A global database of nitrogen and phosphorus excretion rates of aquatic animals.

Animals can be important in modulating ecosystem-level nutrient cycling, although their importance varies greatly among species and ecosystems. Nutrient cycling rates of individual animals represent valuable data for testing the predictions of important frameworks such as the Metabolic Theory of Ecology (MTE) and ecological stoichiometry (ES). They also represent an important set of functional traits that may reflect both environmental and phylogenetic influences. Over the past two decades, studies of animal-mediated nutrient cycling have increased dramatically, especially in aquatic ecosystems. Here we present a global compilation of aquatic animal nutrient excretion rates. The dataset includes 10,534 observations from freshwater and marine animals of N and/or P excretion rates. These observations represent 491 species, including most aquatic phyla. Coverage varies greatly among phyla and other taxonomic levels. The dataset includes information on animal body size, ambient temperature, taxonomic affiliations, and animal body N:P. This data set was used to test predictions of MTE and ES, as described in Vanni and McIntyre (2016; Ecology DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1582).

Dynamic micro-geographic and temporal genetic diversity in vertebrates: the case of lake-spawning populations of brown trout (Salmo trutta).

Conservation of species should be based on knowledge of effective population sizes and understanding of how breeding tactics and selection of recruitment habitats lead to genetic structuring. In the stream-spawning and genetically diverse brown trout, spawning and rearing areas may be restricted source habitats. Spatio-temporal genetic variability patterns were studied in brown trout occupying three lakes characterized by restricted stream habitat but high recruitment levels. This suggested non-typical lake-spawning, potentially representing additional spatio-temporal genetic variation in continuous habitats. Three years of sampling documented presence of young-of-the-year cohorts in littoral lake areas with groundwater inflow, confirming lake-spawning trout in all three lakes. Nine microsatellite markers assayed across 901 young-of-the-year individuals indicated overall substantial genetic differentiation in space and time. Nested gene diversity analyses revealed highly significant (< or =P = 0.002) differentiation on all hierarchical levels, represented by regional lakes (F(LT) = 0.281), stream vs. lake habitat within regional lakes (F(HL) = 0.045), sample site within habitats (F(SH) = 0.010), and cohorts within sample sites (F(CS) = 0.016). Genetic structuring was, however, different among lakes. It was more pronounced in a natural lake, which exhibited temporally stable structuring both between two lake-spawning populations and between lake- and stream spawners. Hence, it is demonstrated that lake-spawning brown trout form genetically distinct populations and may significantly contribute to genetic diversity. In another lake, differentiation was substantial between stream- and lake-spawning populations but not within habitat. In the third lake, there was less apparent spatial or temporal genetic structuring. Calculation of effective population sizes suggested small spawning populations in general, both within streams and lakes, and indicates that the presence of lake-spawning populations tended to reduce genetic drift in the total (meta-) population of the lake.

Food of roach (Rutilus rutilus) and ide (Leusiscus idus): significance of diet shift for interspecific competition in omnivorous fishes.

Feeding relationships between roach and ide from two sites in a mesotrophic lake SE Norway are presented and discussed. When animal food supply was scarce, both fish species increased their consumption of macrophytes; roach sevenfold, and ide threefold. Along a typical littoral vegetation gradient, ide fed among helophytes, while roach fed in the zone outside. This different habitat selection was reflected in the most important plants consumed (ide: Equisetum fluviatile, roach: Characeae), and confirmed by gill net catches. During the vegetative season, roach avoided areas with dense vegetation. In shallow areas beyond the littoral, the most important food plant for both fish species was Potamogeton perfoliatus, which constituted 80% of the total food consumed (dry weight basis) in the roach and 35% in the ide. The diet shift to plants seemed to be strongly influenced by the supply of animal food and the intensity of intra-and interspecific competition.

Habitat shift in roach (Rutilus rutilus) induced by pikeperch (Stizostedion lucioperca) introduction: predation risk versus pelagic behaviour.

Changes in the fish community structure and habitat use were followed after the introduction of pikeperch (Stizostedion lucioperca) to the roach-dominated Lake Gjersjøen. Quantitative echosounding showed that the density of juvenile roach (Rutilus rutilus) was dramatically reduced in pelagic areas, from 12 000-15 000 fish/ha to 250 fish/ha, while total fish density remained unchanged in littoral areas. At the same time, the habitat segregation between different size groups of roach was altered as larger roach utilized the pelagic zone after pikeperch introduction. The loss of the pelagic refuge for juvenile roach increased the availability of juvenile roach to littoral predators, notably perch. In littoral areas, the fish community changed from one dominated by roach (> 95%) to one dominated by perch (> 50%).

Biological control of undesirable cyanobacteria in culturally eutrophic lakes.

The relationship between Oscillatoria agardhii and one of its natural grazers, the gymnostomid ciliate Nassula ornata was studied in laboratory experiments. Ingestion of Oscillatoria by Nassula increased exponentially over the temperature range 5-20°C, and the grazer was able to suppress Oscillatoria at all temperatures. Laboratory studies showed further that the predatory copepod Cyclops strenuus was able to suppress Nassula, and that juvenile roach (Rutilus rutilus) also fed on Nassula. In an enclosure experiment in an Oscillatoria-lake, Nassula reduced Oscillatoria concentration with more than 50% as compared to the control. The scarcity of Nassula in many Oscillatoria-lakes may be due to predation by cyclopoid copepods and juvenile fish; predominantly cyprinids. A proposed model describes well the population dynamics of Oscillatoria and Nassula in mixed cultures.