Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-s2hrs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-14T22:57:16.210Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Ecological studies on the decomposition rate of fish carcasses by benthic organisms in the littoral zone of Lake Constance, Germany

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 August 2010

Katrin Premke ,
Philipp Fischer ,
Melanie Hempel  and
Karl-Otto Rothhaupt
Katrin Premke*
Affiliation:
University of Constance, Limnological Institute, Box M 659, D-78457 Constance, Germany
Philipp Fischer
Affiliation:
University of Constance, Limnological Institute, Box M 659, D-78457 Constance, Germany Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research Helgoland, Kurpromenade, D-27498 Helgoland, Germany
Melanie Hempel
Affiliation:
University of Constance, Limnological Institute, Box M 659, D-78457 Constance, Germany
Karl-Otto Rothhaupt
Affiliation:
University of Constance, Limnological Institute, Box M 659, D-78457 Constance, Germany
*
*Corresponding author: katrin.premke@ebc.uu.se
Get access

Abstract

Using field experiments, we investigated the effects of fish carcasses (so called ‘food falls') on benthic fauna. We simulated food falls using freshly killed fish during two different seasons (spring and summer) in the littoral zone of a large, pre-alpine meso-oligotrophic lake in central Europe (Lake Constance, Germany). This study provides evidence that input in the form of fish carcasses may play an important role in nutrient dynamics within this ecosystem. The benthic communities in the vicitinity and underneath the food fall were strongly influenced by the food fall. The results show that this supply of organic matter has a significant influence on the relationships within the communities, which are clearly dominated by bacteria, followed by copepod nauplii, cyclopoid copepods, chironomids, and ostracods. Total decomposition was obtained between days 80 and 68 of the experiments. The food fall had a positively but not significant effect on meiofaunal assemblages in these experiments. Furthermore, the results showed a negative relationship between bacteria and meiofauna abundance, indicating grazing by the meiobenthos on the bacterial community. These findings support other studies that found that the meiofauna exerted a grazing pressure on the microbial community, where this process was important in the decomposition of carcasses. Moreover, this study shows the potential importance of fish carcasses in Lake Constance, where food falls may generate high abundances and diversity of the benthic fauna and support high bacterial activities in this littoral ecosystem.

Keywords

Pelagic-benthic couplingdecompositionmeiofaunabacteriafish carcasses
Type
Research Article
Information
Annales de Limnologie - International Journal of Limnology , Volume 46 , Issue 3 , 2010 , pp. 157 - 168
Copyright
© EDP Sciences, 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Arndt, H., 1993. Rotifers as predators on components of the microbial web (bacteria, heterotrophic flagellates, ciliates) – A review. Hydrobiologia , 255, 231–246.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baxter, C.V., Fausch, K.D., Murakami, M. and Chapman, P.L., 2004. Fish invasion restructures stream and forest food webs by interrupting reciprocal prey subsidies. Ecology , 85, 2656–2663.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bergtold, M. and Traunspurger, W., 2004. The benthic community in the profundal of Lake Brunnsee: seasonal and spatial patterns. Arch. Hydrobiol. , 160, 527–554.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bilby, R.E., Fransen, B.R. and Bisson, P.A., 1996. Incorporation of nitrogen and carbon from spawning coho salmon into the trophic system of small streams: Evidence from stable isotopes. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. , 53, 164–173.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brickell, D.C. and Goering, J.J., 1970. Chemical effects of salmon decomposition on aquatic ecosystems. In: Murpy, R.S. (ed.), First International Symposium on Water Pollution Control in Cold Climates, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 125–138.Google Scholar
