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Beyond nitrogen and phosphorus subsidies: Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) as potential vectors of micronutrients

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Abstract

Large quantities of material are moved annually from the ocean to freshwater systems by migrating Pacific salmon. Previous studies have focused on nitrogen and phosphorus provided by spawning salmon but largely ignored micronutrients essential to aquatic productivity. We collected salmon tissue, water, and biofilm from seven southeast Alaskan streams both before and during the salmon run to test for potential micronutrient provision by salmon and uptake by biofilm. To examine temporal patterns, one stream was also sampled with high frequency. Samples were analyzed using ICP-OES for boron (B), calcium (Ca), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), sodium (Na), selenium (Se), silicon (Si), and zinc (Zn). Arrival of salmon increased stream water loads for Ca, Fe, Mg, and Na and the concentration of Co in biofilm across the seven study streams. Stream loads of B and biofilm Cu and Na content decreased in the presence of salmon. By examining one stream at finer temporal resolution, biofilm increased in Ca, Fe, and Mn concentrations near the end of the salmon run, indicating possible lag effects between peak salmon densities and biofilm micronutrient uptake. The increase in stream water micronutrient loads across space for four elements and uptake of three elements in biofilm through time suggest that salmon are a potential source of essential micronutrients for freshwater ecosystems, as has been repeatedly demonstrated for macronutrients. This study expands our understanding of resource subsidies by identifying potential micronutrients important to those ecological dynamics.

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Acknowledgements

Courtney Currier, Dominic Chaloner, and Janine Rüegg wrote the manuscript along with important contributions from all co-authors. In particular, Courtney Currier conducted all laboratory and data analyses. Janine Rüegg, Dominic Chaloner, Dave D’Amore, and Scott Tiegs oversaw or played important roles in field sampling. Gary Lamberti was the principle investigator on the grant and conceived the original study design. All authors reviewed and commented on the content of the manuscript. We thank Ann Marie Larquier, Sarah Winikoff, Angeline Kosnik, Mollie McIntosh, and Emily Campbell for assistance in the field and laboratory; Aaron Prussian, Katherine Prussian, and Steve McCurdy for insights about streams on Prince of Wales Island; Rick Edwards, Jacob Berkowitz, Erik Norberg, Mike Brueseke, and Susanne Hebbeler for logistical support. We also thank the Thorne Bay and Craig Ranger Districts (USDA Forest Service) as well as the Juneau Forestry Science Laboratory (USDA Forest Service) for their collaboration and support of this project. This research was supported by the USDA-CSREES National Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program (Managed Ecosystems Program 2006-35101-16566) and the Pacific Northwest Research Station (USDA Forest Service). Fish sampling was conducted under IACUC #06-086 from the University of Notre Dame.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA

    Courtney M. Currier, Dominic T. Chaloner, Janine Rüegg, Scott D. Tiegs & Gary A. Lamberti

  2. Pacific Northwest Research Stations, USDA Forest Service, Juneau, AK, 99801, USA

    David V. D’Amore

  3. School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA

    Courtney M. Currier

  4. Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche sur la Montagne, Université de Lausanne, 1950, Sion, Switzerland

    Janine Rüegg

  5. Department of Biological Sciences, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, 48309, USA

    Scott D. Tiegs

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  1. Courtney M. Currier
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Correspondence to Courtney M. Currier.

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Currier, C.M., Chaloner, D.T., Rüegg, J. et al. Beyond nitrogen and phosphorus subsidies: Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) as potential vectors of micronutrients. Aquat Sci 82, 50 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-020-00725-z

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