Abstract
Great Lakes coastal wetlands are widely recognized as areas of concentrated biodiversity and productivity, but the factors that influence diversity and productivity within these systems are largely unknown. Several recent studies have suggested that the abundance and diversity of flora and fauna in coastal wetlands may be related to distance from the open water/macrophyte edge. We examined this possibility for three faunal groups inhabiting a coastal wetland in Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron. We sampled crustacean zooplankton and benthic macro-invertebrates at five distances from open water in the summer 1994, and fish at three distances from open water in 1994 and 1995. We found significant spatial trends in the total abundance and diversity of zooplankton and fish, as well as the diversity of benthic macro-invertebrates. Zooplankton abundance and taxa richness were highest at intermediate distances from open water in a transition zone between the well-mixed bayward portion of the wetland, and the non-circulating nearshore area. Benthic macro-invertebrate taxa richness increased linearly with distance from open water. In contrast, fish abundance and species richness declined linearly and substantially (abundance by 78%, species richness by 40%) with distance from open water. Of the 40 taxa examined in this study, 21 had significant horizontal trends in abundance. This led to notable differences in community composition throughout the wetland. Our results suggest that distance from open water may be a primary determinant of the spatial distributions of numerous organismal groups inhabiting this coastal wetland. Several possible reasons for these distributions are discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anderson, R.O. 1959. A modified flotation technique for sorting bottom fauna samples. Limnol. Oceanogr. 4: 223-225.
Berg, M.B. 1995. Larval food and feeding behavior. In:Armitage, P., Cranston, P.S. and L.C.V. Pinder (eds). The Chironomidae: the Biology and Ecology of the Non-Biting Midges. pp. 136–168. Chapman and Hall, New York.
Brady, V.J., Cardinale, B.J. and Burton, T.M. 1995. Zebra mussels in a coastal marsh: the seasonal and spatial limits of colonization. J. Great Lakes Res. 21: 587-593.
Brazner, J.C. and Beals, E.W. 1997. Patterns in fish assemblages from coastal wetland and beach habitats in Green Bay, Lake Michigan: a multivariate analysis of abiotic and biotic forcing Factors. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 54: 1743-1759.
Cardinale, B.J. 1996. The effects of a pelagic-littoral mixing gradient on an epiphytic invertebrate community. M.S. thesis, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI.
Cardinale, B.J., Burton, T.M. and Brady, V.J. 1997. The community dynamics of epiphytic midge larvae across the pelagic-littoral interface: do animals respond to changes in the abiotic environment? Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 54: 1-9.
Comer, A.J., Albert, D.A., Wells, H.A., Hart, B.L., Raab, S.B., Price, D.L., Kashian, D.M., Corner, R.A. and Shuen, D.W. 1995. Michigan's Native Landscape, as Interpreted from General Land Office Surveys, 1816-1856. Michigan Natural Features Inventory Report to Water Division, U.S. EPA and Wildlife Division, Michigan Dept. of Nat. Res. Lansing, MI.
Crowder, L.B. and Cooper, W.E. 1982. Habitat structural complexity and the interaction between bluegills and their prey. Ecology 63: 1802-1813.
Cyr, H. and Downing, J.A. 1988. Empirical relationships of phytomacrofaunal abundance to plant biomass and macrophyte bed characteristics. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 45: 976-984.
Delorme, L.D. 1991. Ostracoda. In:Thorp, J.H. and A.P. Covich (eds), Ecology and Classification of North American Freshwater Invertebrates. pp. 691-722. Academic Press, San Diego.
Dodson, S. and Frey, D.G. 1991. Cladocera and other Branchiopoda. In:Thorp, J.H. and A.P. Covich (eds), Ecology and Classification of North American Freshwater Invertebrates. pp. 587-786. Academic Press, San Diego.
Fairchild, G.W. 1981. Movement and microdistribution of Sida crystallina and other littoral microcrustacea. Ecology 62: 1341-1352.
