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