Jukka Ruuhijärvi

Evaluating the utility of stable isotope analyses of archived freshwater sample materials

We evaluated the potential utility of stable isotope analysis of tissues commonly archived by aquatic biologists. Previous studies with chemically preserved samples have shown contradictory results, which present an obstacle for the use of archived sample materials. We tested the effects of ethanol and formalin preservation on zooplankton and of ethanol on benthic macroinvertebrate δ13C and δ15N values. We found that neither formalin nor ethanol had a significant effect on δ13C and δ15N values of preserved zooplankton. Nor did ethanol significantly affect δ13C or δ15N values of macroinvertebrates. However, ethanol preservation slightly, but significantly decreased C:N ratios of both zooplankton and macroinvertebrates, probably reflecting some extraction of lipids. Overall, the effects of preservatives on δ13C and δ15N values that we observed were minor. We also compared δ13C and δ15N values analysed from roach scales and perch operculum bones with those analysed from muscle tissue. Decalcification of scales and operculum bones only slightly improved our comparison to muscle tissue δ13C and δ15N values. Decalcified scales had slightly higher δ13C and lower δ15N values. Similarly, decalcified operculum bones showed slightly increased δ13C and decreased δ15N values to those for fish muscle. Our results confirm that scales and operculum bones can provide a suitable proxy for fish muscle in isotope studies with minor correction. We conclude that various archived sample materials can indeed be used with confidence for historical reconstructions of freshwater food webs by stable isotope analysis.

Diet shifts and food selection of perch Perca fluviatilis and roach Rutilus rutilus in humic lakes of varying water colour

The field data from four humic lakes suggested that water colour may have both direct and indirect effects on inter- and intra-specific interactions of perch Perca fluviatilis and roach Rutilus rutilus. The results agree with suggestions that, compared with R. rutilus, P. fluviatilis may be an inferior forager on zooplankton in highly coloured water. As an indirect effect, water colour decreases the coverage of macrophytes and limits suitable littoral habitats, benefiting R. rutilus over P. fluviatilis. Perca fluviatilis benefiting from complex habitats does not have the advantage in macrophyte-poor highly coloured water.

Estimation of roach (Rutilus rutilus (L.)) and smelt (Osmerus eperlanus (L.)) stocks with virtual population analysis, hydroacoustics and gillnet CPUE

Abstract Dynamics of roach (Rutilus rutilus (L.)) and smelt (Osmerus eperlanus (L.)) stocks were analysed with virtual population analysis (VPA), hydroacoustics and by analysing gillnet catches per unit effort (CPUE). The research area was the Enonselka basin of Lake Vesijarvi in southern Finland. In 1989 intensive trawl fishing on previously unexploited roach and smelt stocks was started. Heavy exploitation continued until 1993. Drastic reductions in fish stock densities were observed. The VPA indicated a decline in the roach stock from c. 3900xa0ind.xa0ha−1 in 1989 to c. 520xa0ind.xa0ha−1 in 1993. In the smelt stock the VPA indicated a respective decline from c. 18000 to c. 1900xa0ind.xa0ha−1. In 1994–1996 fishing was sustained on a lower level. Anyhow, hardly any increase in stock density of roach and smelt was observed in 1994–1996. The estimates with hydroacoustics were in concordance with the VPA estimates in both the roach and the smelt stock. The gillnet CPUE-estimates were in agreement with hydroacoustics in roach stock assessment. However, gillnet CPUE was not suitable for analysing the dynamics of the smelt stock.

