Food web interactions associated with a lahontan cutthroat trout reintroduction effort in an alpine lake

Abstract

Fisheries managers have stocked Lahontan Cutthroat Trout Oncorhynchus clarkii henshawi into Fallen Leaf Lake, California, since 2002 in an attempt to reestablish a naturally reproducing lacustrine population. However, the food web in Fallen Leaf Lake has been altered by the past introduction of nonnative species that may prey on or compete with reintroduced Lahontan Cutthroat Trout. Therefore, we used a combination of stomach content and stable isotope analyses to evaluate trophic characteristics within the aquatic species assemblage in Fallen Leaf Lake. Lahontan Cutthroat Trout preyed on mysid shrimp Mysis diluviana, aquatic insects, terrestrial arthropods, signal crayfish Pacificus leniusculus, and fishes. Diet overlap was greatest between Lahontan Cutthroat Trout and Mountain Whitefish Prosopium williamsoni; however, these species exhibited a generalized feeding strategy that may allow them to partition prey resources in order to avoid competitive interactions. Nonnative Lake Trout Salvelinus namaycush and Brown Trout Salmo trutta are top-level predators in Fallen Leaf Lake and both consumed Lahontan Cutthroat Trout during this study. Lake Trout d13C and d15N increased following Lahontan Cutthroat Trout stocking, a change consistent with incorporating isotopically enriched Lahontan Cutthroat Trout into their diet. Managers should consider the effects of predation by Lake Trout and Brown Trout on Lahontan Cutthroat Trout when developing future management and stocking programs for Fallen Leaf Lake. Additionally, intentional manipulation of the isotopic composition of hatchery-reared fish prior to stocking may be useful for evaluating predation in Fallen Leaf Lake and other systems.