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Ecological consequences of shoreline armoring on littoral fish and benthic macroinvertebrate communities in an Eastern Ontario lake

Aquatic Sciences volume 82, Article number: 73 (2020) Cite this article

Abstract

Shoreline erosion in lakes is a pressing issue for many landowners, yet common erosion mitigation practices that involve armoring can alter littoral habitat and potentially diminish near-shore biodiversity. We studied the effects of two armoring methods (i.e., riprap, retaining walls) on habitat, taxonomic richness, relative abundance, and total abundance of fishes and benthic macroinvertebrates at shorelines on Big Rideau Lake in eastern Ontario, Canada. Snorkel surveys were conducted to assess aquatic habitat characteristics and fish diversity, and benthic infauna were sampled using kick-nets. Submergent and emergent macrophytes were more abundant at natural rocky shorelines compared to shorelines modified with riprap or retaining walls. Coarse woody debris was also more abundant at natural shorelines compared to riprap and retaining wall shorelines. Relative abundances of some fish species varied between shoreline types, but overall species richness and total abundance did not. Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) were more abundant at natural sites than armored sites. Conversely, Rock Bass (Ambloplites rupestris), Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus), Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens), and baitfish from the family Cyprinidae were more abundant at both types of armored sites compared to natural sites. Taxonomic richness of benthic macroinvertebrates did not vary among shoreline types, however abundance of Amphipoda, Isopoda, Ephemeroptera, and Cladocera was greater at armored shorelines. These results suggest that human modification of shorelines is altering littoral ecosystems and potentially leading to shifts in the community structure of littoral nekton. More study is needed to fully understand the community level effects of shoreline erosion mitigation involving armoring in freshwater lakes and determine the effectiveness of alternative mitigation strategies that preserve natural habitat features.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the staff of the Queen’s University Biological Station for their support. Aaron Zolderdo provided input on the transect surveying method, Joshua Kurek provided input on benthos sampling methods, and Benjamin Hlina provided input on statistical analysis. Brooke Etherington and Daniel Mameri assisted with data collection. Funding was provided by an NSERC Strategic Grant to Dr. Cooke and Dr. Vermaire in partnership with Parks Canada. Dr. Cooke, Dr. Vermaire and Dr. Smol are further supported by NSERC Discovery Grants. Scientific Collection Permits were provided by Parks Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. We thank several anonymous referees for their input on our manuscript.

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  1. Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Auston D. Chhor, Daniel M. Glassman & Steven J. Cooke

  2. Department of Biology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada

    John P. Smol

  3. Institute of Environmental and Interdisciplinary Sciences, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Jesse C. Vermaire & Steven J. Cooke

  4. Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Jesse C. Vermaire & Steven J. Cooke

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  1. Auston D. Chhor
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Chhor, A.D., Glassman, D.M., Smol, J.P. et al. Ecological consequences of shoreline armoring on littoral fish and benthic macroinvertebrate communities in an Eastern Ontario lake. Aquat Sci 82, 73 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-020-00740-0

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Keywords

  • Aquatic habitat
  • Erosion mitigation
  • Riprap
  • Retaining walls
  • Shoreline