The food, growth and abundance of five co-existing cyprinids in lake basins of different morphometry and water quality

The food, growth and abundance of five co-existing cyprinid fish species in the eutrophic Lake Hiidenvesi were studied. The diet overlaps within the cyprinid community in shallow lake basins were compared with those in a deep basin, where littoral resources are less available. Roach, bleak and white bream inhabited both the shallow and the deep parts of the lake. Their growth rate was slow, probably due to the low availability of animal food, indicated by the increasing proportion of detritus and plant material in the diets towards the end of the summer. In the deep basin, roach and bleak, contrary to white bream, did not forage on the very abundant invertebrate Chaoborus flavicans, explained by the migration behaviour of C. flavicans. Blue bream, unlike other cyprinids, utilized copepods and had a relatively fast growth rate, but was mostly restricted to the shallow areas. The condition of the bream stock was weak both in terms of growth and abundance. The availability of zoobenthos was low and bream was not able to compete for zooplankton with the more specialized planktivores.

Effects of biomanipulation on fish and plankton communities in ten eutrophic lakes of southern Finland

The effects of biomanipulation were studied in ten Finnish lakes to determine responses in fish and plankton communities and water quality after mass removal of cyprinids. From 1997 to 2001, the fish communities shifted from the dominance of large cyprinids to an explosion of small cyprinids and a higher proportion of piscivores in effectively biomanipulated lakes (>200xa0kgxa0ha−1xa03xa0yr−1). The biomass of cyanobacteria decreased, and the duration of the blooms shortened and shifted towards the autumn. Decreased concentrations and slower cycling of nutrients and increased grazing by cladocerans probably affected the declined biomass of cyanobacteria. Less intensive sediment disturbance and increased phosphorus-retention in fast growing fish biomass may have turned the role of the fish assemblage from ‘nutrient recycler’ to ‘nutrient storage’. Increased potential grazing pressure, higher proportion of edible algae, and lower chlorophyll a:total phosphorus ratio indicated strengthened herbivore control. A high mass removal catch in relation to trophic state, low background turbidity, and bearable external loading favoured the successful biomanipulation, whereas intensive cyprinid reproduction, high nutrient loading and non-algal turbidity hindered the recovery. Three important issues should be noticed before biomanipulation in Finland: (1) careful selection of target lake, (2) well-planned, effective and long-lasting biomanipulation and (3) sustainable management of piscivores.

Carbon, phosphorus and nitrogen budgets of the littoral Equisetum belt in an oligotrophic lake

Stores and flows of carbon, phosphorus and nitrogen in a littoral Equisetum stand were studied in 1978–1980 in the oligotrophic, mesohumic lake Pääjärvi, southern Finland. The major carbon and nutrient stores were sediment and Equisetum. The seasonal cycle of the macrophyte vegetation had a profound influence on the whole littoral ecosystem. In spring, when only dead remains of Equisetum were present above ground, there were few differences in nutrient, chlorophyll a and zooplankton concentrations between the littoral and the open lake; phytoplankton and epiphytes were the major producers.In early June, when new shoots of Equisetum reached the water surface, water exchange between the littoral and the open lake started to diminish, and the characteristic features of a closed macrophyte zone gradually developed: by August the P, Chl a and zooplankton concentrations in the littoral were 5–10 times those in the open lake. From late June until autumn Equisetum was overwhelmingly dominant both in biomass and in production.The measured total primary production and respiration values indicated a high rate of internal cycling of carbon and nutrients. The daily P requirements of plant growth exceeded the total P stored in the water by a factor of 2–4, and also exceeded the release of nutrients in excretion. High N:P ratios in the water (total 10–64, inorganic 18–171) suggested that P was probably always the limiting nutrient.The P content of the annual production of Equisetum in Pääjärvi was 2.3% of the mean annual P load, and 5.3% of the mean total P storage in the water volume of the lake.

Recovery of the fish community and changes in the lower trophic levels in a eutrophic lake after a winter kill of fish

A severe oxygen deficit induced a fish kill in the eutrophicated two-basin Lake Äimäjärvi in southern Finland during winter 2002–2003, resulting in cascading effects on the lower trophic levels of the lake. Pikeperch disappeared from the lake and bleak and white bream decreased to low numbers. The recovery of the populations of other species started immediately when strong year-classes of roach and perch appeared in summer 2003 and onwards. A sharp increase in the growth of perch and roach was recorded, and perch became the dominant fish species during 2004–2006. Consequent responses after the fish kill included increased Secchi depth, expansion of submerged macrophytes, decreased nutrient concentrations and reduction of Cyanophyta from the more eutrophic northern basin of the lake, and a temporary increase in the size of Daphnia in the early summer 2003. However, the ecosystem of the lake returned gradually to the earlier structure and level of eutrophication. Bluegreen algae have returned since 2005, the water has become more turbid, macrophytes declined in 2007 and the fish community was again dominated by small cyprinid fishes in 2008.

