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Stable isotope (δ13C, δ15N, δ34S) analysis of sediment cores suggests sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) did not historically spawn in Lake Roberta, Washington (USA)

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Abstract

Historically, the Sanpoil River, Washington (USA) produced spawning runs of chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and steelhead trout (O. mykiss). Lake Roberta is connected to the Sanpoil River and local oral history suggests it may have supported anadromous sockeye salmon (O. nerka) until the completion of Grand Coulee Dam in the 1940s. Post-spawning mortality of anadromous salmon provides large pulses of marine-derived nutrients to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in the vicinity of spawning sites. Unique isotopic ratios of these marine-derived nutrients are often transferred to freshwater algae and archived in lake sediments. However, marine-derived isotope signatures may be overpowered by large inputs of other nutrient sources such as agricultural fertilizers, reactive nitrogen deposition, nitrogen fixation, or poor trophic transfer to freshwater algae. We compared nitrogen and sulfur isotope compositions for pre-1940 and post-1940 sediments to those collected from a control lake with no history of anadromy to investigate the possible historic presence of anadromous salmon in Lake Roberta. We also analyzed carbon isotopes, carbon:nitrogen ratios, and sediment accumulation rates to determine if changes in the lake sediments resulted from eutrophication rather than salmon exclusion. If sockeye did spawn in Lake Roberta historically, and if excessive nitrogen inputs did not overpower the marine-derived signal, we would expect pre-1940 sediment organic matter isotope compositions indicative of the large pulses of marine nutrients from decomposing salmon carcasses. Isotope results and land use in the Lake Roberta watershed present no conclusive evidence to support anecdotal accounts of anadromy. There is some evidence to suggest that marine-derived nutrients transferred to riparian communities within the lake’s watershed may have moved downstream to the lake. However, most of the evidence suggests eutrophication and a switch to increased autochthonous productivity are the main causes of changes in the lake sediment isotope composition.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation for funding this study. In addition, we thank Ben Harlow from the Washington State University Stable Isotope Core Laboratory for his help with processing our data. Finally, we thank the anonymous reviewers who greatly improved this manuscript.

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  1. School of the Environment, Washington State University, P.O. Box 646420, Pullman, WA, 99164, USA

    Andrew Wright Child & Barry C. Moore

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  1. Andrew Wright Child
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  2. Barry C. Moore
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Correspondence to Andrew Wright Child.

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Child, A.W., Moore, B.C. Stable isotope (δ13C, δ15N, δ34S) analysis of sediment cores suggests sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) did not historically spawn in Lake Roberta, Washington (USA). J Paleolimnol 57, 67–79 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-016-9928-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-016-9928-9

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