| 1. |
- Greenberg, L A, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of kinship on growth and movements of brown trout in field enclosures
- 2002
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Ingår i: Ecology of Freshwater Fish. - : Wiley. - 0906-6691 .- 1600-0633. ; 11:4, s. 251-259
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The effect of kinship on growth and use of space by individually PIT-tagged 1+ brown trout was studied for 11 weeks in eight stream enclosures. Each enclosure consisted of two sections, separated by a region containing PIT-detecting antennae, which enabled us to measure use of sections by all individuals. Two types of sibling groups were tested, a single sibling group, F1, consisting of four individuals that were reared together in hatchery tank 'a' (F1(a)) plus four additional siblings of the same family but raised in hatchery tank 'b' (F1(b)), and a mixed sibling group, consisting of four F1(a) individuals plus four siblings from a second family, F2. Based on kin theory and earlier laboratory studies, we expected that growth of the F1(a) individuals in the single sibling group to be greater than that of F1(a) individuals in the mixed family sibling group, but instead we found just the opposite. The variance of growth did not differ between treatments. Nor was there a difference in time F1(a) individuals spent together when they were in mixed versus single sibling groups. We did find that F1(a) individuals changed habitat more frequently than F2 individuals in the mixed sibling group but less frequently than F1(b) in the single sibling groups. Thus, our predictions based on kin theory for growth and behavior of brown trout were not supported by our data, and we suggest that the role of kin recognition for the ecology of salmonids deserves further attention.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Brönmark, Christer, et al.
(författare)
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Environmental issues in lakes and ponds: current state and perspectives
- 2002
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Ingår i: Environmental Conservation. - 0376-8929. ; 29:3, s. 290-307
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Lakes and ponds are habitats of great human importance as they provide water for domestic, industrial and agricultural use as well as providing food. In spite of their fundamental importance to humans, freshwater systems have been severely affected by a multitude of anthropogenic disturbances, which have led to serious negative effects on the structure and function of these ecosystems. The aim of the present study is to review the current state of lake and pond ecosystems and to present a likely scenario for threats against these ecosystems for the time horizon of the year 2025. Predictions are based on a review of the current state, projections of long-term trends, for example in population and global climate, and an analysis of the trends in publications in the scientific literature during the past 25 years (1975-2000). The biodiversity of lake and pond ecosystems is currently threatened by a number of human disturbances, of which the most important include increased nutrient load, contamination, acid rain and invasion of exotic species. Analysis of trends suggests that older, well known threats to biodiversity such as eutrophication, acidification and contamination by heavy metals and organochlorines may become less of a problem in developed countries in the future. New threats such as global warming, ultraviolet radiation, endocrine disruptors and, especially, invasion by exotic species including transgenic organisms will most likely increase in importance. However, in developing countries where priorities other than environmental conservation exist, the threat of eutrophication, acidification and contamination by toxic substances is predicted to continue to increase. Although the future of biodiversity in lakes and ponds is seriously threatened, growing concern for environmental problems, implementation of new environmental strategies and administrations, and international agreements, are positive signs of changes that should improve the ability to manage old as well as new, yet undiscovered, threats.
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| 4. |
- Carlsson, Nils, et al.
(författare)
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Invading herbivory: The golden apple snail alters ecosystem functioning in Asian wetlands
- 2004
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Ingår i: Ecology. - 0012-9658. ; 85:6, s. 1575-1580
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We investigated the effects of an exotic snail, the golden apple snail (Pomacea canaliculata) on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in tropical wetland ecosystems. This large snail (up to 80-mm shell height) has invaded large parts of Southeast Asia during recent decades. A survey of natural wetlands in Thailand showed that high densities of the snail were associated with almost complete absence of aquatic plants, high nutrient concentrations, and high phytoplankton biomass, that is, a complete shift in both ecosystem state and function. A field experiment demonstrated that grazing by the snail can cause the loss of aquatic plants, a change toward dominance of planktonic algae, and thereby a shift toward turbid water. Estimates of biologically fixed nutrients released through snails grazing on aquatic plants revealed that phosphorus releases were sufficient to explain the recorded increase in phytoplankton biomass. Hence, our study demonstrates how an herbivore may trigger a shift from clear water and macrophyte dominance to a turbid state dominated by planktonic algae. This shift and the continuing aggressive invasion of this exotic species are detrimental to the integrity and functioning of wetland ecosystems, and to the services these provide in Southeast Asia.