Brune, A., Frenzel, P. and Cypionka, H., 2000. Life at the oxic-anoxic interface: microbial activities and adaptations. FEMS Microbiol. Rev. , 24, 691–710.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burgess, B., 2001. An improved protocol for separating meiofauna from sediments using colloidal silica sols. Mar. Ecol.-Prog. Ser. , 214, 161–165.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burkepile, D.E., Parker, J.D., Woodson, C.B., Mills, H.J., Kubanek, J., Sobecky, P.A. and Hay, M.E., 2006. Chemically mediated competition between microbes and animals: Microbes as consumers in food webs. Ecology , 87, 2821–2831.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Catchpole, T.L., Frid, C.L.J. and Gray, T.S., 2006. Importance of discards from the English Nephrops norvegicus fishery in the North Sea to marine scavengers. Mar. Ecol.-Prog. Ser. , 313, 215–226.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cederholm, C.J.K., Murotac, T. and Sibatani, A., 1999. Pacific salmon carcasses: Essential contributions of nutrients and energy for aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Fish. Sci. , 24, 6–15.Google Scholar
Chaloner, D.T., Wipfli, M.S. and Caouette, J.P., 2002. Mass loss and macroinvertebrate colonisation of Pacific salmon carcasses in south-eastern Alaskan streams. Freshw. Biol. , 47, 263–273.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chidami, S. and Amyot, M., 2008. Fish decomposition in boreal lakes and biogeochemical implications. Limnol. Oceanogr. , 53, 1988–1996.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coull, B.C., Creed, E.L., Eskin, R.A., Montagna, P.A., Palmer, M.A. and Wells, J.B.J., 1983. Phytal meiofauna from the rocky intertidal at Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. T. Am. Mic. Soc. , 102, 380–389.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coull, B.C., Greenwood, J.G., Fielder, D.R. and Coull, B.A., 1995. Subtropical Australian juvenile fish eat meiofauna – Experiments with winter whiting Sillago maculata and observations on other species. Mar. Ecol.-Prog. Ser. , 125, 13–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Danovaro, R., 1996. Detritus-bacteria-meiofauna interactions in a seagrass bed (Posidonia oceanica) of the NW Mediterranean. Mar. Biol. , 127, 1–13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Danovaro, R. and Fraschetti, S., 2002. Meiofaunal vertical zonation on hard-bottoms: comparison with soft-bottom meiofauna. Mar. Ecol.-Prog. Ser. , 230, 159–169.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Morais, L.T. and Bodiu, J.Y., 1984. Predation on meiofauna by juvenile fish in a Western Mediterranean flatfish nursery. Mar. Biol. , 82, 209–215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Donaldson, J.R., 1967. The phosphorus budget of Iliamna Lake, Alaska as related to the cyclic abundance of sockeye salmon. Ph.D. dissertation, Univ. Washington, Seattle.
Elliott, J.M., 1997. An experimental study on the natural removal of dead trout fry in a lake district stream. J. Fish. Biol. , 50, 870–877.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fenoglio, S., Bo, T.Z., Agosta, P. and Cucco, M., 2005. Mass loss and macroinvertebrate colonisation of fish carcasses in riffles and pools of a NW Italian stream. Hydrobiologia , 532, 111–122.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Findlay, S. and Tenore, K.R., 1982. Effect of a free-living marine nematode (Diplolaimella chitwoodi) on detrital carbon mineralization. Mar. Ecol.-Prog. Ser. , 8, 161–166.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fischer, P., Weber, A., Heine, G. and Weber, H., 2007. Habitat structure and fish: assessing the role of habitat complexity for fish using a small, semiportable, 3-D underwater observatory. Limnol. Oceanogr.-Methods , 5, 250–262.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gende, S.M., Edwards, R.T., Willson, M.F. and Wipfli, M.S., 2002. Pacific salmon in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Bioscience , 52, 917–928.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Giere, O., 1993. Meiobenthology: the microscopic fauna in aquatic sediments, Springer, Berlin, 328 p.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goedkoop, W., Gullberg, K.R., Johnson, R.K. and Ahlgren, I., 1997. Microbial response of a freshwater benthic community to a simulated diatom sedimentation event: Interactive effects of benthic fauna. Microb. Ecol. , 34, 131–143.