Loading...
Movement and life history diversity of Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) between Lake Ontario and two barrier beach wetlands in the Braddock Bay Wildlife Management Area
Journal Title
Readers/Advisors
Altenritter, Matthew
Journal Title
Term and Year
Publication Date
2022-05-12
Book Title
Publication Volume
Publication Issue
Publication Begin
Publication End
Number of pages
Files
Loading...
KW_Thesis.pdf
Adobe PDF, 2.16 MB
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Abstract
Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens) utilize both nearshore and coastal wetland
habitats of the Laurentian Great Lakes during their lifetime and are known to exhibit
different movement life histories. However, uncertainty persists in quantifying
variability in the duration of habitat use and whether such variation manifests as
morphometric differences depending on the degree of nearshore use. To explore these
uncertainties, I used a multi-metric approach that included water and otolith
microchemistry, tissue stable isotopes (𝛿15N, 𝛿13C), and body morphometric analysis.
Manganese was useful for identifying movements between wetland and lake habitats
while carbon and nitrogen tissue isotopes revealed variable duration of wetland use
related to ontogeny. Morphometrically, Yellow Perch caught in Lake Ontario had
smaller features relative to wetland caught Yellow Perch. My research suggests that
otolith microchemistry is a useful tool for describing habitat transitions of Yellow
Perch between these two habitat types. Tissue stable isotopes indicate that some
Yellow Perch spend more time in coastal wetland habitats than others, which may
influence their susceptibility to recreational harvest. Body morphometrics appear to
reflect either use of more open habitats (e.g., Lake Ontario), or use of more complex
habitats (e.g., coastal wetland).