Effects of northern pike (Esox lucius) additions on pollutant accumulation and food web structure, as determined by δ13 C and δ15 N , in a eutrophic and an oligotrophic lake

Abstract

In May 1993 and 1994, northern pike (Esox lucius) were added to eutrophic Lake 227 and oligotrophic Lake 110 at the Experimental Lakes Area in northwestern Ontario. Both lakes were previously dominated by cyprinids, and northern pike additions significantly decreased cyprinid densities in both lakes. Food web relationships were determined pre- and post-manipulation using stable carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) isotope analyses of zooplankton, benthic invertebrates, and fishes. In Lake 110, fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) shifted from a zooplanktivorous to a zoobenthivorous diet as indicated by a shift in isotopic composition to more depleted δ¹⁵N and enriched δ¹³C values after northern pike additions. It was not possible to direct predator-induced shifts in cyprinid diets in Lake 227. Concentrations of mercury and organochlorines (sum of polychlorinated biphenyls (ΣPCB), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (ΣDDT), and hexachlorocyclohexane (ΣHCH)) in these fish did not change markedly after northern pike introductions despite the shifts in diet for fathead minnow from Lake 110. However, concentrations of all contaminants were lower in biota from eutrophic Lake 227 when compared with Lake 110, which is consistent with previous studies. Our results indicate that nutrient availability, rather than short-term changes in food web structure, determined contaminant concentrations in fish and other biota from these lakes.