Partial diel vertical migration in an omnivorous macroinvertebrate, Mysis diluviana

Partial migration, whereby only a portion of a population migrates, has just recently received attention in aquatic systems. Partial diel vertical migration (DVM) has received even less attention but could significantly influence our understanding of trophic interactions and nutrient movement in open water systems. Recent work in the Baltic Sea shows differences in isotope composition between benthic and pelagic Mysis salemaai sampled at night, suggesting that partial DVM may be fixed at the individual level. Historic observations of North American M. diluviana suggest partial DVM in this species, but this behavior has largely been ignored in the literature. We used length, occurrence of gravid females, and body δ13C, δ15N, δ34S, and C:N ratio as markers to test for differences among adult M. diluviana collected from benthic and pelagic habitats at night in Lake Champlain, USA. We found differences in body length and occurrence of gravid females between pelagic- and benthic-caught M. diluviana and differences in C:N between pelagic- and benthic-caught non-gravid individuals, consistent with life stage and body condition hypotheses for partial migration. Partial DVM of M. diluviana could have significant impacts on population assessments which could bias food web models used in basic research and management.