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Effects of large lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) on the dietary habits of small lake trout: a comparison of stable isotopes (δ15N and δ13C) and stomach content analyses
Hydrobiologia (2007)
  • Matthew Keyes
  • Kenneth Fortino
  • Anne E. Hershey
  • Chris Luecke, Utah State University
  • W. John O'Brein
  • Philip W. Lienesch
  • Michael E. McDonald
Abstract
We examined the effect of large (potentially piscivorous) lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) on the dietary habits of small lake trout in an arctic lake. We hypothesized that large lake trout constrain the foraging of small lake trout, thus, in the absence of large lake trout, small lake trout will shift their diet from littoral to more abundant prey offshore. We tested this hypothesis using samples from a removal experiment where all lake trout large enough to be susceptible to gill nets were removed from a small arctic Alaskan lake during 1988–1989. We examined size at age and conducted stomach content and stable isotope analyses of lake trout collected during removal (1988), early recovery (1990), and late recovery (1999) portions of the study. Lake trout grew more quickly following removal...
Keywords
  • lake trout,
  • diet,
  • isotopes,
  • stomach
Disciplines
Publication Date
2007
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-006-0399-2
Citation Information
Keyes, M.,K. Fortino, A.E. Hershey, C. Luecke. 2007. Effects of large lake trout on the dietary habits of small lake trout: a comparison of stable istotopes and stomach content analyses. Hydrobiology 579:175-185.