University of Windsor Scholarship at UWindsor Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2012 SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL AP TTERNS OF ENERGY FLOW IN A SEASONALLY VARIABLE MARINE ENVIRONMENT Bailey McMeans University of Windsor Follow this and additional works at: http://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd Recommended Citation McMeans, Bailey, "SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL PATTERNS OF ENERGY FLOW IN A SEASONALLY VARIABLE MARINE ENVIRONMENT" (2012). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 448. This online database contains the full-text of PhD dissertations and Masters’ theses of University of Windsor students from 1954 forward. These documents are made available for personal study and research purposes only, in accordance with the Canadian Copyright Act and the Creative Commons license—CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivative Works). Under this license, works must always be attributed to the copyright holder (original author), cannot be used for any commercial purposes, and may not be altered. Any other use would require the permission of the copyright holder. Students may inquire about withdrawing their dissertation and/or thesis from this database. For additional inquiries, please contact the repository administrator via email ([email protected]) or by telephone at 519-253-3000ext. 3208. SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL PATTERNS OF ENERGY FLOW IN A SEASONALLY VARIABLE MARINE ENVIRONMENT by Bailey McMeans A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies through Environmental Science in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Windsor Windsor, Ontario, Canada 2012 © 2012 Bailey McMeans SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL PATTERNS OF ENERGY FLOW IN A SEASONALLY VARIABLE MARINE ENVIRONMENT by Bailey McMeans APPROVED BY: ______________________________________________ Dr. Katrin Iken University of Alaska Fairbanks ______________________________________________ Dr. Trevor Pitcher Biological Sciences ______________________________________________ Dr. Ken Droulliard GLIER ______________________________________________ Dr. Doug Haffner GLIER ______________________________________________ Dr. Michael Arts Environment Canada ______________________________________________ Dr. Aaron Fisk, Advisor GLIER ______________________________________________ Dr. Stephen Hibbard, Chair of Defense Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research May 24, 2012 DECLARATION OF CO-AUTHORSHIP/PREVIOUS PUBLICATION I. Co-Authorship Declaration I hereby declare that this dissertation contains original material that is the result of joint research. A.T. Fisk contributed to all chapters by providing the opportunities and facilities necessary to complete the research along with intellectual guidance. M.T. Arts also contributed to all chapters by analyzing the fatty acids and by providing detailed comments and helpful direction. In Chapter 2, S. Rush contributed by commenting on the manuscript and providing statistical consultation. In Chapter 3, N. Rooney provided comments and suggestions on the organization of the text. In Chapter 5, M.A. MacNeil provided statistical help and comments on the text. In all cases, the key ideas, data interpretation, and writing of all chapters were performed by the author, Bailey C. McMeans. I am aware of the University of Windsor Senate Policy on Authorship and I certify that I have properly acknowledged the contribution of other researchers to my thesis, and have obtained written permission from each of the co-author(s) to include the above material(s) in my thesis. I certify that, with the above qualification, this thesis, and the research to which it refers, is the product of my own work. II. Declaration of Previous Publication This dissertation includes 3 original papers that have been previously published or submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals, as follows: Dissertation Publication Publication title/full citation Chapter status McMeans, BC, Arts, MT, Rush, S, Fisk, AT (2012) Seasonal patterns in fatty acids of Calanus Chapter 2 hyperboreus (Copepoda, Calanoida) from Cumberland published Sound, Baffin Island, Nunavut. Marine Biology. DOI 10.1007/s00227-012-1889-6123 iii McMeans, BC, Arts, MT, Fisk, AT. Similarity between predator and prey fatty acid profiles is tissue Chapter 4 dependent in Greenland sharks ( Somniosus submitted microcephalus ): implications for diet reconstruction. