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FISH-MEDIATED NUTRIENT AND ENERGY EXCHANGE BETWEEN A LAKE SUPERIOR COASTAL WETLAND AND ITS ADJACENT BAY
Citation:
Brazner, J. C., D K. Tanner, AND J A. Morrice. FISH-MEDIATED NUTRIENT AND ENERGY EXCHANGE BETWEEN A LAKE SUPERIOR COASTAL WETLAND AND ITS ADJACENT BAY. JOURNAL OF GREAT LAKES RESEARCH 27(1):98-111, (2001).
Description:
Little has been done to quantify fluxes of organisms, nutrients, and energy between freshwater coastal habitats and adjacent offshore waters or to evaluate the ecological implications of these exchanges on a whole-lake basis. To test the hypothesis that fish-mediated transport might play an important role in the flux of nutrients and energy between coastal wetlands and adjacent lake waters, net carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and energy fluxes were estimated in forage fish between a Lake Superior coastal wetland and an adjacent bay. This was accomplished by sampling fish at the inlet/outlet of Bark Bay Slough for 1 week per ice-free month in 1995. Average carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus content of the 20 species analyzed was 45.1, 11.3, and 2.45% of dry weight respectively. .... However, assessment of the significance of the nutrient and energy results awaits a more complete budget for these ecosystems.