Data and code from: Spatiotemporal dynamics of food availability for juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) across a watershed habitat mosaic
Data files
Apr 29, 2026 version files 2.54 MB
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calculating_invertebrate_biomass_concentration.R
3.46 KB
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coho_salmon_fork_lengths.csv
1.19 MB
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invertebrate_biomass_by_taxon.csv
170.87 KB
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invertebrate_biomass_concentration_and_abiotic_predictors.csv
7.35 KB
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invertebrate_counts.csv
153.01 KB
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invertebrate_length_mass_regression_coefficients.csv
6.19 KB
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invertebrate_lengths.csv
953.14 KB
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invertebrate_volumes.csv
9.18 KB
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prey_abundance.R
17.95 KB
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prey_accessibility_abiotic_habitat_suitability.R
2.67 KB
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prey_accessibility_anatomical_constraints_on_prey_consumption.R
9.74 KB
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prey_quality_aquatic_versus_terrestrial_invertebrates.R
1.79 KB
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prey_quality_prey_size.R
8.18 KB
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README.md
9.11 KB
Abstract
Variation in food availability can influence fish growth, survival, and life history diversity. Yet, relatively few studies have investigated spatiotemporal variation in food availability among fish-bearing habitats at the watershed scale. In this study, we described spatial and seasonal patterns of food availability (invertebrate prey abundance, quality, and accessibility) for juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in natal tributary streams and non-natal floodplain wetlands in the North Thompson watershed (British Columbia, Canada). We found striking seasonal differences between streams and wetlands for all dimensions of food availability. Notably, wetlands had up to 136 times greater prey abundance than streams throughout the rearing period. However, high prey abundance often coincided with high water temperature and low dissolved oxygen concentration that potentially limit prey accessibility in wetlands, suggesting that wetlands may be high-risk, high-reward habitats. Comparatively low prey abundance in streams may be offset by more favourable abiotic conditions and higher-quality prey. Collectively, these results indicate that asynchrony in food availability generates a seasonally shifting portfolio of growth opportunities for juvenile salmon across a watershed habitat mosaic.
Description of the data and file structure
Any NA represents missing data.
Data files and variables
File: invertebrate_length_mass_regression_coefficients.csv
Description:
This file contains invertebrate length-mass regression coefficients obtained from the scientific literature (presented in Table S2).
Number of variables: 8
Number of rows: 89
Variables
- taxon: Invertebrate taxon, assigned to each invertebrate during sample processing
- habitat.stage: Habitat of an invertebrate in its current life stage, assigned to each invertebrate during sample processing
- life.stage: Invertebrate life stage, assigned to each invertebrate during sample processing
- coef.taxon: Invertebrate taxon corresponding to coefficient values (a and b) that were reported in the literature
- coef.habitat.stage: Habitat corresponding to coefficient values (a and b) that were reported in the literature
- coef.life.stage: Invertebrate life stage corresponding to coefficient values (a and b) that were reported in the literature
- a: Invertebrate length-mass regression coefficient reported in the literature
- b: Invertebrate length-mass regression coefficient reported in the literature
File: invertebrate_counts.csv
This file contains data on the number of invertebrates in invertebrate sample replicates.
Number of variables: 9
Number of rows: 2202
Variables
- site.name: Name of study site
- site.code: Identifier assigned to study site
- site.type: Habitat type (Stream or Wetland) of study site
- month: Month of invertebrate sample collection (July 2022; August 2022; September 2022; October 2022; or April 2023)
- replicate: Identifier assigned to an invertebrate sample for a given study site and month
- taxon: Invertebrate taxon, assigned to each invertebrate during sample processing
- habitat.stage: Habitat of an invertebrate in its current life stage, assigned to each invertebrate during sample processing
- life.stage: Invertebrate life stage, assigned to each invertebrate during sample processing
- invert.count: Number of invertebrates
File: invertebrate_lengths.csv
This file contains data on the length of each invertebrate in invertebrate sample replicates.
Number of variables: 9
Number of rows: 13013
Variables
- site.name: Name of study site
- site.code: Identifier assigned to study site
- site.type: Habitat type (Stream or Wetland) of study site
- month: Month of invertebrate sample collection (July 2022; August 2022; September 2022; October 2022; or April 2023)
- replicate: Identifier assigned to an invertebrate sample for a given study site and month
- taxon: Invertebrate taxon, assigned to each invertebrate during sample processing
- habitat.stage: Habitat of an invertebrate in its current life stage, assigned to each invertebrate during sample processing
- life.stage: Invertebrate life stage, assigned to each invertebrate during sample processing
- invert.length: Invertebrate length in millimetres (mm)
File: invertebrate_biomass_by_taxon.csv
This file contains estimates of invertebrate biomass in invertebrate sample replicates.
