Christine Mayer - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Christine Mayer

Aquatic Botany, 2008

This article was published in an Elsevier journal. The attached copy is furnished to the author f... more This article was published in an Elsevier journal. The attached copy is furnished to the author for non-commercial research and education use, including for instruction at the author's institution, sharing with colleagues and providing to institution administration. Other uses, including reproduction and distribution, or selling or licensing copies, or posting to personal, institutional or third party websites are prohibited. In most cases authors are permitted to post their version of the article (e.g. in Word or Tex form) to their personal website or institutional repository. Authors requiring further information regarding Elsevier's archiving and manuscript policies are encouraged to visit: http://www.elsevier.com/copyright

The dreissenid mussels (zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha and quagga mussel, D. bugensis ) have ... more The dreissenid mussels (zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha and quagga mussel, D. bugensis ) have the ability to attach to submerged macrophytes, thereby decreasing light available to the plant through shading or weighing down the leaves. Through production of feces and pseudofeces, dreissenid mussels may also relocate nutrients from the water column to the sediments in proximity to the submerged macro- phytes. Although indirect effects of mussels on macrophytes by increasing water clarity are well documented, few studies have investigated these direct effects. In this study, compari- sons of leaves with and without mussels showed lower photo- synthetic activity (measured as quantum yield) and lower chlorophyll concentrations in Eurasian water milfoil ( Myrio- phyllum spicatum L.) leaves with zebra mussels, but not in eel- grass ( Vallisneria americana Michx.) leaves with zebra mussels, suggesting the impact of shell attachment is species-specific. The zebra-mussel effect was apparen...

Invasive Dreissena spp. (zebra mussels; D. polymorpha and quagga mussels; D. bugensis) affect the... more Invasive Dreissena spp. (zebra mussels; D. polymorpha and quagga mussels; D. bugensis) affect the distribution and abundance of benthic invertebrates and the flow of benthic energy to fish. It is not clear how the current spread of Dreissena onto soft sediment will affect invertebrates such as the burrowing mayfly (Hexagenia limbata and H. rigida). Preliminary experiments show that mayflies select for habitat with live Dreissena over bare sediment in normoxic (high oxygen) water. The goal of this study was to examine two distinct mechanisms, one biotic and one abiotic that may affect whether or not burrowing mayflies select Dreissenacolonized habitat. We hypothesized that I) risk of predation by fish may promote selection of Dreissena habitat; whereas 2) hypoxia (low oxygen) may discourage use ofDreissena habitat because of already low oxygen levels. Laboratory experiments show that burrowing mayflies derive no protection from yellow perch or round goby predation due to the presence of Dreissena. Conversely, we found that under low oxygen conditions burrowing mayflies show equal selection for Dreissena-covered and bare sediment. Mayflies were also found to leave their burrows during hypoxia; however a perceived predation threat present delayed this response. Therefore, short-term periods of hypoxia may increase availability of burrowing mayflies to fish by forcing mayflies to leave their burrows to seek normoxic water.

Over the past century many anthropogenic influences, such as armoring, wetland diking, high nutri... more Over the past century many anthropogenic influences, such as armoring, wetland diking, high nutrients and sediment inputs and Driessena have affected the Lake Erie shoreline. These changes have doubtlessly influence the shoreline fish community, but there is no current monitoring to guide management of this this highly impacted ecosystem. In 2011 we initiated intensive monitoring in order to design a long-term sampling program for the Ohio Division of Wildlife. We found that night time electrofishing captured more species and individuals than day time electrofishing or trap netting suggesting that this method provides a more complete community description. Individual based species accumulation curves showed that 500 meters per site and a total of 11 sites would maximize information about the fish community. Highly altered shorelines have significantly lower species richness than sites that have at least some natural features. Gradients in water quality extending out from tributaries...

