Movement of an imperiled esocid fish in an agricultural drain
Abstract Animal movement is increasingly affected by human alterations to habitat and climate change. In wetland systems, widespread hydrologic alterations from agriculture have changed the shape, function, and stability of shallow streams and wetland habitats. These changes in habitat quality and q...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:ee0d260b9f7940b8845ce8e70c8801cb 2024-01-21T10:04:58+01:00 Movement of an imperiled esocid fish in an agricultural drain Benjamin J. Zdasiuk Marie-Josée Fortin Julia E. Colm D. Andrew R. Drake Nicholas E. Mandrak 2023-12-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-023-00420-2 https://doaj.org/article/ee0d260b9f7940b8845ce8e70c8801cb EN eng BMC https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-023-00420-2 https://doaj.org/toc/2051-3933 doi:10.1186/s40462-023-00420-2 2051-3933 https://doaj.org/article/ee0d260b9f7940b8845ce8e70c8801cb Movement Ecology, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-16 (2023) Agricultural drains Fish condition Grass Pickerel (Esox americanus vermiculatus) Monitoring Passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags Species at risk Biology (General) QH301-705.5 article 2023 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-023-00420-2 2023-12-24T01:47:05Z Abstract Animal movement is increasingly affected by human alterations to habitat and climate change. In wetland systems, widespread hydrologic alterations from agriculture have changed the shape, function, and stability of shallow streams and wetland habitats. These changes in habitat quality and quantity may be especially consequential for freshwater fishes such as Grass Pickerel (Esox americanus vermiculatus), a small predatory fish found in disjunct populations across southern Ontario and listed as Special Concern under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. To characterize Grass Pickerel movement response to stream-channel alterations, Fisheries and Oceans Canada implemented a tracking study to monitor the movements of a Grass Pickerel population in an agricultural drain on the Niagara Peninsula (Ontario, Canada). From 2009 to 2013, 2007 Grass Pickerel were tagged and tracked in the 37.3 km2 Beaver Creek watershed using a combination of mark-recapture surveys and eight fully automated passive integrated transponder tag antennas. Most individuals moved within 500 m (i.e., stationary fish) while 16% of the fish moved > 500 m (i.e., mobile fish), with a maximum median movement distance of 1.89 km and a maximum movement distance of 13.5 km (a long-tail distribution). Most movements occurred near the largest confluence where only a few were long-distance upstream or downstream movements. Mobile fish were larger than their stationary counterparts. Grass Pickerel in sites with higher abundance had more mobile fish, implying potential density dependence. Our results highlight that, while a long-distance dispersal ability exists in extant Grass Pickerel populations, the current conditions of riverscapes may prevent these dispersals from occurring. For declining Grass Pickerel populations, limitations to their movement ecology may substantially increase the likelihood of local extirpations. Article in Journal/Newspaper Beaver Creek Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Canada Movement Ecology 11 1 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Agricultural drains Fish condition Grass Pickerel (Esox americanus vermiculatus) Monitoring Passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags Species at risk Biology (General) QH301-705.5 |
spellingShingle |
Agricultural drains Fish condition Grass Pickerel (Esox americanus vermiculatus) Monitoring Passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags Species at risk Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Benjamin J. Zdasiuk Marie-Josée Fortin Julia E. Colm D. Andrew R. Drake Nicholas E. Mandrak Movement of an imperiled esocid fish in an agricultural drain |
topic_facet |
Agricultural drains Fish condition Grass Pickerel (Esox americanus vermiculatus) Monitoring Passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags Species at risk Biology (General) QH301-705.5 |
description |
Abstract Animal movement is increasingly affected by human alterations to habitat and climate change. In wetland systems, widespread hydrologic alterations from agriculture have changed the shape, function, and stability of shallow streams and wetland habitats. These changes in habitat quality and quantity may be especially consequential for freshwater fishes such as Grass Pickerel (Esox americanus vermiculatus), a small predatory fish found in disjunct populations across southern Ontario and listed as Special Concern under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. To characterize Grass Pickerel movement response to stream-channel alterations, Fisheries and Oceans Canada implemented a tracking study to monitor the movements of a Grass Pickerel population in an agricultural drain on the Niagara Peninsula (Ontario, Canada). From 2009 to 2013, 2007 Grass Pickerel were tagged and tracked in the 37.3 km2 Beaver Creek watershed using a combination of mark-recapture surveys and eight fully automated passive integrated transponder tag antennas. Most individuals moved within 500 m (i.e., stationary fish) while 16% of the fish moved > 500 m (i.e., mobile fish), with a maximum median movement distance of 1.89 km and a maximum movement distance of 13.5 km (a long-tail distribution). Most movements occurred near the largest confluence where only a few were long-distance upstream or downstream movements. Mobile fish were larger than their stationary counterparts. Grass Pickerel in sites with higher abundance had more mobile fish, implying potential density dependence. Our results highlight that, while a long-distance dispersal ability exists in extant Grass Pickerel populations, the current conditions of riverscapes may prevent these dispersals from occurring. For declining Grass Pickerel populations, limitations to their movement ecology may substantially increase the likelihood of local extirpations. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Benjamin J. Zdasiuk Marie-Josée Fortin Julia E. Colm D. Andrew R. Drake Nicholas E. Mandrak |
author_facet |
Benjamin J. Zdasiuk Marie-Josée Fortin Julia E. Colm D. Andrew R. Drake Nicholas E. Mandrak |
author_sort |
Benjamin J. Zdasiuk |
title |
Movement of an imperiled esocid fish in an agricultural drain |
title_short |
Movement of an imperiled esocid fish in an agricultural drain |
title_full |
Movement of an imperiled esocid fish in an agricultural drain |
title_fullStr |
Movement of an imperiled esocid fish in an agricultural drain |
title_full_unstemmed |
Movement of an imperiled esocid fish in an agricultural drain |
title_sort |
movement of an imperiled esocid fish in an agricultural drain |
publisher |
BMC |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-023-00420-2 https://doaj.org/article/ee0d260b9f7940b8845ce8e70c8801cb |
geographic |
Canada |
geographic_facet |
Canada |
genre |
Beaver Creek |
genre_facet |
Beaver Creek |
op_source |
Movement Ecology, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-16 (2023) |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-023-00420-2 https://doaj.org/toc/2051-3933 doi:10.1186/s40462-023-00420-2 2051-3933 https://doaj.org/article/ee0d260b9f7940b8845ce8e70c8801cb |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-023-00420-2 |
container_title |
Movement Ecology |
container_volume |
11 |
container_issue |
1 |
_version_ |
1788695336849506304 |