1. Investigating Drivers of Cisco Recruitment in Lake Superior.
- Author
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Nyffeler, Olivia, Hansen, Gretchen J. A., and Waterhouse, Lynn
- Subjects
WATER pollution ,HYPOTHESIS ,NATIVE species - Abstract
The Great Lakes have historically featured high abundances of Cisco (Coregonus artedi), but by the 1970s stocks in all the lakes had collapsed. Populations appear to be steadily increasing in Lake Superior, but contemporary abundances are still below previous numbers. The declines in the mid-1900s were a result of anthropogenic influences such as overfishing, pollution, and invasive species introductions. Despite recovering stocks, recruitment is sporadic and the relationship between adult stocks and year-class strength is not yet fully understood. Our goal is to understand the abiotic and biotic factors driving Cisco recruitment in Lake Superior; we plan to use three quantitative models to investigate each hypothesized driver influencing recruitment including 1.) Multivariate Auto-Regressive State Space Models 2.) Empirical Dynamic Models, and 3.) Bayesian Spatial Delta-glmm models. We hypothesize that late falls, shorter winters, and early springs will negatively impact Cisco recruitment. We also expect to find recruitment will be negatively impacted by abundances of non-native species and other competitors. To date, we are collecting datasets and investigating hypotheses currently available in the literature and from Cisco experts to further identify further drivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023