Growth rate and abundance of common fishes is negatively related to dissolved organic carbon concentration in lakes

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) can limit food web productivity in lakes, potentially imposing resource limitation on fishes. We asked whether the abundance or early growth rate of three fish species was negatively related to DOC in 59 lakes in southern Québec, Canada, where DOC concentrations ranged from 4 to 16 mg L-1 for lakes containing walleye (Sander vitreum) and yellow perch (Perca flavescens) and from 2.6 to 9 mg L-1 for lakes containing lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush). Estimates of abundance and growth rate were more precise for walleye and lake trout than for yellow perch due to differences in sample size. Abundance was negatively related to DOC for walleye, and perhaps also for lake trout and yellow perch. Early growth rate was negatively related to DOC for walleye and lake trout, but not yellow perch. These results support a growing body of literature suggesting that the productivity of fish populations may be negatively related to DOC concentrations in lakes.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author