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| 5. |
- Nilsson, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Prey vulnerability to a gape-size limited predator: behavioural and morphological impacts on northern pike piscivory
- 2000
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Ingår i: Oikos. - : Wiley. - 1600-0706 .- 0030-1299. ; 88:3, s. 539-546
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The northern pike (Esox lucius) is a selective and important predator in lake ecosystems. Prey size in pike is limited by pike gape size, which is a linear function of pike body length. Here we show that the absolute gape-size limit in pike is greater than previously considered, and that maximum ingestible prey size is limited by prey body depth. Further, we experimentally show that pike prefer shallow-bodied roach before deeper-bodied common bream, and small prey sizes within each prey species. Handling lime in pike increases with prey body depth, and since common bream are deeper-bodied than roach, handling time is longer for bream than for roach of the same length, but equal considering body depth. Prey handling time is suggested to be a major cost to the pike, since it increases the risk of Losing the prey, as well as exposure to predation, kleptoparasitism and cannibalism. Consequently, prey vulnerability is determined by risk of predation and intraspecific interactions, and behavioural preferences in the pike, and not by pike gape-size limits. The consequences for natural populations is evaluated by analysing size structures of predator and prey fish populations in a eutrophic lake.
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| 6. |
- Nilsson, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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The role of gastric evacuation rate in handling time of equal-mass rations of different prey sizes in northern pike
- 2000
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Ingår i: Journal of Fish Biology. - : Wiley. - 0022-1112 .- 1095-8649. ; 57:2, s. 516-524
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In a laboratory experiment, northern pike Esox lucius gastric evacuation rates did not differ between equal-mass rations of small and large prey. In a comparison between intermediate and large prey, the pike were unable to fit two intermediate prey completely into the stomach at the same time, resulting in two consecutive evacuations, and changes in patterns of gastric evacuation. Thus. total gastric evacuation time was not affected by prey size composition in equal-mass rations. but patterns in evacuation rate may depend on the size ratio between predator and prey. Cumulative manipulation time between strike and complete swallowing of prey differed between equal-mass rations of small. intermediate and large prey, in that small prey took the shortest time to manipulate. Pike had problems striking and redirecting intermediate prey to swallow them head first, and the manipulation times for intermediate prey were as long as for large prey. Since an increased time manipulating prey in the mouth increases risk of predation and intraspecific interactions in Dike, it is concluded that risks associated with long manipulation times, and not only energy per total handling time, determine prey value and prey size preference in this piscivore. (C) 2000 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.
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| 7. |
- Nyström, Per, et al.
(författare)
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The declining spadefoot toad Pelobates fuscus: calling site choice and conservation
- 2002
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Ingår i: Ecography. - : Wiley. - 1600-0587 .- 0906-7590. ; 25:4, s. 488-498
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We investigated whether local biotic and abiotic conditions could explain the occurrence of calling males of the declining spadefoot toad Pelobates fuscus in 72 ponds in southern Sweden. The ponds covered the entire distribution range of P. fuscus and were monitored during the breeding season in 2000. Calling males were found in 33 ponds. representing ca 50% of all known ponds for the species ill Sweden. They had a non-random distribution and a discriminant analysis including 19 environmental variables successfully classified 86% of the ponds as with or without calling males A stepwise discriminant analysis selected eight of these variables and classified 85% of the ponds correctly. ponds with calling males were classified mainly on characteristics of the ponds, whereas composition of the terrestrial habitat close to the ponds and traffic load within 500 in had little influence on the distribution of calling males. Ponds with P. fuscus were large, permanent and eutrophic with high concentrations of oxygen and high spring temperatures. They also had a high proportion of shoreline with steep banks. Permanent ponds with calling males typically had a low abundance of predatory fish and crayfish: only two of the ponds with P. fuscus contained predatory fish. The results of this study indicate that interactions between physical factors (e.g. pond drying) and predation determine the presence of P. fuscus. Because P. fuscus has specific habitat requirements necessary for its survival and high site fidelity, it is particularly vulnerable to local changes in the condition of its natural breeding ponds. The situation is particularly serious for this species because the majority of the ponds that are within its dispersal range do not seem to be suitable for P. fuscus because of physical constraints.
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| 8. |
- Nyström, Per, et al.