Turbidity can affect the foraging of age-0 yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and hence their growth... more Turbidity can affect the foraging of age-0 yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and hence their growth and survival. Laboratory experiments showed that across prey densities, yellow perch tended to consume fewer prey in phytoplankton turbidity compared to sediment turbidity. For larvae, this effect was dependent on turbidity level (consumption differed between turbidity types only at high turbidity), while for juveniles the difference with turbidity type was equal across turbidity levels. These results suggest that phytoplankton blooms are detrimental to the ability of late season age-0 yellow perch to forage, and support the need to control factors leading to excessive phytoplankton growth in lakes. Modeling of abundance and length-in- August for fish from highly turbid, western Lake Erie using general additive models (GAMs) identified turbidity as the most important environmental factor included. Turbidity was negatively related to fish length, but positively related to abundance. Toge...

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000184 EndHTML:0000004159 StartFragment:0000002541 EndFragment:00000041... more Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000184 EndHTML:0000004159 StartFragment:0000002541 EndFragment:0000004123 SourceURL:file://localhost/Users/nathanmanning/Desktop/ABSTRACTforAFS2012.doc Turbidity is an environmental factor that affects the foraging, growth, and survival of age-0 fish. Many coastal ecosystems are affected by high turbidity, especially areas that receive discharge from large rivers, which provide a major source of suspended solids and nutrients. Laboratory experiments show reduced larval feeding rates of age-0 yellow perch with increasing phytoplankton turbidity and a significantly lower juvenile feeding rate with phytoplankton and sediment -derived turbidity. We parameterized an individual based model with laboratory and literature values to determine how turbidity intensity and type influence larval yellow perch growth and survival through the first 120 days post-hatch. Our model showed increased larval growth in those exposed to high sediment turbidity and drastically redu...

Land use and climate change can affect aquatic ecosystems by altering sediment and nutrient trans... more Land use and climate change can affect aquatic ecosystems by altering sediment and nutrient transport in a way that reduces water clarity. The sediment plumes and algal blooms that result from increased inputs and higher temperatures can alter the growth, and ultimately the recruitment, of visually foraging fish species, such as the yellow perch (Perca flavescens). We used a Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and an Individual Based Model (IBMs) to link changes in land use and climate in the Maumee River watershed to growth of age-0 yellow perch in Maumee Bay, Lake Erie. In our models, increasing urbanization significantly reduced yellow perch growth by altering the timing and intensity of sediment plumes, particularly during the juvenile phase, but only at very high levels of urbanization, likely due to the influence of non-point source agricultural runoff in the Maumee basin. Modeled climate change reduce d age-0 yellow perch growth, primarily because increased water temperatur...

Geographically distinct spawning stocks can generate population stability by increasing resilienc... more Geographically distinct spawning stocks can generate population stability by increasing resiliency to environmental change. Stocks are likely to respond differently to environmental change due to variation in habitat-specific responses. The differential response among stocks may generate a “portfolio effect” by maximizing the ratio of spawning production to risk (i.e. poor production) through diversification. We compared larval walleye (Sander vitreus) production from three tributaries (Detroit, Maumee, and Sandusky Rivers) and the open-lake reef complex of western Lake Erie over several years (1994, 1995, 2011-2013). The reefs produced more larval walleye than all tributaries combined, but reef production was highly variable. In years when reef production was low, river production made substantial contributions, partially buffering reduced contribution from the reefs. The Detroit and Maumee Rivers produced relatively consistent numbers of larval walleye, whereas production from the...

Nymphs of burrowing mayflies (Hexagenia spp.) are a high quality food for many ecologically and e... more Nymphs of burrowing mayflies (Hexagenia spp.) are a high quality food for many ecologically and environmentally important fishes. However, habitat alteration by Dreissena (zebra and quagga mussels) likely affects habitat choice and availability of mayflies to fish. Behavioral studies show that mayflies chose structured habitat provided by Dreissena clusters over bare sediment; most likely as protection from predation. In laboratory experiments, the effect of Dreissena-covered sediments on fish consumption was that mayflies derived protection from predation by round gobies and yellow perch. However, this occurred only when turbidity was held at a level similar to that observed in western Lake Erie. We mapped mayfly and Dreissena distributions in western Lake Erie and found that over 60% of the sites with Dreissena have at least 100 mayflies/m2, suggesting that Dreissena do not inhibit the presence of mayflies in western Lake Erie. Further, on a small spatial scale, Dreissena colonize...

