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Linking laboratory and field responses of fish populations to acidification

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Abstract

To increase understanding of mechanisms by which fish populations respond to water chemistry changes resulting from acidification, it is necessary to link the results of laboratory studies of the effects of pH, Al, and Ca on the survival, growth, and reproduction of individual fish to responses of fish populations in the field. Our framework for achieving this goal is based on the types of data commonly available from both laboratory and field studies. One of the models (PHALCA) in this framework estimates the number of fish surviving as a function of time, given pH, Al, and Ca levels. A second model (FISHEGGS) evaluates the reduction in reproductive potential of a fish population attributable to the effects of pH, Al, and Ca on the survival of young-of-the-year and older fish and on fecundity. Preliminary results from these two models are presented, and the entire framework will be applied and tested over the next year using data for brook trout and lakes in the Adirondacks. The framework and models are a complementary alternative to the statistical analysis of survey data on water chemistry and on presence or absence of a fish species.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, P.O. Box X, 37831, Oak Ridge, TN, USA

    Webster Van Winkle, Sigurd W. Christensen & James E. Breck

Authors
  1. Webster Van Winkle
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  2. Sigurd W. Christensen
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  3. James E. Breck
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Van Winkle, W., Christensen, S.W. & Breck, J.E. Linking laboratory and field responses of fish populations to acidification. Water Air Soil Pollut 30, 639–648 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00303327

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00303327

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