Individual variation in spawning migration timing in a salmonid fish-Exploring roles of environmental and social cues.

Describing and explaining patterns of individual animal behaviors in situ, and their repeatability over the annual cycle, is an emerging field in ecology owing largely to advances in tagging technology. We describe individual movements of adult Sakhalin taimen Parahucho perryi, an endangered salmonid fish, in the headwaters of a river in northern Japan during the spring spawning season over 2 years. Migration timing, separated into stages prior to, during, and following the spawning period, was found to be more consistent and repeatable for females than males. We hypothesized that the observed coordinated movement within seasons, and repeatability in migration timing across seasons, could result from (1) individual-specific responsiveness resulting from endogenous, biological traits that are mediated by environmental factors, or (2) social interactions among comigrating individuals. We found that water temperature and water level experienced by fish near the river mouth approximately a week before arrival at the spawning ground explained variability in run timing between years for females but not males. We found no evidence of conspecific attraction or repulsion resulting from social interactions among the spawners and post-spawners. We conclude that individual-specific responsiveness to environmental cues was the likely mechanism underpinning the observed migration timing and movement patterns.

Primary production estimated for large lakes and reservoirs in the Mekong River Basin.

Understanding the proximate factors and mechanisms driving primary production in manmade reservoirs is crucial because such production can translate into added fish yields that provide people with food and livelihoods. Furthermore, reservoir fish production could potentially compensate for the loss of fish yields due to habitat fragmentation and alterations caused by damming and impoundment. We monitored primary production, identified environmental factors responsible for its variability, and examined the relationship between primary production and fish production in nine large water bodies of the Lower Mekong Basin for 2 years. The estimated primary production ranged from 40 to 302 g C/m2/y and was generally greater in the wet season than in the dry season. Linear mixed-effects modelling identified the concentration of dissolved inorganic carbon as a significant fixed-effect variable regulating primary production, after variability due to random and fixed effects of water body and seasonality, respectively, were taken into account. Fish yields marginally increased with increasing primary production across the water bodies, with the estimated energy transfer efficiency ranging from 0.004 to 0.009. Dissolved inorganic carbon was partly determined by the lithological composition of the water body catchment, suggesting that the geographic locations of proposed dams determine the magnitude of primary production and hence future fish production.

The dynamics of pico-sized and bloom-forming cyanobacteria in large water bodies in the Mekong River Basin.

In the face of plans for increased construction of dams and reservoirs in the Mekong River Basin, it is critically important to better understand the primary-producer community of phytoplankton, especially the warm-water cyanobacteria. This is because these algae can serve as the primary source of carbon for higher trophic levels, including fishes, but can also form harmful blooms, threatening local fisheries and environmental and human health. We monitored the dynamics of three cyanobacteria-Synechococcus spp., Microcystis aeruginosa, and Dolichospermum spp.-for two years in nine large lakes and reservoirs in the Mekong River Basin. The densities of these algae were largely system-specific such that their abundance was uniquely determined within individual water bodies. However, after accounting for the system-specific effect, we found that cell densities of Synechococcus spp., M. aeruginosa, and Dolichospermum spp. varied in response to changes in photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), total nitrogen, and water level, respectively. Because both PAR and water level tend to fluctuate concordantly over a wide geographic area, Synechococcus spp., and to a lesser extent Dolichospermum spp., varied synchronously among the water bodies. Sustaining the production of pico-sized primary producers while preventing harmful algal blooms will be a key management goal for the proposed reservoirs in the Mekong Basin.

Potential effects of hydroelectric dam development in the Mekong River basin on the migration of Siamese mud carp (Henicorhynchus siamensis and H. lobatus) elucidated by otolith microchemistry.

The migration of Siamese mud carp (Henicorhynchus siamensis and H. lobatus), two of the most economically important fish species in the Mekong River, was studied using an otolith microchemistry technique. Fish and river water samples were collected in seven regions throughout the whole basin in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia over a 4 year study period. There was coherence between the elements in the ambient water and on the surface of the otoliths, with strontium (Sr) and barium (Ba) showing the strongest correlation. The partition coefficients were 0.409-0.496 for Sr and 0.055 for Ba. Otolith Sr-Ba profiles indicated extensive synchronized migrations with similar natal origins among individuals within the same region. H. siamensis movement has been severely suppressed in a tributary system where a series of irrigation dams has blocked their migration. H. lobatus collected both below and above the Khone Falls in the mainstream Mekong exhibited statistically different otolith surface elemental signatures but similar core elemental signatures. This result suggests a population originating from a single natal origin but bypassing the waterfalls through a passable side channel where a major hydroelectric dam is planned. The potential effects of damming in the Mekong River are discussed.