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goedkoop, W., Sonesten, L., Markensten, H. and Ahlgren, G., 1998. Fatty acid biomarkers show dietary differences between dominant chironomid taxa in Lake Erken. Freshw. Biol. , 40, 135–143.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Graf, G., 1987. Benthic energy-flow during a simulated autumn bloom sedimentation. Mar. Ecol.-Prog. Ser. , 39, 23–29.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harriague, A.C., Gaozza, L., Montella, A. and Misic, C., 2006. Benthic communities on a sandy Ligurian beach (NW Mediterranean). Hydrobiologia , 571, 383–394.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Helfield, J.M. and Naiman, R.J., 2001. Effects of salmon-derived nitrogen on riparian forest growth and implications for stream productivity. Ecology , 82, 2403–2409.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hewson, I., Vargo, G.A. and Fuhrman, J.A., 2003. Bacterial diversity in shallow oligotrophic marine benthos and overlying waters: Effects of virus infection, containment, and nutrient enrichment. Microb. Ecol. , 46, 322–336.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hirsch, P.E., Nechwatal, J. and Fischer, P., 2008. A previously undescribed set of Saprolegnia spp. in the invasive spiny-cheek crayfish (Orconectes limosus, Rafinesque). Arch. Hydrobiol. , 172, 161–165.Google Scholar
Holopainen, I.J. and Passivirta, L., 1977. Abundance and biomass of the meiozoobenthos in the oligothrophic and mesohumic Lake Pääjarvi, southern Finnland. Ann. Zool. Fenn. , 14, 124–134.Google Scholar
Isaacs, J.D. and Schwartzlose, R.A., 1975. Active animals of deep-sea floor. Sci. Am. , 233, 85–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jannasch, H.W. and Wirsen, C.O., 1972. Alvin and the sandwich. Oceanus , 16, 20–22.Google Scholar
JMP, 2007. JMP Statistics and Graphics Guide, Release 7, SAS Institute Inc., SAS Campus Drive, Cary, North Carolina.
Johnson, M.G. and Brinkhurst, R.O., 1971. Production of benthic macroinvertebrate of bay of Quinte and Lake Ontario 2. J. Fish. Res. Board. Can. , 28, 1699.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kemp, P.F., Sherr, B.F., Sherr, E.B. and Cole, J.J., 1993. Handbook of methods in aquatic microbial ecology, Lewis publisher, Boca Raton, Florida.Google Scholar
Kim, S.L., Thurber, A., Hammerstrom, K. and Conlan, K., 2007. Seastar response to organic enrichment in an oligotrophic polar habitat. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. , 346, 66–75.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
King, N.J., Bailey, D.M. and Priede, I.G., 2007. Role of scavengers in marine ecosystems. Mar. Ecol.-Prog. Ser. , 350, 175–178.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krokhin, E.M., 1975. Transport of nutrients by salmon migration from the sea into the lakes. In: Hasler, A.D. (ed.), Coupling of Land and Water Ecosystem, Springer-Verlag, New York, 153–156.Google Scholar
Michiels, I.C. and Traunspurger, W., 2005. Impact of resource availability on species composition and diversity in freshwater nematodes. Oecologia , 142, 98–103.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Minshall, G.W., Hitchcock, E. and Barnes, J.R., 1991. Decomposition of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) carcasses in a forest stream ecosystem inhabited only by nonanadromous fish populations. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. , 48, 191–195.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Montagna, P.A. and Bauer, J.E., 1988. Partitioning radiolabeled thymidine uptake by bacteria and meiofauna using metabolic blocks and poisons in benthic feeding studies. Mar. Biol. , 98, 101–110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moodley, L., Vanderzwaan, G.J., Herman, P.M.J., Kempers, L. and Vanbreugel, P., 1997. Differential response of benthic meiofauna to anoxia with special reference to Foraminifera (Protista: Sarcodina). Mar. Ecol.-Prog. Ser. , 158, 151–163.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moore, J.C., Berlow, E.L., Coleman, D.C., De Ruiter, P.C., Dong, Q., Hastings, A., Johnson, N.C., McCann, K.S., Melville, K., Morin, P.J., Nadelhoffer, K., Rosemond, A.D., Post, D.M., Sabo, J.L., Scow, K.M., Vanni, M.J. and Wall, D.H., 2004. Detritus, trophic dynamics and biodiversity. Ecol. Lett. , 7, 584–600.