Dr. Ian Richter, Postdoctoral Fellow, Blanchfield Lab, Queen's University Using the metabolic theory of ecology and size spectrum modelling to develop predictive stream fish productivity models Secondary production is indicative of the amount of energy available to higher trophic levels and can provide valuable insight into the dynamics of energy transfer within an ecosystem. Fish production incorporates a wide range of key response metrics such as abundance, biomass, growth, and reproduction, into one quantitative metric but requires resource-intensive data for empirical estimation. An alternative approach to evaluating the distribution and transfer of energy within aquatic ecosystems is size spectrum modelling which is reflects the negative scaling relationship between abundance and body size. While many studies have investigated fish productivity, few have evaluated different methods of estimating production or investigated the key drivers of productivity in riverine ecosystems. In this presentation, I present my research that focuses on investigating different approaches to predict the biomass production of stream fish assemblages using the metabolic theory of ecology and size spectrum modeling. More specifically, I test whether the metabolic theory of ecology and published standard production models can provide precise estimates of total stream fish productivity, investigate how a combination of abiotic and biotic variables are related to stream fish productivity in wadeable Ontario streams, and evaluate the effects of stream classification, spatial scale, and sampling design on the key parameters of riverine size spectrum models. Overall, this research demonstrates that published standard fish production models can be used to estimate productivity, that productivity is better predicted by biotic than abiotic variables, and that size spectra models at broad spatial scales can be used to investigate the movement of energy at higher trophic levels in river ecosystems. My research furthers our knowledge on the biomass production of stream fish communities and can serve a wide range of applications, including conservation and management efforts surrounding stream fish communities.
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