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Seasonal and diel changes in fish activity and potential cascading effects in subtropical shallow lakes with different water transparency

  • SHALLOW LAKES
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Abstract

Fish play a key role in the functioning of shallow lakes. Simultaneously, fish are affected by physical in-lake factors, such as temperature and water transparency, with potential changes in their cascading effects on other communities. Here, we analysed the fish community structure and fish activity in four subtropical shallow lakes, varying in trophic state and water transparency, to assess changes promoted by temperature (i.e. summer and winter) and the light regime (i.e. day and night). We used a passive method (gillnets) during the day- and at night-time to detect changes in fish activity, but also sampled the littoral zone (during night) by point sample electrofishing to obtain a better description of the fish assemblage and habitat use. We observed different fish assemblages in the two seasons in all lakes. We captured more fish species and also obtained higher numbers (CPUE with nets) in summer. Contrary to our expectations, the visually oriented Characiformes were the most captured fish regardless of water transparency, at both day-time and night-time. We also found higher fish CPUE at night-time in all lakes. However, the differences between night and day decreased with decreasing transparency, being lower in the least clear lake, Lake Cisne. The nocturnal increase in fish CPUE (including visually oriented species) suggests that darkness serves as a good refuge for fish in shallow subtropical lakes, even at the likely cost of a lower feeding efficiency during the night. The importance of darkness seems to decrease with decreasing water transparency. We also argue that cascading effects of changes in the activity of piscivorous fish (seasonal changes in piscivores CPUE), when omni-planktivorous fish are indeed affected, may eventually reach the zooplankton, but may not be strong enough to reach the phytoplankton, regardless of water transparency.

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Acknowledgements

The landowners and managers are acknowledged for their permission to enter the lakes (MGAP, OSE, Aguas de la Costa S.A., and Rossi family). We acknowledge the financial support by the Swiss Embassy in Uruguay, to Asociación Civil I+D, and the logistic support of Daniel Panario and Gabriela Eguren from the UNCIEP Department (Faculty of Sciences). We also deeply thank Nicolás Vidal, Roberto Ballabio, Lucía Boccardi and Néstor Mazzeo for field assistance, Tinna Christensen for figure refinement, Anne Mette Poulsen for text editing, and two reviewers and Guest Editor M. Beklioglu for very constructive comments. MM and FGR are also supported by PEDECIBA and MM, FTM, CI and FGR by the SNI (Agencia Nacional de Investigación e Innovación, Uruguay).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Asociación Investigación y Desarrollo I+D, Iguá 4225, CP 11400, Montevideo, Uruguay

    Mercedes Gelós, Franco Teixeira-de Mello, Guillermo Goyenola, Carlos Iglesias, Claudia Fosalba, Felipe García-Rodríguez, Juan Pablo Pacheco, Soledad García & Mariana Meerhoff

  2. Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, CP 11400, Montevideo, Uruguay

    Mercedes Gelós, Franco Teixeira-de Mello, Carlos Iglesias, Claudia Fosalba, Felipe García-Rodríguez, Juan Pablo Pacheco, Soledad García & Mariana Meerhoff

  3. National Environmental Research Institute, Aarhus University, Vejlsøvej 25, 8600, Silkeborg, Denmark

    Carlos Iglesias & Mariana Meerhoff

  4. Department of Biological Sciences, Ole Worms Allé, Building 135, 8000, Aarhus, Denmark

    Carlos Iglesias

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  1. Mercedes Gelós
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  2. Franco Teixeira-de Mello
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  8. Soledad García
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  9. Mariana Meerhoff
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Correspondence to Franco Teixeira-de Mello or Mariana Meerhoff.

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Guest editors: M. Meerhoff, M. Beklioglu, R. Burks, F. García-Rodríguez, N. Mazzeo & B. Moss / Structure and Function of World Shallow Lakes: Proceedings from the 6th Shallow Lakes Congress, held in Punta del Este, Uruguay, 23–28 November, 2008

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Gelós, M., Teixeira-de Mello, F., Goyenola, G. et al. Seasonal and diel changes in fish activity and potential cascading effects in subtropical shallow lakes with different water transparency. Hydrobiologia 646, 173–185 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-010-0170-6

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