Geology topics

Charles P. Madenjian

Publications and source records attributed to Charles P. Madenjian.

138 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

USGS1998

Population models of burrowing mayfly recolonization in western Lake Erie

Burrowing mayflies, Hexagenia spp. ( H. limbata and H. rigida ), began recolonizing western Lake Erie during the 1990s. Survey data for mayfly nymph densities indicated that the population experienced exponential growth between 1991 and 1997. To predict the time to full recovery of the mayfly population, we fitted logistic models, ranging in carrying capacity from 600 to 2000 nymphs/m 2 , to these survey data. Based on the fitted logistic curves, we forecast that the mayfly population in western Lake Erie would achieve full recovery between years 1998 and 2000, depending on the carrying capacity of the western basin. Additionally, we estimated the mortality rate of nymphs in western Lake Erie during 1994 and then applied an age-based matrix model to the mayfly population. The results of the matrix population modeling corroborated the exponential growth model application in that both methods yielded an estimate of the population growth rate, r, in excess of 0.8 yr −1 . This was the first evidence that mayfly populations are capable of recolonizing large aquatic ecosystems at rates comparable with those observed in much smaller lentic ecosystems. Our model predictions should prove valuable to managers of power plant facilities along the western basin in planning for mayfly emergences and to managers of the yellow perch ( Perca flavescens ) fishery in western Lake Erie.

Michigan, Ohio, Ontario↗

USGS1998

Sexual difference in polychlorinated biphenyl accumulation rates of walleye (Stizostedion vitreum)

Adult male walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) exhibited significantly higher polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations than similarly aged female walleye from Saginaw Bay (Lake Huron). To explain this difference, we tested the following three hypotheses: (i) females showed a considerably greater reduction in PCB concentration immediately following spawning than males, (ii) females grew at a faster rate and therefore exhibited lower PCB concentrations than males, and (iii) males spent more time in the Saginaw River system than females, and therefore received a greater exposure to PCBs. The first hypothesis was tested by comparing PCB concentration in gonadal tissue with whole-body concentration, the second hypothesis was tested via bioenergetics modeling, and we used mark-recapture data from the Saginaw Bay walleye fishery to address the third hypothesis. The only plausible explanation for the observed difference in PCB accumulation rate was that males spent substantially more time in the highly contaminated Saginaw River system than females, and therefore were exposed to greater environmental concentrations of PCBs. Based on the results of our study, we strongly recommend a stratified random sampling design for monitoring PCB concentration in Saginaw Bay walleye, with fixed numbers of females and males sampled each year.

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences↗

USGS1997

Gillnet selectivity for lake trout ( Salvelinus namaycush ) in Lake Superior

Gillnet selectivity for lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) was estimated indirectly from catches in nets of 102-, 114-, 127-, 140-, and 152-mm stretch measure. Mesh selectivity was modeled as a nonlinear response surface that describes changes in the mean, standard deviation, and skewness of fish lengths across mesh sizes. Gillnet selectivity for lake trout was described by five parameters that explained 88% of the variation in wedged and entangled catches, 81% of the variation in wedged catches, and 82% of the variation in entangled catches. Combined catches of wedged and entangled lake trout were therefore described more parsimoniously than separate catches of wedged and entangled lake trout. Peak selectivity of wedged and entangled fish increased from 588 to 663 mm total length as mesh size increased from 102 to 152 mm, and relative selectivity peaked at a total length of 638 mm. The estimated lake trout population size-frequency indicated that gillnet catches were negatively biased toward both small and large lake trout. As a consequence of this bias, survival of Lake Superior lake trout across ages 9-11 was underestimated by about 20% when the catch curve was not adjusted for gillnet selectivity.

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences↗

USGS1996

First-year growth, recruitment, and maturity of walleyes in western Lake Erie

In some lakes, first-year growth of walleyes Stizostedion vitreum has been identified as an important factor governing recruitment of juveniles to the adult population. We developed a regression model for walleye recruitment in western Lake Erie by considering factors such as first-year growth, size of the spawning stock, the rate at which the lake warmed during the spring, and abundance of gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum . Gizzard shad abundance during the fall prior to spring walleye spawning explained over 40% of the variation in walleye recruitment. Gizzard shad are relatively high in lipids and are preferred prey for walleyes in Lake Erie. Therefore, the high degree of correlation between shad abundance and subsequent walleye recruitment supported the contention that mature females needed adequate lipid reserves during the winter to spawn the following spring. According to the regression analysis, spring warming rate and size of the parental stock also influenced walleye recruitment. Our regression model explained 92% of the variation in recruitment of age-2 fish into the Lake Erie walleye population from 1981 to 1993. The regression model is potentially valuable as a management tool because it could be used to forecast walleye recruitment to the fishery 2 years in advance. First-year growth was poorly correlated with recruitment, which may reflect the unusually low incidence of walleye cannibalism in western Lake Erie. In contrast, first-year growth was strongly linked to age at maturity.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗

