Characterization of the abiotic drivers of abundance of nearshore Arctic fishes
Abstract Fish are critical ecologically and socioeconomically for subsistence economies in the Arctic, an ecosystem undergoing unprecedented environmental change. Our understanding of the responses of nearshore Arctic fishes to environmental change is inadequate because of limited research on the ph...
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7940 https://doaj.org/article/a3bbc64c1dfc4aee8d184b896c5b0efe |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:a3bbc64c1dfc4aee8d184b896c5b0efe 2023-05-15T14:30:25+02:00 Characterization of the abiotic drivers of abundance of nearshore Arctic fishes Noah S. Khalsa Kyle P. Gatt Trent M. Sutton Amanda L. Kelley 2021-08-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7940 https://doaj.org/article/a3bbc64c1dfc4aee8d184b896c5b0efe EN eng Wiley https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7940 https://doaj.org/toc/2045-7758 2045-7758 doi:10.1002/ece3.7940 https://doaj.org/article/a3bbc64c1dfc4aee8d184b896c5b0efe Ecology and Evolution, Vol 11, Iss 16, Pp 11491-11506 (2021) Arctic climate change fine resolution fish abundance fish communities physicochemical environment Ecology QH540-549.5 article 2021 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7940 2022-12-31T06:25:22Z Abstract Fish are critical ecologically and socioeconomically for subsistence economies in the Arctic, an ecosystem undergoing unprecedented environmental change. Our understanding of the responses of nearshore Arctic fishes to environmental change is inadequate because of limited research on the physicochemical drivers of abundance occurring at a fine scale. Here, high‐frequency in situ measurements of pH, temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen were paired with daily fish catches in nearshore Alaskan waters of the Beaufort Sea. Due to the threat that climate change poses to high‐latitude marine ecosystems, our main objective was to characterize the abiotic drivers of abundance and elucidate how nearshore fish communities may change in the future. We used generalized additive models (GAMs) to describe responses to the nearshore environment for 18 fish species. Relationships between abundance and the physicochemical environment were variable between species and reflected life history. Each abiotic covariate was significant in at least one GAM, exhibiting both nonlinear and linear associations with abundance. Temperature was the most important predictor of abundance and was significant in GAMs for 11 species. Notably, pH was a significant predictor of abundance for six species: Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida), broad whitefish (Coregonus nasus), Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma), ninespine stickleback (Pungitius pungitius), saffron cod (Eleginus gracilis), and whitespotted greenling (Hexagrammos stelleri). Broad whitefish and whitespotted greenling abundance was positively associated with pH, while Arctic cod and saffron cod abundance was negatively associated with pH. These results may be a bellwether for future nearshore Arctic fish community change by providing a foundational characterization of the relationships between abundance and the abiotic environment, particularly in regard to pH, and demonstrate the importance of including a wider range of physicochemical habitat covariates in future research. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic cod Arctic Beaufort Sea Boreogadus saida Climate change Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic Gam ENVELOPE(-57.955,-57.955,-61.923,-61.923) Varden ENVELOPE(7.656,7.656,62.534,62.534) Ecology and Evolution 11 16 11491 11506 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Arctic climate change fine resolution fish abundance fish communities physicochemical environment Ecology QH540-549.5 |
spellingShingle |
Arctic climate change fine resolution fish abundance fish communities physicochemical environment Ecology QH540-549.5 Noah S. Khalsa Kyle P. Gatt Trent M. Sutton Amanda L. Kelley Characterization of the abiotic drivers of abundance of nearshore Arctic fishes |
topic_facet |
Arctic climate change fine resolution fish abundance fish communities physicochemical environment Ecology QH540-549.5 |
description |
Abstract Fish are critical ecologically and socioeconomically for subsistence economies in the Arctic, an ecosystem undergoing unprecedented environmental change. Our understanding of the responses of nearshore Arctic fishes to environmental change is inadequate because of limited research on the physicochemical drivers of abundance occurring at a fine scale. Here, high‐frequency in situ measurements of pH, temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen were paired with daily fish catches in nearshore Alaskan waters of the Beaufort Sea. Due to the threat that climate change poses to high‐latitude marine ecosystems, our main objective was to characterize the abiotic drivers of abundance and elucidate how nearshore fish communities may change in the future. We used generalized additive models (GAMs) to describe responses to the nearshore environment for 18 fish species. Relationships between abundance and the physicochemical environment were variable between species and reflected life history. Each abiotic covariate was significant in at least one GAM, exhibiting both nonlinear and linear associations with abundance. Temperature was the most important predictor of abundance and was significant in GAMs for 11 species. Notably, pH was a significant predictor of abundance for six species: Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida), broad whitefish (Coregonus nasus), Dolly Varden (Salvelinus malma), ninespine stickleback (Pungitius pungitius), saffron cod (Eleginus gracilis), and whitespotted greenling (Hexagrammos stelleri). Broad whitefish and whitespotted greenling abundance was positively associated with pH, while Arctic cod and saffron cod abundance was negatively associated with pH. These results may be a bellwether for future nearshore Arctic fish community change by providing a foundational characterization of the relationships between abundance and the abiotic environment, particularly in regard to pH, and demonstrate the importance of including a wider range of physicochemical habitat covariates in future research. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Noah S. Khalsa Kyle P. Gatt Trent M. Sutton Amanda L. Kelley |
author_facet |
Noah S. Khalsa Kyle P. Gatt Trent M. Sutton Amanda L. Kelley |
author_sort |
Noah S. Khalsa |
title |
Characterization of the abiotic drivers of abundance of nearshore Arctic fishes |
title_short |
Characterization of the abiotic drivers of abundance of nearshore Arctic fishes |
title_full |
Characterization of the abiotic drivers of abundance of nearshore Arctic fishes |
title_fullStr |
Characterization of the abiotic drivers of abundance of nearshore Arctic fishes |
title_full_unstemmed |
Characterization of the abiotic drivers of abundance of nearshore Arctic fishes |
title_sort |
characterization of the abiotic drivers of abundance of nearshore arctic fishes |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7940 https://doaj.org/article/a3bbc64c1dfc4aee8d184b896c5b0efe |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-57.955,-57.955,-61.923,-61.923) ENVELOPE(7.656,7.656,62.534,62.534) |
geographic |
Arctic Gam Varden |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Gam Varden |
genre |
Arctic cod Arctic Beaufort Sea Boreogadus saida Climate change |
genre_facet |
Arctic cod Arctic Beaufort Sea Boreogadus saida Climate change |
op_source |
Ecology and Evolution, Vol 11, Iss 16, Pp 11491-11506 (2021) |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7940 https://doaj.org/toc/2045-7758 2045-7758 doi:10.1002/ece3.7940 https://doaj.org/article/a3bbc64c1dfc4aee8d184b896c5b0efe |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.7940 |
container_title |
Ecology and Evolution |
container_volume |
11 |
container_issue |
16 |
container_start_page |
11491 |
op_container_end_page |
11506 |
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1766304264878030848 |