush, is poorly understood, relative to stream-dwelling salmonines. Underwater video records of spawning in a recovering population from the Drummond Island Refuge (Lake Huron) represent the first reported direct observations of lake trout spawning in the Laurentian Great Lakes. These observations provide new insight into lake trout spawning behavior and expand the current conceptual model. Lake trout spawning consisted of at least four distinct behaviors: hovering, traveling, sinking, and gamete release. Hovering is a new courtship behavior that has not been previously described. The apparent concentration of hovering near the margin of the spawning grounds suggests that courtship and mate selection might be isolated from the spawning act (i.e., traveling, sinking, and gamete release). Moreover, we interpret jockeying for position displayed by males during traveling as a unique form of male-male competition that likely evolved in concert with the switch from redd-building to itinerant spawning in lake trout. Unlike previous models, which suggested that intra-sexual competition and mate selection do not occur in lake trout, our model includes both and is therefore consistent with evolutionary theory, given that the sex ratio on spawning grounds is skewed heavily towards males. The model presented in this paper is intended as a working hypothesis, and further revision may become necessary as we gain a more complete understanding of lake trout spawning behavior.

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Acknowledgments

We thank E. Larson, D. Operhall, B. Lamoreux, and C. Wright for their technical assistance in the field. We are also thankful to A. Miehls for her help in editing the videos. The paper was substantially improved based on comments from two anonymous peer reviews. Funding for this project came from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. This article is Contribution 1825 of the U.S. Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center. The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Great Lakes Fishery Commission and Michigan State University, Hammond Bay Biological Station, 11188 Ray Rd., Millersburg, MI, 49759, USA

    T. R. Binder

  2. United States Geological Survey, Hammond Bay Biological Station, 11188 Ray Rd., Millersburg, MI, 49759, USA

    H. T. Thompson

  3. Great Lakes Fishery Commission, 2100 Commonwealth Blvd. Suite 100, Ann Arbor, MI, 48105, USA

    A. M. Muir & C. C. Krueger

  4. Great Lakes Science Center, United States Geological Survey, 1451 Green Rd., Ann Arbor, MI, 48105, USA

    S. C. Riley

  5. The Rubenstein School of Environment and Resources, University of Vermont, 308D Aiken Center, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA

    J. E. Marsden

  6. United States Fish and Wildlife Service, 2661 Scott Tower Drive, New Franklin, WI, 54229, USA

    C. R. Bronte

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  1. T. R. Binder
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  2. H. T. Thompson
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  3. A. M. Muir
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  4. S. C. Riley
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  5. J. E. Marsden
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  7. C. C. Krueger
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Correspondence to T. R. Binder.

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Binder, T.R., Thompson, H.T., Muir, A.M. et al. New insight into the spawning behavior of lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush, from a recovering population in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Environ Biol Fish 98, 173–181 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-014-0247-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-014-0247-6

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