Quantifying the contribution of specific fish stocks in large ecosystems is crucial to whole-syst... more Quantifying the contribution of specific fish stocks in large ecosystems is crucial to whole-system fishery management. The Maumee River supports an important spawning sub-stock of Lake Erie’s walleye (Sander vitreus) population; consequently, our objective was to quantify Maumee River larval walleye production, export, and mortality. Larval fish are inherently variable across space and time making accurate quantification difficult. To account for spatial and temporal variability larval samples were collected three times a week at three locations in the River; upstream, downstream, and in a power plant intake canal. Multiple larval tows were spatially distributed at each location by depth and transect. A Bayesian hierarchical model was used to account for spatial and temporal variability which propagates through as uncertainty in the final estimates. Larval fish export from the Maumee River varied substantially between years, from 97 million in 2010 to 43 million in 2011. Total in-r...

Large aquatic ecosystems often support spatially discrete spawning stocks that allow spatial cohe... more Large aquatic ecosystems often support spatially discrete spawning stocks that allow spatial coherence during dispersal of early life stages. Therefore, it is possible to develop stock specific information on recruitment. We used data from monthly bottom-trawl sampling in western Lake Erie to determine: 1) dispersal patterns of age-0 fishes from individual spawning stocks; and 2) index the success and contribution of individual spawning stocks to Lake Erie’s fish populations. A hotspot analysis revealed dispersal and distribution patterns of fish species, such as Walleye (Sander vitreus), Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens), and Gizzard Shad (Dorosoma cepedianum), that spawn in rivers or distinct areas of the lake. In contrast, Emerald Shiners (Notropis atherinoides), a pelagic species, did not reveal patterns of dispersal. The hotpot analysis also revealed bottom trawl locations near known spawning areas could be used to index the contributions of individual spawning stocks to Lake Eri...

Restoration Ecology, 2014

Estuaries are globally important to fisheries but face many anthropogenic stressors that reduce w... more Estuaries are globally important to fisheries but face many anthropogenic stressors that reduce water quality and degrade benthic habitat. The Maumee River estuary has been degraded by industrial contaminants, high sediment and nutrient loads, channelization and elimination of surrounding wetlands, lessening its value as spawning habitat for fishes of Lake Erie. Regulation and better management practices (BMPs) in the watershed have improved the water quality in this estuary, which should result in a response of the biotic community. We compared recent (2010/2011) larval fish assemblage data to similar data from the 1970s (1976/1977) in order to identify changes due to improved water and habitat quality. Family-level diversity was greater in recent study years compared to the 1970s and family richness increased from 6 to 10. In addition, the abundance of lithophilic spawning fishes was significantly greater in the recent study years. Increased diversity and family richness were consistent with increased water quality in the Maumee River whereas the observed increase in abundance of lithophilic spawners was consistent with an increase in the amount or quality of benthic habitat used by species in these families for spawning. Better wastewater management and agricultural practices in coastal watersheds can benefit the early life stages of fishes, thus benefitting coastal fisheries. Furthermore, larval fish assemblages may be useful indicators of biological integrity because of their sensitivities to environmental change. Routine sampling of estuarine larval fish assemblages could provide practitioners with insight into ecosystem changes and measure the response of the biotic community to restoration.

Journal of Great Lakes Research, 2014

Larval fish are extremely variable in space and time while sampling of populations is generally r... more Larval fish are extremely variable in space and time while sampling of populations is generally restricted and incomplete. However, estimates of abundance and mortality are important for understanding population dynamics, habitat quality, and anthropogenic impacts. Acknowledging and addressing variability during sampling and data analysis are imperative to producing informative estimates. A combination of spatially and temporally distributed ichthyoplankton sampling and Bayesian hierarchical and state-space modeling was used to partition variance and estimate abundance and mortality of larval walleye (Sander vitreus) in the Maumee River during 2010 and 2011. System variability and degree of sampling coverage have a direct impact on the quality of abundance estimates. Small scale factors (i.e., within site and day-to-day) accounted for the most variation in larval walleye densities, therefore sampling should concentrate on capturing these sources. Bayesian state-space modeling can improve estimates by sharing information through time, properly accounting for uncertainty, and producing probability distribution based estimates. Larval fish are highly variable and difficult to sample; however, the application of Bayesian methods during the data analysis process can lead to improved estimates of abundance and informed management actions.

