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Relationship between submerged aquatic vegetation, turbidity, and fish distribution in a large shallow fluvial lake

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Abstract

Many freshwater ecosystems worldwide are threatened by increasing water turbidity and extensive submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) loss, with potential consequences on aquatic communities. Such changes in water quality and habitat features affect the relative abundance of species in the community and/or the composition of ecological guilds altering the trophic network. Here, we estimated the relationship between fish species and both SAV abundance and water quality in Lake St. Pierre (Québec, Canada), a shallow fluvial lake of the St. Lawrence River. To explain the association between the fish community and environmental variables, we performed multiple linear regressions on fish abundance, species richness, and Shannon diversity calculated at 133 stations, along a gradient of turbidity, temperature, and SAV abundance. In addition, we estimated the relationship between dominant fish species abundance and environmental variables by using canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). Species richness and abundance were positively related to SAV. Turbidity was negatively related to fish abundance, but had an unexpected positive effect on diversity (Shannon and species richness). By quantifying the association between fish species and habitat features, this study contributes to a better understanding of mechanisms structuring fish communities in changing environments.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to thank R. Bacon who produced Fig. 1. We also wish to acknowledge the contribution of all biologists and wildlife technicians from MFFP for their involvement in field and laboratory work.

Funding

This work was supported by the Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs (MFFP) and by grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Research Centre for Watershed – Aquatic Ecosystem Interactions, University du Québec à Trois-Rivières, the Fonds Québécois de la Recherche sur la Nature et les Technologies (FQRNT; grant no ISI 186430) and the Groupe de Recherche Interuniversitaire en Limnologie (a FQRNT Strategic Network) to P. Magnan and A. Bertolo, and the Canada Research Chairs Program to P. Magnan.

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  1. Centre for Research on Watershed – Aquatic Ecosystem Interactions, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Québec, G9A 5H7, Canada

    Matteo Giacomazzo, Andrea Bertolo & Pierre Magnan

  2. Direction de la gestion de la faune Mauricie – Centre-du-Québec, Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, Québec, G9A 5S9, Canada

    Philippe Brodeur

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  1. Matteo Giacomazzo
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Giacomazzo M., Bertolo A., Magnan P., Brodeur P. conceived the idea. Brodeur P. provided data. Giacomazzo M. performed statistical analyses. All authors contributed critically to the manuscript and gave final approval for publication.

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Correspondence to Matteo Giacomazzo.

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The data used in this study come from fish sampling conducted by the Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs du Québec in 2002 and 2007. No approval of research ethics committees was required to accomplish these fish sampling in this Ministry. However, the authors confirm that fish handling was done according the usual ethical standards.

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Giacomazzo, M., Bertolo, A., Brodeur, P. et al. Relationship between submerged aquatic vegetation, turbidity, and fish distribution in a large shallow fluvial lake. Environ Biol Fish 106, 1–17 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-022-01359-w

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