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Trophic ecology of piscivorous Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus (L.)) in subarctic lakes with contrasting food-web structures

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Abstract

The trophic ecology of piscivorous Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus (L.); charr) in the food webs of large subarctic lakes is not well understood. We assessed charr diets, parasites, growth, maturity, and stable isotope ratios in Fennoscandian subarctic lakes dominated by monomorphic or polymorphic whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus (L.)) populations. Charr density was low in all lakes, except in profundal habitats. Charr shifted to piscivory at small size (16–25 cm total length) and consumed a range of prey-fish sizes (2–25 cm). Cannibalism was observed in a few individuals from one monomorphic whitefish lake. Charr matured at 37–51 cm (5–8 years old), grew to 52–74 cm maximum observed length and 47–83 cm asymptotic length. Charr increased total area of convex hull and core stable isotopic diversity area of the fish community by 51–98% and 44–51% in monomorphic whitefish lakes, but only 8–11% and 7–10% in polymorphic whitefish lakes. The difference was due to increasing food-chain length in monomorphic whitefish lakes, whereas reliance on littoral carbon did not change. Charr were the top piscivores in monomorphic whitefish lakes, but played a less important role in polymorphic whitefish lakes, which contained a more diverse predator fauna.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to numerous people, who have helped over the years in field and laboratory sampling. The field facilities were kindly provided by Kilpisjärvi Biological Station and Muddusjärvi Research Station. Field and laboratory work funding for KKK was provided by Academy of Finland (1140903, 1268566), European Regional Developmental Fund (A30205), Municipality of Inari and Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry over the years. CH thanks Prof. W. Lampert, Prof. D. Tautz, and the Max Planck Society for funding and support. CH is supported by Nucleo Milenio INVASAL funded by Chile’s government program, Iniciativa Cientifica Milenio from Ministerio de Economia, Fomento y Turismo. We thank guest editors Mike J. Hansen and Michael Power as well as reviewers for their constructive comments on our work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Campus Evenstad, Anne Evenstadvei 80, 2480, Koppang, Norway

    K. K. Kahilainen

  2. Kilpisjärvi Biological Station, University of Helsinki, Kilpisjärventie, 14622, 99490, Kilpisjärvi, Finland

    K. K. Kahilainen

  3. Department of Fish Ecology and Evolution, Center for Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, EAWAG Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Seestrasse 79, 6047, Kastanienbaum, Switzerland

    S. M. Thomas

  4. Departments of Physiological Ecology & Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Limnology, 24302, Plön, Germany

    C. Harrod

  5. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales Alexander Von Humboldt, Universidad de Antofagasta, Avenida Angamos 601, Antofagasta, Chile

    C. Harrod

  6. Núcleo Milenio INVASAL, Concepción, Chile

    C. Harrod

  7. Biology Department, Canadian Rivers Institute, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, E3B 5A3, Canada

    B. Hayden

  8. Aquatic Ecology Department, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, P.O. Box 5685, Torgard, 7485, Trondheim, Norway

    A. P. Eloranta

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  1. K. K. Kahilainen
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Correspondence to K. K. Kahilainen.

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Guest editors: C. E. Adams, C. R. Bronte, M. J. Hansen, R. Knudsen & M. Power / Charr Biology, Ecology and Management

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Kahilainen, K.K., Thomas, S.M., Harrod, C. et al. Trophic ecology of piscivorous Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus (L.)) in subarctic lakes with contrasting food-web structures. Hydrobiologia 840, 227–243 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-018-3845-z

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