Winter storms: Good for ducks on the Great Lakes?

Ann Arbor, MI — Introduction of exotic zebra and quagga mussels was accompanied by a nearly 10-fold increase in the number of ducks wintering on Lake Ontario during the 1990's. Ducks using Lake Ontario during winter are mostly carnivorous, diving to the lake bottom to feed on mussels and other aquatic animals. However, biologists and bird enthusiasts alike noticed that diving ducks appeared to use some areas of Lake Ontario more than others during winter.

In a study conducted by The Long Point Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Fund (LPWWRF) in conjunction with the University of Western Ontario, researchers discovered that diving ducks were selecting locations along the Lake Ontario shoreline where winter storms and lake currents caused common duck foods to collect in shallow water areas.

Lake Ontario storms can be brutal and cold but heavy wave conditions also cause mussels and other small animals that now live in newly developed "mussel beds" to be torn from the lake bottom and deposited in shallow nearshore areas. What LPWWRF researchers found was that numbers of diving ducks along a given section of shoreline were related to the availability of food deposited by winter storms.

The large amount of duck food in nearshore areas deposited by storms may be a new phenomenon resulting from the introduction of the exotic mussels. Dr. Michael Schummer, lead researcher on the project, stated, "what this means is that ducks that normally must dive in water greater than 5m can save precious energy by feeding in areas with large amounts of food in water that is 2m or less in depth. In an area as cold and icy as the Great Lakes conserving energy may allow some ducks to winter farther north than normal and partially explain the increase in diving ducks at Lake Ontario."

Original Publication Information

Results of this study, "Interaction between Macroinvertebrate Abundance and Habitat Use by Diving Ducks during Winter on Northeastern Lake Ontario," are reported by Michael L. Schummer, Scott A. Petrie and Robert C. Bailey in the latest issue (Volume 34, No. 1, pp. 54-71) of the Journal of Great Lakes Research, published by the International Association for Great Lakes Research, 2008.

Contacts

For more information about the study, contact Michael L. Schummer, Department of Wildlife & Fisheries, Mississippi State University, Box 9690, Mississippi State, MS 39762; mschummer@cfr.msstate.edu, (662) 325-1978.

For information about the Journal of Great Lakes Research, contact Marlene Evans, Editor, National Water Research Institute, 11 Innovation Boulevard, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 3H5, Canada; editor@iaglr.org; (608) 692-1076.

Links

Since 1967, IAGLR has served as the focal point for compiling and disseminating multidisciplinary knowledge on North America's Laurentian Great Lakes and other large lakes of the world and their watersheds. In part, IAGLR communicates this knowledge through publication of the Journal of Great Lakes Research, available to members in print and electronic form. A searchable archive of the journal is available online and includes the abstracts of articles from the journal's inception in 1975 through the most recent issue. In addition, complete articles are available to members who have signed up for an electronic subscription.