Distribution of larval fishes throughout Puget Sound
Presentation Abstract
Most marine fishes spend a period of their early life history as pelagic larvae, during which they are considered members of the zooplankton community. Pelagic larval fishes in coastal regions are known to form assemblages associated with environmental parameters such as wind, salinity, and temperature. In Puget Sound, a uniquely deep estuary, information about spatial and temporal distribution, abundance, and water conditions associated with fish larvae is almost completely unavailable. Larval fishes were sorted from plankton samples collected in April and May 2011 from 61 sites across Puget Sound. These samples were collected as part of a collaborative effort between the National Marine Fisheries Service, Washington Tribes, and several researchers at the University of Washington who aimed to describe the structure of the food web throughout Puget Sound’s nearshore habitat. Larvae were identified and rare taxa were excluded from analysis. Thirty taxonomic groups were identified in at least five percent of samples, including 20 at the species level, two at the generic level, and eight at the family level. Relative abundance was calculated for all taxa and no taxon was represented in more than 50 percent of samples. To better understand the temporal and spatial distribution of larval fishes throughout the sound, the following question was posed: Does month or basin explain the presence of a particular larval fish species. Generalized linear models (GLM’s) were built to predict the presence of three taxa (Clupea pallasii, Ammodytes personatus, and Platichthys stellatus) based on month and basin. Results suggest that May explained the absence of Clupea pallasii and Ammodytes personatus relative to April. Additionally, Rosario Basin explained the presence of Platichthys stellatus and South Basin explained the absence of Ammodytes personatus relative to the other basins. Future work will include multivariate analysis to incorporate environmental data.
Session Title
General species and food webs
Conference Track
Species and Food Webs
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2016 : Vancouver, B.C.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
2016 12:00 AM
End Date
2016 12:00 AM
Location
2016SSEC
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Fishes--Larvae--Ecology; Fishes--Habitat; Fishes--Dispersal; Spatial ecology--Washington (State)--Puget Sound
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Puget Sound (Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Distribution of larval fishes throughout Puget Sound
2016SSEC
Most marine fishes spend a period of their early life history as pelagic larvae, during which they are considered members of the zooplankton community. Pelagic larval fishes in coastal regions are known to form assemblages associated with environmental parameters such as wind, salinity, and temperature. In Puget Sound, a uniquely deep estuary, information about spatial and temporal distribution, abundance, and water conditions associated with fish larvae is almost completely unavailable. Larval fishes were sorted from plankton samples collected in April and May 2011 from 61 sites across Puget Sound. These samples were collected as part of a collaborative effort between the National Marine Fisheries Service, Washington Tribes, and several researchers at the University of Washington who aimed to describe the structure of the food web throughout Puget Sound’s nearshore habitat. Larvae were identified and rare taxa were excluded from analysis. Thirty taxonomic groups were identified in at least five percent of samples, including 20 at the species level, two at the generic level, and eight at the family level. Relative abundance was calculated for all taxa and no taxon was represented in more than 50 percent of samples. To better understand the temporal and spatial distribution of larval fishes throughout the sound, the following question was posed: Does month or basin explain the presence of a particular larval fish species. Generalized linear models (GLM’s) were built to predict the presence of three taxa (Clupea pallasii, Ammodytes personatus, and Platichthys stellatus) based on month and basin. Results suggest that May explained the absence of Clupea pallasii and Ammodytes personatus relative to April. Additionally, Rosario Basin explained the presence of Platichthys stellatus and South Basin explained the absence of Ammodytes personatus relative to the other basins. Future work will include multivariate analysis to incorporate environmental data.
