Líffræðifélag Íslands - biologia.is
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2023
Höfundar / Authors: Lieke Ponsioen (1), Fia Finn (1), Gustav Hellström (2), Haraldur R. Ingvason (3), Zophonías O. Jónsson (1), Finnur Ingimarsson, Kalina H. Kapralova (4)
Starfsvettvangur / Affiliations: 1. Háskóli Íslands, 2. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 3. Hafrannsóknastofnun, 4. Keldur
Kynnir / Presenter: Lieke Ponsioen
Thingvallavatn, the largest lake in Iceland, harbours four morphs of Arctic charr which have diverged along benthic-limnetic ecological axis and occupy different ecological niches. The availability of various ecological niches in the lake makes it an ideal system to address fundamental ecological questions on habitat utilisation. However, assessing behaviour of fish in the lake is technically challenging, and thus little is known about behaviours related to habitat choice. Acoustic telemetry is ideal to fill this knowledge gap as it allows for tracking free-ranging animals and for assessing their behaviour in their natural habitat with minimal invasiveness. In this study electronic transmitters (tags) collecting information on water pressure and temperature were surgically implanted in 61 Arctic charr individuals belonging to all four morphs. The tags transmit acoustic signals to receivers moored around Thingvallavatn, allowing to collect and map life history information such as habitat use, home range, mating- and foraging- sites, among others. Data was collected over an entire year making it possible to explore how the different Arctic charr morphs use their respective ecological niches throughout the seasons. The use of acoustic telemetry not only provides better insight into the behaviour and ecology of Arctic charr in Thingvallavatn, but also allows for generating temperatures profiles of the lake, which comprise invaluable information for their conservation.