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nakashima, B.S. and Leggett, W.C., 1980. The role of fish in the regulation of phosphorus availability in lakes. Can . J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. , 37, 1540–1549.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nriagu, J.O., 1983. Rapid decomposition of fish bones in Lake Eric sediments. Hydrobiologia , 106, 217–222.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parmenter, R.R. and Lamarra, V.A., 1991. Nutrient cycling in a fresh-water marsh – The decomposition of fish and waterfowl carrion. Limnol. Oceanogr. , 36, 976–987.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Payne, L.X. and Moore, J.W., 2006. Mobile scavengers create hotspots of freshwater productivity. Oikos , 115, 69–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Premke, K., Klages, M. and Arntz, W.E., 2006. Aggregations of Arctic deep-sea scavengers at large food falls: temporal distribution, consumption rates and population structure. Mar. Ecol.-Prog. Ser. , 325, 121–135.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rask, M., Jarvinen, M., Kuoppamaki, K. and Poysa, H., 1996. Limnological responses to the collapse of the perch population in a small lake. Ann. Zool. Fenn. , 33, 517–524.Google Scholar
Reyjol, Y., Fischer, P., Lek, S., Rösch, R. and Eckmann, R., 2005. Studying the spatiotemporal variation of the littoral fish community in a larger prealpine lake, using Self-Organizing mapping. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. , 62, 2294–2302.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosi-Marshall, E.J. and Wallace, J.B., 2002. Invertebrate food webs along a stream resource gradient. Freshw. Biol. , 47, 129–141.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sander, B.C. and Kalff, J., 1993. Factors controlling bacterial production in marine and fresh-water sediments. Microb. Ecol. , 26, 79–99.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schindler, D.E., Scheuerell, M.D., Moore, J.W., Gende, S.M., Francis, T.B. and Palen, W.J., 2003. Pacific salmon and the ecology of coastal ecosystems. Front. Ecol. Environ. , 1, 31–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schmid-Araya, J.M. and Schmid, P.E., 2000. Trophic relationships: integrating meiofauna into a realistic benthic food web. Freshw. Biol. , 44, 149–163.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sephton, T.W., 1987. Some observations on the food of larvae of Procladius bellus (Diptera, Chironomidae). Aquat. Insect. , 9, 195–202.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Silver, P., Palmer, M.A., Swan, C.M. and Wooster, D., 2002. The small-scale ecology of freshwater meiofauna. In: Freshwater Meiofauna: Biology and Ecology, Backhuys Publishers, Leiden.Google Scholar
Smith, C.R., Kukert, H., Wheatcroft, R.A., Jumars, P.A. and Deming, J.W., 1989. Vent Fauna on Whale Remains. Nature , 341, 27–28.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Staub, E., Egloff, K., Kramer, A. and Walter, J., 1998. The effect of predation by wintering cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo on grayling Thymallus thymallus and trout (Salmonidae) populations: two case studies from Swiss rivers. J. Appl. Ecol. , 35, 607–610.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stevenson, C. and Childers, D.L., 2004. Hydroperiod and seasonal effects on fish decomposition in an oligotrophic everglades marsh. Wetlands , 24, 529–537.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stockton, W.L. and DeLaca, T.E., 1982. Food falls in the deep-sea – Occurrence, quality, and significance. Deep-Sea Res. , 29, 157–169.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thurston, M.H., Bett, B.J. and Rice, A.L., 1995. Abyssal megafaunal necrophages – Latitudinal differences in the Eastern North Atlantic Ocean. Int. Rev. Ges. Hydrobiol. , 80, 267–286.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tornblom, E. and Bostrom, B., 1995. Benthic microbial response to a sedimentation event at low-temperature in sediments of a eutrophic lake. Mar. Freshwater Res. , 46, 33–43.Google Scholar
Traunspurger, W., 2002. Nematoda. In: Rundle, R.S., Robertson, A.L. and Schmid-Araya, J.M. (eds.), Freshwater meiofauna: Biology and ecology, Backhuys publishers, Leiden.Google Scholar
Wu, J.H., Fu, C.Z., Liang, Y.L. and Chen, J.K., 2004. Distribution of the meiofaunal community in a eutrophic shallow lake of China. Arch. Hydrobiol. , 159, 555–575.CrossRefGoogle Scholar