Jude, D.J. and Pappas, J. 1992. Fish utilization of Great Lakes coastal wetlands. J. Great Lakes Res. 18: 651-672.
Kirk, K. and Gilbert, J.J. 1990. Suspended clay and the population dynamics of planktonic rotifers and cladocerans. Ecology 71: 1741-1755.
Krieger, K.A. 1992. The ecology of invertebrates in Great Lakes coastal wetlands: Current knowledge and research needs. J. Great Lakes Res. 18: 634-650.
Krieger, K.A. and Klarer, D.M. 1991. Zooplankton dynamics in a Great Lakes coastal marsh. J. Great Lakes Res. 17: 255-269.
Krieger, K.A., Klarer, D.M., Heath, R.T. and Herdendorf, C.E. 1992. A call for research on Great Lakes coastal wetlands. J. Great Lakes Res. 18: 525-528.
Lalonde, S. and Downing, J.A. 1992. Phytofauna of eleven macrophyte beds of differing trophic status, depth, and composition. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 49: 992-1000.
Mitsch, W.J. and Gosselink, J.G. 1993. Wetlands. 2nd edn. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York.
Mittleback, G.G. 1988. Competition among refuging sunfishes and effects of fish density on littoral zone invertebrates. Ecology 63: 614-623.
Mittleback, G.G. 1981. Patterns of invertebrates size and abundance in aquatic habitats. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 38: 896-904.
Patterson, N.J. and Whillans, T.H. 1985. Human interference with natural water level regimes in the context of other cultural stresses on Great Lakes wetlands. In:Prince, H.H. and DíItri, F.M. (eds), Coastal Wetlands. pp. 209-239. Lewis Publishers, Chelsea.
Petering, R.W. and Johnson, D.L. 1991. Distribution of fish larvae among artificial vegetation in a diked Lake Erie wetland. Wetlands 11: 123-139.
Randall, R.G., Minns, C.K., Cairns, V.W. and Moore, J.E. 1996. The relationship between an index of fish production and submerged macrophytes and other habitat features at three littoral areas in the Great Lakes. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 53(Suppl. 1): 35-44.
Sager, P.E., Richman, S., Harris, H.J. and Fewless, G. 1985. Preliminary observations on the seiche-induced flux of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous in a Great Lakes coastal marsh. In:Prince, H.H. and Díltri, F.M. (eds), Coastal Wetlands. pp. 59-66. Lewis Publishers, Chelsea.
Smith, I. and Cook, D. 1991. Water Mites. In:Thorp, J.H. and Covich, A.P. (eds), Ecology and Classification of North American Freshwater Invertebrates. pp. 587-786. Academic Press, San Diego.
Smith, P.G.R., Glooschenko, V. and Hagen, D.A. 1991. Coastal wetlands of three Canadian Great Lakes: inventory, current conservation initiatives, and patterns of variation. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 48: 1581-1593.
Stuckey, R.L. 1989. Western Lake Erie aquatic and wetland vascular plant flora: its origin and change. In:Krieger, K.A. (ed.), Lake Erie Estuarine Systems: Issues, Resources, Stability, and Management. pp. 205-256. NOAA Estuary-of-the-Month Seminar Series Vol 14. U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, D.C.
Suzuki, N., Endoh, S., Kawashima, M., Itakura, Y., McNabb, C.D., D'Itri, F.M. and Batterson, T.R. 1995. Discontinuity bar in a wetland of Lake Huron's Saginaw Bay. J. Fresh. Ecol. 10: 111-123.
Swenson, W.A. 1978. Influence of Turbidity on Fish Abundance in Western Lake Superior. Environmental Research Laboratory-Duluth, Office of Research and Development Report EPA-600/3-78-067.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cardinale, B., Brady, V. & Burton, T. Changes in the abundance and diversity of coastal wetland fauna from the open water/macrophyte edge towards shore. Wetlands Ecology and Management 6, 59–68 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008447705647
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008447705647