(författare)
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The influence of multiple introduced predators on a littoral pond community
- 2001
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Ingår i: Ecology. - 0012-9658. ; 82:4, s. 1023-1039
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In a replicated field experiment we studied the effects of natural densities of two exotic consumers, the predatory and herbivorous signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) and the predatory rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), on multiple trophic levels of a pond community. The goals were to: (1) determine the individual and combined effects of predators on macroinvertebrates, macrophytes, and periphytic algae; (2) evaluate the strength of direct and indirect interactions in a food web influenced by omnivores; and (3) evaluate the relative importance of direct and indirect predator effects on mortality and growth of a native frog species, Rana temporaria. The experiment showed that both signal crayfish and rainbow trout had strong effects on multitrophic levels of a littoral pond community, through direct consumption and indirect effects on lower trophic levels. Crayfish had weak but significant negative effects on the biomass of predatory invertebrates and greatly reduced the biomass of snails, the most abundant invertebrate grazers. Although the number of active herbivorous tadpoles tended to be higher in crayfish cages relative to control cages, the proportion of surviving froglets was lower in crayfish cages than in control cages, possibly due to crayfish predation on injured tadpoles. The size of surviving froglets did not differ from controls, but tadpoles in crayfish cages often suffered tail injuries. Macrophyte coverage decreased as a result of crayfish consumption and nonconsumptive fragmentation. However, the biomass of periphyton increased in crayfish cages relative to controls, probably due to reduced grazing from snails. In contrast, trout had strong negative effects on the biomass of both predatory invertebrates and insect grazers, whereas trout had less effect on snail biomass than did crayfish. Also, in contrast to crayfish cages, the number of active tadpoles in trout cages was lower than in controls, probably due to a combination of trout predation and trout-induced reduced tadpole activity. Trout had a strong negative impact on froglet survival, and froglets in trout cages metamorphosed at a smaller size and had reduced growth rates compared to froglets in crayfish and control cages. As with crayfish, the biomass of periphyton increased in trout cages relative to controls, which may be due to a combination of both density and trait-mediated trout effects on tadpole grazing. In treatments with multiple predators the effects of crayfish and trout on caged communities were independent, and there were few interactions. Mostly effects of combined predators reflected those in single predator cages. Our results demonstrate that noninteracting, introduced multiple predators can have strong direct and indirect effects on multiple trophic levels in pond communities. Trophic cascades may develop in aquatic food webs even with omnivores such as crayfish, and in complex habitats with trout. These strong indirect effects are mediated through both predation on important grazers (i.e., the crayfish-snail-periphyton link) and a combination of density and behavioral responses of grazers to predators (i.e., the trout-tadpole-periphyton link). When two noninteracting predators have strong but different effects on prey survival or activity, their combined effects on intermediate trophic levels reflect responses to the more dangerous predator.
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| 9. |
- Persson, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of enrichment on simple aquatic food webs
- 2001
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Ingår i: American Naturalist. - : University of Chicago Press. - 0003-0147 .- 1537-5323. ; 157:6, s. 654-669
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Simple models, based on Lotka-Volterra types of interactions between predator and prey, predict that enrichment will have a destabilizing effect on populations and that equilibrium population densities will change at the top trophic level and every second level below. We experimentally tested these predictions in three aquatic food web configurations subjected to either high or low nutrient additions. The results were structured by viewing the systems as either food chains or webs and showed that trophic level biomass increased with enrichment, which contradicts food chain theory. However, within each trophic level, food web configuration affected the extent to which different functional groups responded to enrichment. By dividing trophic levels into functional groups, based on vulnerability to consumption, we were able to identify significant effects that were obscured when systems were viewed as food chains. The results support the prediction that invulnerable prey may stabilize trophic-level dynamics by replacing other, more vulnerable prey. Furthermore, the vulnerable prey, such as Daphnia and edible algae, responded as predicted by the paradox of enrichment hypothesis; that is, variability in population density increased with enrichment. Hence, by describing ecosystems as a matrix of food web interactions, and by recognizing the interplay between interspecific competition and predation, a more complete description of the ecosystem function was obtained compared to when species were placed into distinct trophic levels.
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| 10. |
- Persson, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of enrichment on simple aquatic food webs
- 2001
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Ingår i: The American Naturalist. ; 157:6, s. 654-669
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Simple models, based on Lotka-Volterra types of interactions between predator and prey, predict that enrichment will have a destabilizing effect on
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