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Yellow Perch Distributions and Feeding Ecology in Response to Hypoxia in Lake Erie’s Central Basin

Cabanelas Bermudez, Alexandra Cristina
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6224-077X
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1692361193185876

Abstract Details

2023, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology.
Hypoxia, or low concentration of dissolved oxygen in the water, is becoming a more frequent and extensive phenomenon in many aquatic ecosystems around the world, impacting the ecology of lakes, estuaries, and marine fishes. This often-recurring state of low oxygen degrades habitat quality, affects fish physiology, and can lead to changes in the behavior and distribution of species. Hypoxia can alter predator-prey dynamics through species-specific responses to low oxygen and changes spatiotemporal distributions of populations. The central basin of Lake Erie experiences seasonal hypolimnetic hypoxia every year due to a combination of natural thermal stratification and human practices. Lake Erie supports ecologically important and lucrative recreational and commercial fisheries, so considerable research has gone into understanding the impacts of hypoxia on the Lake Erie ecosystem. In the last decade, adult yellow perch (Perca flavescens) catch in the central basin of Lake Erie has significantly declined, raising questions about the drivers of decreases in yellow perch catch. The goal of this research was to gain better understanding about how hypoxia and other environmental variables associated with the hypoxic season (i.e. higher temperatures) influence adult (2+) yellow perch distributions and overall abundance as well as their diets and foraging behavior. Towards this goal, we conducted hydroacoustic surveys, analyzed data from 2021 annual Ohio Department of Natural Resources – Division of Wildlife trawl surveys, collected data on environmental variables, quantified adult yellow perch stomach contents, and collected data on zooplankton and benthic macroinvertebrates. In the first chapter, we used paired bottom trawl-hydroacoustic surveys to investigate the effects of hypoxia on adult yellow perch distributions. We compared where yellow perch were located in the water column (both fish and site depth) and yellow perch densities between sampling months. The second chapter further explores behavioral responses to hypoxia through a diet study. In this thesis, I show that hypoxia influences adult yellow perch in various ways. First, I show evidence that during hypoxia, fish are higher in the water column, often above the thermocline, where dissolved oxygen levels are higher. We also found that yellow perch not only moved vertically, but they also shifted their general horizontal location and formed aggregations at shallower site depths during hypoxia. Our data also suggest that yellow perch most likely inhabited hypolimnetic waters during hypoxia. Hydroacoustic targets consistent with adult yellow perch were detected in hypoxic waters and we found evidence that yellow perch consumed benthic prey during hypoxic months. This research supports previous findings suggesting yellow perch conduct hypoxic foraging forays and aggregate in waters adjacent to hypoxia that contain higher dissolved oxygen. We demonstrate that hydroacoustics can successfully be used to study the effects of hypoxia on yellow perch populations in Lake Erie. Using in situ target strength information gained from hydroacoustics along with fish catch data will help researchers better understand how changing environmental conditions impact the Lake Erie fish population. Understanding how yellow perch and their predators and prey respond to novel conditions is important for properly managing the fisheries and protecting the lake’s resources.
Elizabeth Marschall (Advisor)
Stuart Ludsin (Committee Member)
Roman Lanno (Committee Member)
151 p.
Biology; Ecology; Environmental Science; Freshwater Ecology
Lake Erie; hypoxia; yellow perch; hydroacoustics; foraging ecology

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Cabanelas Bermudez, A. C. (2023). Yellow Perch Distributions and Feeding Ecology in Response to Hypoxia in Lake Erie’s Central Basin [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1692361193185876

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Cabanelas Bermudez, Alexandra. Yellow Perch Distributions and Feeding Ecology in Response to Hypoxia in Lake Erie’s Central Basin. 2023. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1692361193185876.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Cabanelas Bermudez, Alexandra. "Yellow Perch Distributions and Feeding Ecology in Response to Hypoxia in Lake Erie’s Central Basin." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2023. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1692361193185876

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1692361193185876
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© 2023, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.
Release 3.2.12