Ecological differentiation of resident Dolly Varden Salvelinus malma (Salmonidae) from Lake Dal’nee, Kamchatka

Abstract

Resident Dolly Varden Salvelinus malma of Lake Dal’nee (Paratunka River basin) is represented by two stable trophic groups: one group feeds on mainly amphipods while another on gastropods. The former group is dominantly infected by Cyathocephalus truncatus and Crepidostomum metoecus, whereas the latter group is infected with Crepidostomum farionis, Ichthyocotylurus erraticus, and Diplostomum spp. The fishes of the former group grow faster and defined by higher fat content of muscular tissue. In addition, they accumulate monoenic fatty acids in the muscles. The fishes of the latter group differ in a high content of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in the muscles. The amphipod foragers are characterized by a larger head with elongated upper jaw and comparatively short fins. A similar ecological differentiation is observed in the littoral benthivorous charrs from Lake Kronotskoe. The group feeding on amphipods was found in both lakes. In Lake Kronotskoe, the second group consumes the most abundant sedentary benthos, mollusks and chironomids.