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Experimental culling of minnows suppresses cyanobacterial bloom under low-nutrient conditions

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dc.contributor.authorStuparyk, Blake R.
dc.contributor.authorGraham, Mark
dc.contributor.authorCook, Jenna
dc.contributor.authorJohnsen, Mitchell A.
dc.contributor.authorChristensen-Dalsgaard, Karen
dc.contributor.authorVinebrooke, Rolf D.
dc.date.accessioned2020-10-05
dc.date.accessioned2022-05-31T01:15:22Z
dc.date.available2022-05-31T01:15:22Z
dc.date.issued2019
dc.description.abstractCyanobacterial blooms in lakes of low nutrient status are recent ecological surprises. Culling of planktivorous fish may help suppress phytoplankton blooms via a trophic cascade effect. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a 90-day experiment adjacent to a shallow oligomesotrophic lake increasingly beset by midsummer cyanobacterial blooms in the presence of high abundances of minnows and sparse herbivorous zooplankton. The single-factor (± three spottail shiners, Notropis hudsonius) experimental design was replicated 10 times for a total of twenty 1200 L capacity mesocosms. Contrary to the trophic cascade hypothesis, minnow removal decreased the abundance of bosminids capable of grazing cyanobacteria. Nevertheless, removal of the minnows significantly both suppressed phytoplankton biomass and offset the development of cyanobacteria, such as Gloeotrichia echinulata. Lower concentrations of phosphorus and nitrogen in the fishless relative to stocked mesocosms best explained these differences in the phytoplankton community. Our findings highlight how fisheries management practices that enhance minnow populations in lakes of low productivity may inadvertently contribute to cyanobacterial blooms through increased nutrient cycling.
dc.description.urihttps://library.macewan.ca/full-record/a9h/139232042
dc.identifier.citationGraham, M., Cook, J., Johnsen, M.A., Christensen-Dalsgaard, K.K., Vinebrooke, R.D. (2019). Experimental culling of minnows suppresses cyanobacterial bloom under low-nutrient conditions. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, e-First article. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2018-0396
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2018-0396
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14078/1749
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoen
dc.rightsAll Rights Reserved
dc.subjectminnows
dc.subjecttrophic cascades
dc.subjectalgal blooms
dc.subjectnutrient cycles
dc.subjectfisheries management
dc.subjectphytoplanktons
dc.subjectcyanobacterial blooms
dc.titleExperimental culling of minnows suppresses cyanobacterial bloom under low-nutrient conditionsen
dc.typeArticle

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Department of Biological Sciences