Impacts Of Sea Lamprey On Lake Trout

Sea Lamprey Affects on the Lake Trout>>



This section describes how the sea lampreys impacted lake trout.  The envrionmental change was a biotic pressure that affected the morphology, behaviour, and physiology of the lake trout.

Morphology

Sea lampreys kill lake trout by sucking their blood and bodily fluids.  There is a 40 – 60% chance the lake trout will die after a two – ten day sea lamprey attack.  Sea lampreys attack lake trout by attaching itself to the body of the fish.  If the fish survives the attack it is left with a large open wound.  This wound affects the lake trout’s morphology because the lake trout is more susceptible to infection which can lead to its death.

Behaviour

Lake trout were the top predator in the Great Lakes before the sea lamprey invasion.  When the sea lampreys invaded they targeted the lake trout.  Sea lampreys also targeted the prey of lake trout.  The lake trout were unprepared for competition and predation.  This affected the behaviour of the lake trout.  The lake trout were unable to compete with the sea lampreys for food; this changed their behaviour because they were no longer at the top of the food chain.  The lake trout were unable to attack the sea lampreys.  They became prey for the sea lampreys, instead of the top predator.  This changed their behaviour because they had to avoid a species, and they were unable to eat the sea lamprey species.

Physiology

Sea lampreys leave open wounds on the lake trout which are prone to infection.  If an infection occurs in the bloodstream it could affect the blood cells in the lake trout.  If the sea lamprey is still attached to the fish when an infection is spread in the blood; the infection could affect the nutrients and taste in the lake trout blood for the sea lamprey.