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DIEL OXYGEN-INDUCED MOVEMENT OF FISH ASSEMBLAGES IN A GREAT LAKES COASTAL WETLAND
Citation:
Tanner, D K., J. C. Brazner, R L. Anderson, C W. West, AND J. R. Kelly. DIEL OXYGEN-INDUCED MOVEMENT OF FISH ASSEMBLAGES IN A GREAT LAKES COASTAL WETLAND. Presented at 1999 Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference, Chicago, IL, December 5-8, 1999.
Description:
To determine the importance of dissolved oxygen conditions in influencing daily ovement patterns of fishes in Great Lakes coastal wetlands, we sampled migrating fish assemblages from habitats with varying diurnal dissolved oxygen patterns in a Lake Superior coastal wetland during the summer of 1999. We used small-meshed fyke nets to sample all migrating fishes in two arms of Lost Creek Wetland near Cornucopia, WI. One arm (Low DO) experienced greater variation and lower dissolved oxygen concentrations on a daily basis, particularly after macrophytes became well established in July, while the other arm (High DO) had higher and more stable dissolved oxygen conditions. Although it is not completely clear how dissolved oxygen influenced movement patterns, we documented daily movement patterns in 14 species of fish, the majority being emerald blacknose and golden shiners, as well as pumpkinseed sunfish. In the Low DO arm there was a a strong immigration and emigration. These results imply that consideration of timing and spatial distribution of sampling is critical for accurate assessment of fish assemblages in Great Lakes coastal wetlands.