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Within‐population heterogeneity of habitat use by lake trout Salvelinus namaycush
Author(s) -
Morbey Y. E.,
Addison P.,
Shuter B. J.,
Vascotto K.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of fish biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1095-8649
pISSN - 0022-1112
DOI - 10.1111/j.1095-8649.2006.01236.x
Subject(s) - salvelinus , trout , pelagic zone , foraging , habitat , biology , ecology , fishery , littoral zone , predation , population , shoal , forage fish , salmo , fish <actinopterygii> , oceanography , demography , sociology , geology
To learn more about the degree of individual variation in resource use by lake trout Salvelinus namaycush , ultrasonic telemetry was used to study their habitat use in a lake without pelagic schooling fish prey. Individuals spent most of their time within the metalimnion in favourable water temperatures. They also made frequent excursions, however, into lake temperatures exceeding their optimum for physiological performance at all temporal scales considered. Their frequent use of nearshore habitats suggested that feeding in littoral areas may be common. Habitat use was highly variable among individuals, but spatial habitat use by individuals showed remarkable consistency between years. In particular, some lake trout exhibited high site fidelity to shallow, nearshore areas, whereas others used deep areas extensively. This level of between‐individual variation indicated niche partitioning by depth and the possibility of alternative foraging strategies.