ABSTRACT Larval fish are frequently sampled in coastal tributaries to determine factors affecting... more ABSTRACT Larval fish are frequently sampled in coastal tributaries to determine factors affecting recruitment, evaluate spawning success, and estimate production from spawning habitats. Imperfect detection of larvae is common, because larval fish are small and unevenly distributed in space and time, and coastal tributaries are often large and heterogeneous. We estimated detection probabilities of larval fish from several taxa in the Maumee and Detroit rivers, the two largest tributaries of Lake Erie. We then demonstrated how accounting for imperfect detection influenced (1) the probability of observing taxa as present relative to sampling effort and (2) abundance indices for larval fish of two Detroit River species. We found that detection probabilities ranged from 0.09 to 0.91 but were always less than 1.0, indicating that imperfect detection is common among taxa and between systems. In general, taxa with high fecundities, small larval length at hatching, and no nesting behaviors had the highest detection probabilities. Also, detection probabilities were higher in the Maumee River than in the Detroit River. Accounting for imperfect detection produced up to fourfold increases in abundance indices for Lake Whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis and Gizzard Shad Dorosoma cepedianum. The effect of accounting for imperfect detection in abundance indices was greatest during periods of low abundance for both species. Detection information can be used to determine the appropriate level of sampling effort for larval fishes and may improve management and conservation decisions based on larval fish data.

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 2014

We sought to quantify the possible population-level influence of sediment plumes and algal blooms... more We sought to quantify the possible population-level influence of sediment plumes and algal blooms on yellow perch (Perca flavescens), a visual predator found in systems with dynamic water clarity. We used an individual-based model (IBM), which allowed us to include variance in water clarity and the distribution of individual sizes. Our IBM was built with laboratory data showing that larval yellow perch feeding rates increased slightly as sediment turbidity level increased, but that both larval and juvenile yellow perch feeding rates decreased as phytoplankton level increased. Our IBM explained a majority of the variance in yellow perch length in data from the western and central basins of Lake Erie and Oneida Lake, with R 2 values ranging from 0.611 to 0.742. Starvation mortality was size dependent, as the greatest daily mortality rates in each simulation occurred within days of each other. Our model showed that turbidity-dependent consumption rates and temperature are key components in determining growth and starvation mortality of age-0 yellow perch, linking fish production to land-based processes that influence water clarity. These results suggest the timing and persistence of sediment plumes and algal blooms can drastically alter the growth potential and starvation mortality of a yellow perch cohort.