USGS1995

Removal of algae by the zebra mussel ( Dreissena polymorpha ) population in western Lake Erie: a bioenergetics approach

A bioenergetics model for growth of a zebra mussel ( Dreissena polymorpha ) individual was verified with observations on zebra mussel growth in western Lake Erie. The bioenergetics model was then applied to the zebra mussel population in the western basin of Lake Erie to estimate the removal of phytoplankton by mussels. According to the modeling results, the zebra mussel population consumed 5.0 million tonnes of phytoplankton, while 1.4 million tonnes of phytoplankton was deposited in pseudofeces from the mussels. Thus, a total of 6.4&ensp;±&ensp;2.4 million tonnes of phytoplankton was removed from the water column by zebra mussel in western Lake Erie during 1990. Primary production was estimated to be 24.8 million tonnes; therefore, zebra mussel removed the equivalent of 26&ensp;±&ensp;10% of the primary production for western Lake Erie.

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences↗

USGS1995

Effect of gear selectivity on recommended allowable harvest with application to the Lake Erie yellow perch fishery

Because the 57-mm-mesh gill net is the predominant gear in the Lake Eric fishery for yellow perch Perca flavescens , gear selectivity is an important factor operating in that fishery. The selectivity curve for age-groups 2–6 is roughly symmetrical with peak vulnerability at age 4; younger and older perch are substantially less susceptible to the gear. The Beverton-Holt yield-per-recruit and Ricker equilibrium yield models were applied to the west-central Lake Erie yellow perch fishery to examine the effect of gear selectivity on yield-per-recruit analysis. All fish older than a specified recruitment age are assumed to he equally vulnerable in the Beverton-Holt yield-per-recruit analysis, but the Ricker equilibrium yield model can explicitly accommodate gear selectivity. Optimal fishing rate was estimated with both models, and then recommended allowable harvests were generated based on yellow perch population size estimates. Inclusion of gear selectivity in the yield-per-recruit analysis resulted in a 12% decrease in recommended allowable harvest. When skewed gear selectivity curves were investigated, gear selectivity had a still more pronounced effect on recommended allowable harvest.

North American Journal of Fisheries Management↗

USGS1995

Fisheries management to reduce contaminant consumption

This paper concludes that contaminants in Lake Michigan fishes are likely to remain above detectable levels for some time. Some interest groups have called for measures ranging from additional effluent controls to a ban on the industrial use of chlorine. Such measures, however well intended, are likely to have little impact on many of the contaminants of primary concern. PCBs, in particular, are largely the legacy of past activities and are not likely to be substantially affected by additional regulation. The authors review several options for reducing human exposure to PCBs, using relatively simple fisheries manipulations, although they do not propose that these measures are the ultimate solution to the contaminant problem. Of the options presented, the most promising is the replacement of lake trout with less-contaminated species, such as rainbow trout.

BioScience↗

USGS1995

Waterbird predation on fish in western Lake Erie: a bioenergetics model application

To better understand the role of piscivorous waterbirds in the food web of western Lake Erie, we applied a bioenergetics model to determine their total fish consumption, The important nesting species included the Herring Gull (Larus argentatus), Ring-billed Gull (L. delawarensis), Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus), Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias), Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), and Great Egret (Casmerodius albus). The impact of migrant waterbirds, including the Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator), on western Lake Erie fish biomass was also considered in the analysis. According to the modeling results, during the early 1990s, piscivorous waterbirds consumed 13,368 tonnes of fish from western Lake Erie each year. This tonnage was equivalent to 15.2% of the prey fish biomass needed to support the walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) population in western Lake Erie during a single growing season. The model application was useful in quantifying energy flow between birds and fish in a large lake ecosystem.

Condor↗

USGS1994

Why are the PCB concentrations of salmonine individuals from the same lake so highly variable?

