You are here:
Support of Coastal Fishes by Nearshore and Coastal Wetland Habitats
Citation:
Sierszen, M., L. Schoen, J. Hoffman, J. Kosiara, AND D. Uzarski. Support of Coastal Fishes by Nearshore and Coastal Wetland Habitats. To be Presented at International Association for Great Lakes Research, Detroit, MI, May 15 - 19, 2017.
Impact/Purpose:
not applicable
Description:
Hydrologic linkages among Great Lakes nearshore and coastal wetlands free coastal fish to move among the habitats, which has led to a variety of habitat use patterns. Fine-scale microchemical analyses of yellow perch otoliths have revealed life-history categories that include permanent wetland residence, annual migrations between nearshore and wetlands, nearshore residence, and combinations thereof. Stable isotope analyses to determine nutritional support of coastal fishes from 12 wetland-nearshore habitat pairs revealed differences among species and among systems in multi-habitat use. Frequently, most nutrition detected over the time-scale of stable isotope analyses came from the habitat in which fish were captured; however, substantial (> 30%) support often came from the adjacent habitat. Within-species variability in stable isotope ratios can be linked to differences among individuals in multi-habitat foraging. We compare the information gained from otolith microchemistry and isotope analyses and some of the ways stable isotope ratios can be linked to life history patterns.