Northeastern Naturalist, 2012

The exotic amphipod Echinogammarus ischnus, first reported in North America from western Lake Eri... more The exotic amphipod Echinogammarus ischnus, first reported in North America from western Lake Erie in 1995, was recorded in Oneida Lake, NY in 2001. Some North American studies have suggested that E. ischnus was replacing native amphipods, but other studies found no evidence for this. We sampled amphipods at six depths (<0.2, 0.6, 1.2, 1.8, 3.0, and >3.8 m) along six transects in Oneida Lake to quantify variation in densities of amphipod species as a function of depth, substrate (cobble with Dreissena and with or without macroalgae, sand with or without Dreissena, and macroalgae or submersed vascular plants) and density of Dreissena, and compared the present amphipod density to the historical record. Four species of amphipods, Gammarus fasciatus, Hyalella azteca, E. ischnus, and Crangonyx sp., were collected from Oneida Lake. Gammarus fasciatus was 9 to 90 times more abundant (mean = 0.09 individuals/cm 2 ) than other amphipod species and was collected on all substrates and at all depths, as was H. azteca. Statistical comparisons were made with non-parametric tests between mean ranks of density of amphipods and Dreissena and the other variables. Mean ranks of density of G. fasciatus were correlated with depth (Spearman rank = 0.28, P < 0.0001), but mean ranks of density of H. azteca were not, and neither species was correlated with mean ranks of density of Dreissena. Mean ranks of density of G. fasciatus were greater on sand with or without macroalgae or submersed vascular plants (SVP) or Dreissena than on cobble with macroalgae and Dreissena (H = 28.2, P < 0.0001). Mean ranks of density of H. azteca were greater on sand with SVP, with or without Dreissena, than on sand with Dreissena and without SVP (H = 21.8, P = 0.0013). Echinogammarus ischnus was collected only in water less than 1.8 m depth and always with Dreissena. Mean ranks of density of E. ischnus were correlated with depth (Spearman rank = -0.29, P < 0.0001) and with Dreissena mean ranks of density (Spearman rank = 0.14, P = 0.01). Mean ranks of density of E. ischnus was greater on cobble with Dreissena than on sand with Dreissena regardless of the presence or absence of macroalgae or SVP (H = 35.4, P < 0.0001). Although E. ischnus is established in the near-shore zone of Oneida Lake, we found no evidence that it will replace the native amphipods G. fasciatus and H. azteca.

Microbial Ecology, 2007

The impact of Dreissena (Dreissena polymorpha and D. bugensis) on the benthic bacterial community... more The impact of Dreissena (Dreissena polymorpha and D. bugensis) on the benthic bacterial community in lakes is largely unknown. Therefore, we quantified differences in the structure and activity of bacterial communities living in sediments (1) associated with Dreissena clusters, and (2) unassociated with established clusters (lake bottom sediments). Dreissena clusters and sediments were collected from locations in Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and several inland lakes. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis of the benthic bacterial community showed that the bacterial populations selected for by Dreissena represent a subset of the bottom communities and are geographically distinct. Community-level physiological profiling (CLPP) showed that overall bacterial activity and metabolic diversity were enhanced by the presence of clusters in all samples, with the exception of those harvested from the two Lake Erie sites. Therefore, Dreissena appears to affect both structure and metabolic function of the benthic bacterial community and may have yet unexplored ecosystem and food web consequences.

Limnology and Oceanography, 2007

Page 1. 1728 Notes LAMONTAGNE, JM, AND E. MCCAULEY. 2001. Maternal effects in Daphnia: What mothe... more Page 1. 1728 Notes LAMONTAGNE, JM, AND E. MCCAULEY. 2001. Maternal effects in Daphnia: What mothers are telling their offspring and do they listen? Ecol. Lett. 4: 64-71. MiLLER-NAVARRA, D. 1995. Evidence that a ...

Journal of the North American Benthological Society, 2002

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, a... more JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

Journal of Integrative Plant Biology, 2008

Increased water clarity associated with zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) populations may favor... more Increased water clarity associated with zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) populations may favor benthic algal primary production in freshwater systems previously dominated by pelagic phytoplankton production. While zebra mussel-mediated water clarity effects on benthic primary production have been implicated in published reports, few production estimates are available. This study estimates benthic primary production in Oneida Lake, NY before and after zebra mussel invasion (1992), using measured photosynthetic parameters (, alpha(B) and beta) from sampled benthic algal communities. In the summers of 2003 and 2004, primary production was measured as O(2) evolution from algal communities on hard (cobble) and soft (sediment) substrate from several depths. We also backcast estimates of benthic primary production from measurements of light penetration since 1975. Estimates of whole-lake epipelic and epilithic algal primary production showed a significant (4%) increase and exhibited significantly less interannual variability subsequent to the establishment of zebra mussels. We applied our model to two lakes of differing trophic status; the model significantly overestimated benthic primary production in a hypereutrophic lake, but there was no significant difference between the actual and predicted primary production values in the oligotrophic lake. The hypereutrophic lake had higher zebra mussel densities than Oneida (224 vs. 41 per sample respectively). Though total community respiration (measured in total darkness) was factored into our model predictions of production, our model may need modification when heterotrophic respiration is a large portion of total community metabolism.