Environmental factors regulate the effects of roach Rutilus rutilus and pike Esox lucius on perch Perca fluviatilis populations in small boreal forest lakes

In this study of 18 small boreal forest lakes, the effects of abiotic and biotic factors (roach Rutilus rutilus and pike Esox lucius) on various population variables of perch Perca fluviatilis were examined. As a single variable, the gillnet catch per unit effort (CPUE) of R. rutilus was negatively related to the mean mass of small (< 200 mm) and the growth rate of young (1-2 years) P. fluviatilis. The mean mass of large (> or = 200 mm) P. fluviatilis was the highest at intermediate CPUE of R. rutilus. Redundancy analysis including environmental factors and P. fluviatilis population variables suggested that predation-productivity-humus gradient affected P. fluviatilis populations by decreasing the CPUE and mean mass of small individuals but increasing these variables of large individuals. The CPUE of R. rutilus and lake area had a negative effect on small and a positive effect on large P. fluviatilis growth rate. In small boreal forest lakes, P. fluviatilis populations are affected by the partially opposite forces of competition by R. rutilus and predation by E. lucius, and the intensity of these interactions is regulated by several environmental factors.

Ecological classification of large lakes in Finland: comparison of classification approaches using multiple quality elements

Ecological classifications according to the Water Framework Directive (WFD) are presented for a set of 32 large (surface area >75xa0km2) Finnish lakes. We compared three different approaches: classification according to the strictest biological quality element (One-out, All-out approach, OoAo); numerical integration of biological quality elements (BQE) to determine median scores; and the national classification based on weight-of-evidence (WoE) framework. We also examined the sensitivity of eutrophication metrics to phosphorus concentrations. The WoE based classification proposed that the ecological status in most lakes is high (12/32) or good (17), whereas the integration of BQEs ranked more lakes (18) to high status. Of the biological elements, macrophytes and phytoplankton indicated the status closest to those given by the national WoE classification whereas generally fish indicated higher and macroinvertebrates lower status. Compared to the OoAo classification, the national WoE approach gave similar, downgraded or upgraded status classes. Downgrading was due to the higher weight given to water quality and eutrophication pressures. Upgrading was due to the lower weight given to a single macroinvertebrate metric with poorly represented data. In our opinion, the classification based on the WoE approach produces more realistic status estimates than the OoAo classification. Nevertheless, in practical lake management the evidence from the strictest classification metrics still needs to be thoroughly considered.

Coastal and freshwater pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) populations differ genetically in the Baltic Sea basin

Microsatellite DNA based analysis of the pattern of genetic diversity among three coastal and five freshwater populations of pikeperch Sander lucioperca in the northern part of the Baltic Sea drainage basin indicated marked genetic differentiation between the coastal and lake populations. The F(st) between these population groups was as high as 0.25 and R(st) =0.32. In general, the lake populations showed higher genetic diversity than the coastal ones. In terms of genetic distance, the three coastal populations (Vanhankaupunginlahti, Västanfjärd and Taivassalo) grouped tightly together. The freshwater samples formed a looser group, in which the northern Lake Kemijärvi showed greater distance from the southern lakes than these did from each other. The two lake populations originally established through stockings (Lakes Painio and Averia) grouped near to their source population of Lake Lohjanjärvi and their diversity level was nearly the same. Safeguarding the unique Baltic coastal populations of S. lucioperca against gene flow from increasing hatchery releases using freshwater S. lucioperca should be a high management priority.