Stickleback species pairs (Gasterosteus aculeatus): residence description, 2019

Residence of the species

1 Location of the species’ residence

Species at Risk Act (SARA) states that

“No person shall damage or destroy the residence of one or more individuals of a wildlife species that is listed as an endangered species or a threatened species, or that is listed as an extirpated species if a recovery strategy has recommended the reintroduction of the species into the wild in Canada.” [s. 33]

Also, SARA defines “residence” as:

“a dwelling-place, such as a den, nest or other similar area or place, that is occupied or habitually occupied by one or more individuals during all or part of their life cycles, including breeding, rearing, staging, wintering, feeding or hibernating.” [s. 2(1)]

The following statement (the residence statement) is a description of a residence for Paxton Lake and Vananda Creek Stickleback Species Pairs.

Paxton Lake and Vananda Creek Benthic and Limnetic Sticklebacks build nests within the littoral zone of the lakes in which they are found. These nests are considered residences as defined by SARA.

2 Structure, form and investment

The nests created, modified, used and defended by Paxton Lake and Vananda Creek Stickleback Species Pairs for spawning and early stages of rearing represent discrete dwelling places requiring significant investment in their creation and maintenance by the male sticklebacks.

3 Occupancy and life-cycle function

Stickleback Species Pairs, including Paxton Lake and Vananda Creek Stickleback Species Pairs, spawn in the shallow littoral areas of lakes (McPhail 1994). The limnetic species spawns from early April to early June in open-nesting sites on gravel or rock substrates, or on submerged logs, and at depths of no more than one metre. The benthic species spawns from mid-March to mid-May and chooses sites under the cover of aquatic vegetation or other structures in slightly deeper water, up to two metres (McPhail 1994; Hatfield and Schluter 1996, as cited in Hatfield 2009). The males of the species build nests in which a female lays her eggs. Males may mate with several females over a one to four day period. The males guard and defend the nests throughout nest construction, mating and a ‘parental care’ phase until fry are about one week old (Wood et al. 2004). Defended territories are related to the size of the individual male (Wood et al. 2004).

The nests have the functional capacity to support successful spawning and hatching and are occupied during the life stages of adult, egg and juvenile hatch. As such, nests are considered a residence for the Paxton Lake and Vananda Creek Stickleback Species Pairs during the time they are occupied by the male through the spawning period, while incubating the eggs and protecting the juveniles after they have hatched and left the nest, and until the male has finished all its nesting cycles.