An individual-based model (IBM) was applied to the Lake Michigan rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) population, with the objectives of explaining the observed variation in growth and in polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentration within the population. When variation in prey PCB concentration was incorporated into the model, variability in PCB concentration among individual rainbow trout was fully explained by the IBM. Although number of spawnings and number of years spent in a stream prior to first entering the lake were factors in determining growth, these life history characteristics appeared to have only a minor impact on PCB accumulation rate in rainbow trout. The IBM application to the rainbow trout population was compared with an application to the Lake Michigan lake trout ( Salvelinus namaycush ) population. Modeling results indicated that the lower observed PCB concentrations in rainbow trout compared with lake trout were chiefly due to greater longevity in lake trout. The IBM simulations identified gross growth efficiency, assimilation efficiency of PCBs from food, and diet as other important sources of variability in salmonine PCB concentrations.

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences↗

USGS1993

Accumulation of PCBs by lake trout ( Salvelinus namaycush ): an individual-based model approach

To explain the variation in growth and in concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) among individual fish, an individual-based model (IBM) was applied to the lake trout ( Salvelinus namaycush ) population in Lake Michigan. The IBM accurately represented the variation in growth exhibited by the different age classes of lake trout. Uncertainty analysis of the IBM revealed that mean PCB concentration for the lake trout population was most sensitive to PCB concentration in their prey. The variability in PCB concentration among lake trout individuals was not adequately explained by the IBM, unless variation in prey fish PCBs was included in the model. To accomplish this, the simulated lake trout population was divided into subsets subjected to different levels of PCB concentration in the prey fish. Thus, model results indicated that variability in prey fish PCB concentration was an important component of the variation in PCB concnetration observed among individual lake trout comprising the Lake Michigan population.

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences↗

USGS1993

Simulation of the effects of time and size at stocking on PCB accumulation in lake trout

Manipulations of size at stocking and timing of stocking have already been used to improve survival of stocked salmonines in the Great Lakes. It should be possible to stock salmonines into the Great Lakes in a way that reduces the rate of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) accumulation in these fishes. An individual-based model (IBM) was used to investigate the effects of size at stocking and timing of stocking on PCB accumulation by lake trout Salvelinus namaycush in Lake Michigan. The individual-based feature of the model allowed lake trout individuals to encounter prey fish individuals and then consume sufficiently small prey fish. The IBM accurately accounted for the variation in PCB concentrations observed within the Lake Michigan lake trout population. Results of the IBM simulations revealed that increasing the average size at stocking from 110 to 160 mm total length led to an increase in the average PCB concentration in the stocked cohort at age 5, after the fish had spent 4 years in the lake, from 2.33 to 2.65 mg/kg; the percentage of lake trout in the cohort at the end of the simulated time period with PCB concentration of 2 mg/kg or more increased from 62% to 79%. Thus, PCB contamination was reduced when the simulated size at stocking was smallest. An overall stocking strategy for lake trout into Lake Michigan should weigh this advantage regarding PCB contamination against the poor survival of lake trout that may occur if the trout are stocked at too small a size.

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society↗

USGS1992

Patterns of organochlorine contamination in lake trout from Wisconsin waters of the Great Lakes

To investigate spatial and temporal patterns of organochlorine contamination in lake trout from Wisconsin waters of the Great Lakes, we examined laboratory contaminant analysis data of muscle tissue samples from Lake Michigan (n = 317) and Lake Superior (n = 53) fish. Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlordane, and dieldrin, reported as mg/kg wet weight in 620 mm to 640 mm mean length Lake Michigan lake trout, decreased over time. Mean total PCB concentration declined exponentially from 9.7 in 1975 to 1.9 in 1990. Total chlordane concentration declined 63 percent from 0.48 in 1983 to 0.18 in 1990, and dieldrin declined 52 percent during this same period, from 0.21 to 0.10. The bioaccumulation rate of PCBs is significantly lower for lake trout inhabiting Lake Michigan's midlake reef complex, compared to lake trout from the nearshore waters of western Lake Michigan. Organochlorine compound concentrations were greater in Lake Michigan lake trout than Lake Superior fish. Lake Superior lean lake trout and siscowet exhibited similar rates of PCB bioaccumulation despite major differences in muscle tissue lipid content between the two subspecies. The lack of a significant difference in the PCB bioaccumulation rates of lean trout and siscowet suggests that lipid content may not be an important factor influencing PCB bioaccumulation in lake trout, within the range of lipid concentrations observed. Relative concentrations of the various organochlorine contaminants found in lake trout were highly correlated, suggesting similar mass balance processes for these compounds. Evidence presented revealing spatial and temporal patterns of organochlorine contamination may be of value in reestablishing self-sustaining populations of lake trout in Lake Michigan.

Journal of Great Lakes Research↗