Ecological energetics of habitat use in a coastal embayment of the Laurentian Great Lakes

Session: 11. - Acoustic Telemetry Applications in the Great Lakes

Andrew Rous, Carleton University, [email protected]
Jon Midwood, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, [email protected]
Elodie Ledee, Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Lab, [email protected]
Rick Portiss, Toronto and Region Conservation, [email protected]
Thomas Sciscione, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, [email protected]
Mathew Wells, University of Toronto Scarborough, [email protected]
Susan Doka, GLLFAS, Fisheries & Oceans Canada, [email protected]
Steven Cooke, FECPL, Carleton University, [email protected]

Abstract

Energy is considered the currency of life. For animals, movement costs are highly variable across the landscape due to the unique attributes of the environment. Animals use different habitats for various purposes, i.e., foraging, refuge, or reproduction, therefore energy expenditure often varies across the landscape as a consequence of variation in animal activity and the energetic costs of moving. Living in heterogeneous environments, animals must adopt a wide range of strategies to optimize energetics. Using relationships between acceleration, swimming speed, and oxygen consumption, we used acoustic transmitters equipped with an acceleration sensor and a passive acoustic telemetry array to quantify the energy use associated with habitat use in heterogeneous habitat areas of the Toronto Harbour. In 2014 (N=27) and 2015 (N=16), we tagged largemouth bass and northern pike with Vemco V13A transmitters and tracked each individual for up to one year. We contrast the ecological energetics of these two species based on their different habitat use behaviour, as well as, across a gradient of habitat quality within the Toronto Harbour. Understanding the energetic consequences habitat use can aid the design of habitat restoration activities.

1. Keyword
fish behavior

2. Keyword
urban areas

3. Keyword
habitats

4. Additional Keyword
acoustic telemetry

5. Additional Keyword
Toronto Harbour