Spatio-temporal variation in total lipid content of juvenile lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in Lake Champlain

Conference Year

January 2019

Abstract

After more than 40 years of stocking, lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in Lake Champlain has started to exhibit strong, natural recruitment. However, the spatial distribution of wild lake trout shows variation in abundance and Fulton’s condition factor among regions of Lake Champlain. These differences suggest the prey base, or foraging success, may vary geographically within the lake. One metric that may indicate differences in resources across regions is lipid content, which reflects the quality of available food. We will quantify the lipid content of lake trout across spatial (lake regions) and temporal (seasonal) scales. Based on observed differences in condition, we expect that lipid content will vary in lake trout (1) spatially across regions of the lake, and be highest in the Main Lake, and (2) among seasons, where lipid content increases from spring to autumn. The availability of quality food sources, as indicated by lipid content, could influence lake trout production and ultimately support the successful recruitment of this ecologically and recreationally valuable species through bottom-up processes.

Primary Faculty Mentor Name

Jason Stockwell

Faculty/Staff Collaborators

Taylor Stewart (Graduate Student Mentor), J. Ellen Marsden (Collaborating Mentor), Jason Stockwell (Faculty Advisor)

Status

Undergraduate

Student College

Rubenstein School of Environmental and Natural Resources

Program/Major

Wildlife and Fisheries Biology

Primary Research Category

Biological Sciences

Abstract only.

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Spatio-temporal variation in total lipid content of juvenile lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in Lake Champlain

After more than 40 years of stocking, lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) in Lake Champlain has started to exhibit strong, natural recruitment. However, the spatial distribution of wild lake trout shows variation in abundance and Fulton’s condition factor among regions of Lake Champlain. These differences suggest the prey base, or foraging success, may vary geographically within the lake. One metric that may indicate differences in resources across regions is lipid content, which reflects the quality of available food. We will quantify the lipid content of lake trout across spatial (lake regions) and temporal (seasonal) scales. Based on observed differences in condition, we expect that lipid content will vary in lake trout (1) spatially across regions of the lake, and be highest in the Main Lake, and (2) among seasons, where lipid content increases from spring to autumn. The availability of quality food sources, as indicated by lipid content, could influence lake trout production and ultimately support the successful recruitment of this ecologically and recreationally valuable species through bottom-up processes.