Migratory redhorse suckers provide subsidies of nitrogen but not phosphorus to a spawning stream

Abstract

Spawning migrations of fishes are common case studies for examining the magnitude of resource subsidies; however, no studies have evaluated this phenomenon in iteroparous migrations of the Catostomid (i.e. suckers) genus Moxostoma (i.e. redhorses). Fish resource subsidies are usually represented as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), and migratory redhorses can deliver these nutrients via excretion and eggs. We evaluated whether redhorses deliver N and P subsidies to Brasstown Creek—a fourth-order stream in the Southeastern US—during their spawning migrations. We measured individual-level nutrient contributions from excretion and eggs and extrapolated those values to estimate nutrient contributions based on daily abundances of migratory redhorses. We compared daily nutrient inputs to daily nutrient exports to determine the potential for resource subsidies. We estimated 71.6 kg of N and 4.4 kg of P were delivered to Brasstown Creek over a 98-day migration period. N input exceeded N export on 15 of the 98 days, but phosphorus input never exceeded P export. Eggs accounted for the majority of N and P input at 51% and 100% respectively. Redhorse N inputs peaked in the spring during a period of low N exports, suggesting that redhorse subsidies were delivered during times of elevated nutrient demand and relatively low nutrient availability. Suckers receive little management attention, and several species of redhorses are imperilled. Given our conclusion that redhorses provide a temporally critical N subsidy that is likely available to multiple consumers in freshwater food webs, this study provides compelling motivation for increased conservation of these species and their migrations.