Number of variables: 9
Number of rows: 2164
Variables
- site.name: Name of study site
- site.code: Identifier assigned to study site
- site.type: Habitat type (Stream or Wetland) of study site
- month: Month of invertebrate sample collection (July 2022; August 2022; September 2022; October 2022; or April 2023)
- replicate: Identifier assigned to an invertebrate sample for a given study site and month
- taxon: Invertebrate taxon, assigned to each invertebrate during sample processing
- habitat.stage: Habitat of an invertebrate in its current life stage, assigned to each invertebrate during sample processing
- life.stage: Invertebrate life stage, assigned to each invertebrate during sample processing
- invert.biomass: Invertebrate biomass in milligrams (mg)
File: invertebrate_volumes.csv
This file contains estimates of the volume of water filtered for each invertebrate sample replicate.
Number of variables: 6
Number of rows: 180
Variables
- site.name: Name of study site
- site.code: Identifier assigned to study site
- site.type: Habitat type (Stream or Wetland) of study site
- month: Month of invertebrate sample collection (July 2022; August 2022; September 2022; October 2022; or April 2023)
- replicate: Identifier assigned to an invertebrate sample for a given study site and month
- volume.m3: Volume of water in cubic metres (m3) that was filtered by a drift net or a plankton net during invertebrate sample collection
File: invertebrate_biomass_concentration_and_abiotic_predictors.csv
This file contains invertebrate biomass concentration and abiotic predictor data.
Number of variables: 19
Number of rows: 53
Variables
- site.name: Name of study site
- site.code: Identifier assigned to study site
- site.type: Habitat type (Stream or Wetland) of study site
- latitude: Latitude of study site
- invert.date: Date of invertebrate sample collection
- year: Year of invertebrate sample collection
- month.num: Month (numeric) of invertebrate sample collection
- day: Day of invertebrate sample collection
- month: Month of invertebrate sample collection (July 2022; August 2022; September 2022; October 2022; or April 2023)
- invert.biomass.conc: Total invertebrate biomass concentration in milligrams per cubic metre (mgm-3) for each site in each sampling month, summed across site replicates
- water.temp.spot: Spot measurement of water temperature in degrees Celsius (C) recorded using a YSI multiparameter probe once at each site in each sampling month
- total.phosphorous: Total phosphorous in micrograms per litre (gL -1) sampled once at each site in each sampling month
- DO.spot: Spot measurement of dissolved oxygen concentration in milligrams per litre (mgL -1) recorded using a YSI multiparameter probe once at each site in each sampling month
- max.temp.logger: Maximum water temperature in degrees Celsius (C) recorded by a remote data logger at each site on the date of invertebrate sampling
- min.DO.logger: Minimum dissolved oxygen concentration in milligrams per litre (mgL -1) recorded by a remote data logger at each site on the date of invertebrate sampling. Missing measurements ('NA') were replaced with spot measurements of dissolved oxygen concentration (DO.spot).
- avg.canopy.cover: Mean canopy cover (averaged across transect measurements) in percent (%), recorded once at each site
- avg.perc.fine.sediment: Mean fine sediment (averaged across transect measurements) in percent (%), recorded once at each stream site
- connectivity: Connectivity of a wetland site with the North Thompson River (Connected, Disconnected, or in Transition)
- stand.discharge: Standardized estimates of stream discharge in cubic metres per second (m3s -1). Average discharge (on the date of invertebrate sampling) was calculated using hourly discharge estimates from rating curves, or from Environment and Climate Change hydrometric station data, for July to October 2022. Discharge was measured manually at each site in April 2023 on the date of invertebrate sampling. For each site, standardized discharge was calculated by dividing discharge estimates by Mean Annual Discharge
File: coho_salmon_fork_lengths.csv
This file contains juvenile coho salmon fork length data collected at streams and wetlands (including non-study sites) across the North Thompson watershed from 2020 to 2023.
Number of variables: 6
Number of rows: 26188
Variables
- site.name: Name of study site
- site.code: Identifier assigned to study site
- year: Year that juvenile coho salmon fork length measurements were collected
- month: Month that juvenile coho salmon fork length measurements were collected
- fork.length.mm: Fork length of juvenile coho salmon in millimetres (mm)
- fork.length.cm: Fork length of juvenile coho salmon in centimetres (cm)
Code/Software
File: calculating_invertebrate_biomass_concentration.R
Description:
This script was used to estimate invertebrate biomass concentration.
File: prey_abundance.R
Description:
This script was used to conduct the three prey abundance analyses.
File: prey_quality_prey_size.R
Description:
This script was used to conduct the prey quality (prey size) analysis.
File: prey_quality_aquatic_versus_terrestrial_invertebrates.R
Description:
This script was used to assess prey quality (aquatic versus terrestrial invertebrates).
File: prey_accessibility_anatomical_constraints_on_prey_consumption.R
Description:
This script was used to determine prey accessibility (anatomical constraints on prey consumption).
File: prey_accessibility_abiotic_habitat_suitability.R
Description:
This script was used to determine prey accessibility (abiotic habitat suitability).