Download Benthic Invertebrate Density

Introduction
• Many species of fish use Great Lake Coastal Wetlands (GLCW)
at some point during their lives.
• Shorebirds use GLCW as stopover points during their Spring
and Fall migrations.
• Little is known about fish and shorebird predation in
unimpounded Great Lake coastal wetlands.
The Effects of Fish Predation on Benthic
Invertebrates in a Lake Erie Coastal
Wetland (2007)
• Used Small Mesh (0.64 cm) and
Large Mesh (2.54 cm) treatments to
exclude fish predators.
• Sampled the benthic invertebrate
community using core samples.
• Sampled the fish community using
paired fyke nets.
• Examined the diet contents of the
five most common fish species.
Treatment Designs
Benthic Invertebrate Density
Densities of the Three Most Common
Benthic Invertebrate Taxa
Invertebrate Communities
Fish diets
Fish Species
Contents
Chironimidae Copepoda Cladocera
Lepomis macrochirus
1.2 ± 2.2
0.89 ± 2.2 0.26 ± 0.65
Perca flavescens
0.05 ± 0.22
0
0
Morone americana
0.16 ± 0.5
0
0
Dorosoma cepedianum 0.05 ± 0.22
0
0.05 ± 0.22
Ictalurus punctatus
1.35 ± 1.5
0
0
Corixidae Ostracoda Other
0.21 ± 0.53 0.05 ± 0.22 0.37 ± 0.76
2.15 ± 4.06
0
0
0.37 ± 1.11
0
0
0
0.1 ± 0.31
0
0
0
0.05 ± 0.22
The Effects of Fish and Shorebird
Predation on Benthic Invertebrates in
a Lake Erie Coastal Wetland (2009)
• Examined the effects of fish and shorebird predation in
shallow water areas.
• Used six treatment types.
• Sampled the benthic invertebrate community using core
samples.
• Sampled the fish community using paired fyke nets.
Treatment Designs
Benthic Invertebrate Density
Densities of the Three Most Common
Benthic Invertebrate Taxa
Invertebrate Communities