Environmental Constraints on Spawning Depth of Yellow Perch: The Roles of Low Temperature and High Solar Ultraviolet Radiation

Abstract

The roles of temperature and ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in determining the spawning success of yellow perch Perca flavescens were investigated in two Pennsylvania lakes with different dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations. In situ incubation experiments were used to manipulate temperature and UVR and to examine hatching time and hatching success. Extensive scuba surveys were used to document actual spawning depths. Differences in the temperature and UVR profiles of the two lakes led to contrasting responses of incubated yellow perch eggs. Higher temperatures in the surface waters of the higher‐DOC lake led to hatching times that were 10–26 d shorter than those in the surface waters of the low‐DOC lake or in the deeper waters of the higher‐DOC lake. The high levels of UVR in the surface waters of the low‐DOC lake killed 100% of the eggs before hatching. Ultraviolet radiation had little effect on survival in the higher‐DOC lake or in deeper waters of the low‐DOC lake. Scuba surveys revealed that spawning in the low‐DOC lake occurred at greater depths than previously recognized. Ninety‐two percent of the eggs spawned in the low‐DOC lake were located at depths greater than 3 m, while 76% of eggs in the higher‐DOC lake were spawned in water less than 1 m deep. Temperature and UVR are both important in determining among‐lake differences in spawning depths of yellow perch. Yellow perch are able to spawn at shallow depths in higher‐DOC lakes, where warmer temperatures accelerate developmental rates and DOC blocks potentially damaging UVR. In low‐DOC lakes, yellow perch must spawn at greater depths to avoid UVR damage. Spawning at greater depths may be costly due to the substantially slower developmental rates at lower temperatures. Our data suggest that the conflicting selective pressures of UVR and temperature create an optimal spawning‐depth range for yellow perch that differs among lakes as a function of DOC concentration.