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology I certify that I have obtained a written permission from the copyright owner(s) to include the above published material(s) in my dissertation. I certify that the above material describes work completed during my registration as graduate student at the University of Windsor. I declare that, to the best of my knowledge, my thesis does not infringe upon anyone’s copyright nor violate any proprietary rights and that any ideas, techniques, quotations, or any other material from the work of other people included in my thesis, published or otherwise, are fully acknowledged in accordance with the standard referencing practices. Furthermore, to the extent that I have included copyrighted material that surpasses the bounds of fair dealing within the meaning of the Canada Copyright Act, I certify that I have obtained a written permission from the copyright owner(s) to include such material(s) in my thesis. I declare that this is a true copy of my thesis, including any final revisions, as approved by my thesis committee and the Graduate Studies office, and that this thesis has not been submitted for a higher degree to any other University or Institution. iv ABSTRACT Food web theory has uncovered several structures, or patterns of carbon flow, that increase food web persistence. However, empirical studies focused on these structures have been largely restricted to temperate and tropical areas. In the present dissertation, I sampled the food web of Cumberland Sound, Nunavut during summer (August) and winter (April) of 2007-2009 and used stable isotopes (SI: δ15 N, δ13C) and fatty acids (FA) to identify whether this arctic food web exhibited the following structures: 1) spatial resource coupling, 2) individual diet specialization and 3) temporal resource coupling. I first identified that the FA profile of a key arctic herbivore ( Calanus hyperboreus ) consistently differed between summer and winter over two years (e.g. higher 18:1n-9 in winters vs. summers), which aided in the interpretation of FAs in upper trophic levels. I then tested for the presence of spatial resource coupling in the summer food web. Based on δ15 N-derived trophic positions and δ13 C-derived % reliance on phytoplankton (vs. macroalgae), lower trophic levels fed predominantly on one of two resources and upper trophic levels used multiple resources, supporting the existence of spatial resource coupling. Following a preliminary analysis comparing Greenland shark ( Somniosus microcephalus ) and prey FAs, inter-tissue differences in Greenland shark 22:5n-3 among muscle, liver and plasma revealed that some individual sharks fed on consistent resources, but that the extent of individual diet specialization varied over time. Individual Greenland sharks were therefore concluded to feed as generalists, which is consistent with the finding that Cumberland Sound consumers acted as spatial resource couplers. Finally, SIs and FAs revealed that ~50% of Cumberland Sound species switched their diet between summer and winter. A literature review confirmed this temporal resource v coupling by consumers on a pan-arctic scale. Overall, structures of an arctic food web agreed with those predicted by recent food web theory, such that spatial and temporal variability in resource abundance and consumer feeding behaviour are likely important for arctic food web persistence. In this context, any result of climate warming that acts to synchronize resource dynamics or remove consumer resource coupling could decrease the persistence of arctic food webs. vi DEDICATION To Kevin, mom, Fran & Don Thank you for your incredible patience and support. What you give me is more than I will ever be able to repay. I love you. vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I first extend my immense gratitude to Aaron Fisk for giving me the opportunity to work on this project. Aaron provided me with unwavering support that facilitated the completion of this dissertation, both logistically, intellectually and emotionally. I am forever grateful to Aaron for the five field seasons I was fortunate enough to spend in Pangnirtung, and for the chance to cruise the fjords of Svalbard. These experiences have truly changed me as a person, and given me a respect and fascination for all things Arctic. The almost complete freedom to choose the direction of this dissertation was overwhelming at times, but through the muckiness and times of struggle, that freedom has made me a better scientist. Thank you Aaron, for trusting me enough to give me the freedom and the space to grow. I also extend my thanks to Michael Arts, who has truly acted as a 'second supervisor' to me. I feel incredibly lucky to have received help and input from someone as knowledgeable as Michael, and every single chapter in this dissertation has been improved immensely by his attention. Michael's encouragement and kind words have also been a constant source of positivity, for which I am incredibly grateful. I thank Doug Haffner for helping me learn how to think conceptually, and for enlightening discussions when I conceptually thought myself into a corner. Ken Drouillard has always taken the time to answer