2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference

March 13 - 15, 2022

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5/27/2021 | 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM | DEVELOPING SULFUR ISOSCAPES IN A LARGE PRAIRIE RIVER TO UNDERSTAND FOOD WEB SUBSIDIES AND FISH HABITAT USE | Virtual Platform

DEVELOPING SULFUR ISOSCAPES IN A LARGE PRAIRIE RIVER TO UNDERSTAND FOOD WEB SUBSIDIES AND FISH HABITAT USE

Stable isotopes are useful tracers of organic matter and habitat use. Spatial differences in isotope ratios are transferred to mobile organisms who, upon capture, can be assigned back to their habitat of origin. Here we show lateral and longitudinal patterns in sulfur isotope ratios in the Saskatchewan River basin, a large prairie river surrounded by geographically isolated wetlands. We found that wetlands had insects with highly negative d34S (-20 to -10 permil) relative to those in the river (-5 to 5 permil). This enabled the tracing of migratory water boatmen (Corixidae) as they moved en masse from wetlands into the river in the fall where they are eaten by fish. Within the river, there were unique sulfur isotope ratios in baseline organisms (crayfish and mussels) in the two main branches, the North Saskatchewan River (2 to 6 permil) and South Saskatchewan River (-7 to -4 permil), allowing the identification of recent habitat use by endangered lake sturgeon caught near the confluence. Together, this isotopic template highlights key hidden connections among habitats and will enable the pursuit of questions of conservation significance.

Energy flows
Movement
Resource subsidies

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Presenters/Authors

Tim Jardine (), University of Saskatchewan, tim.jardine@usask.ca;