Longer food chains and crowded niche space: effects of multiple invaders on desert stream food web structure

Tributaries of the Colorado River Basin, historically home to a complex of endemic omnivores collectively referred to as the ‘three species’; flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnis), bluehead sucker (C. discobolus) and roundtail chub (Gila robusta), have experienced the establishment of numerous non‐native fish species. In this study, we examine the impacts of the trophic ecology of non‐native fishes on the ‘three species’ in the San Rafael River, Utah, USA. We employ a suite of abundance comparisons, stable isotope techniques and size‐at‐age back‐calculation analyses to compare food web structure and growth rates of the ‘three species’ in study areas with and without established populations of non‐native species. We found that the ‘three species’ are more abundant in areas with few non‐native fishes present, regardless of habitat complexity. Stable isotope analyses indicate non‐native fishes lengthen the food chain by 0.5 trophic positions. Further, the trophic niche spaces of the native fishes shift and are narrower in the presence of non‐native fishes, as several non‐native species’ trophic niche spaces overlap almost entirely with each of the ‘three species’ (bluehead sucker and flannelmouth sucker 100%, roundtail chub 98.5%) indicating strong potential for competition. However, the ‘three species’ demonstrated no evidence of reduced growth in the presence of these non‐native fishes. Collectively, these results suggest that while non‐native fishes alter the food web structure presenting novel sources of predation and competition, mechanisms other than competition are controlling the size‐structure of ‘three species’ populations in the San Rafael River.     

Can translocated native fishes retain their trophic niche when confronted with a resident invasive?

Diet interactions between native and non‐native fishes may influence the establishment of native species within their historical range (i.e., reintroduction). Therefore, we illustrated the food web structure of and followed the transition of the federally endangered humpback chub Gila cypha into a novel food web following translocation and determined the potential for a non‐native species, rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, to influence translocation success. Humpback chub and rainbow trout used resources high in the food web and assimilated similar proportions of native fishes, suggesting non‐native rainbow trout may occupy an ecological role similar to humpback chub. Subsequently, humpback chub may be well suited to colonise tributaries because of their ability to consume resources high in the food web. Additionally, diet partitioning may occur between all members of the fish community as indicated by separation in trophic niche space and little trophic overlap; although all species, particularly bluehead sucker Catostomus discobolus, used a broad range of food resources. Rainbow trout stomach content analysis corroborated stable isotope analysis and suggested rainbow trout diet consisted of aquatic and terrestrial macroinvertebrates, while larger rainbow trout (>120 mm total length) consumed a greater proportion of fish (incidence of piscivory = 5.3%). Trophic interactions may reveal an underutilized niche space or biotic resistance to the establishment of translocated native fishes. Continued translocation of humpback chub into tributaries appears to be one option for conservation. However, successful establishment of humpback chub may depend on continued removal of non‐native trout, increasing availability of diet sources at higher trophic levels.     

Trophic overlap between non‐native brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) and native shortfin eel (Anguilla australis) in shallow lakes

We quantified trophic overlap between the invasive, non‐native catfish brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) and the New Zealand native shortfin eel (Anguilla australis) in four peat and riverine lakes using stable isotope (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) and gut content analyses. Across all lakes and fish sizes over the austral spring–summer period, shortfin eel guts were dominated numerically by fish prey (57% occurrence cf 42% in brown bullhead), while Diptera larvae were most commonly encountered in guts of brown bullhead (45% cf 14% in eels). Significant differences in % composition of animal contents in guts were detected between fish species and sampling occasions (n = 4) but not between lakes. In contrast, stable isotope signatures of brown bullhead and shortfin eel did differ significantly between lakes but not between sampling occasions, indicating enduring sources of nutrition despite apparently differing ingestion patterns over time. The R mixing model MixSIAR indicated that shortfins likely assimilated higher proportions of fish prey carbon compared to brown bullheads, which appeared to show greater assimilation of invertebrates, consistent with the results of gut content analyses. Isotopic niche regions, calculated in nicheROVER using probabilistic ellipses, indicated that shortfin eels occupied at least c.60% of brown bullhead trophic niche, which occupied less than 30% of eel trophic niche in all but one lake. These estimates suggest that brown bullhead has higher potential to influence shortfin eel nutrition than vice versa, or that a broad trophic niche occupied by eels provides resilience to the effects of overlapping consumption patterns with invasive omnivores.     

Trophic relationships between a native and a nonnative predator in a system of natural lakes

Abstract – Bull trout, a species of char listed as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act, have been displaced from portions of their historic range following the introduction of nonnative lake trout. It has been suggested that competitive exclusion as a result of trophic overlap between bull trout and lake trout may be the causal mechanism associated with displacement of bull trout. This study used stable isotope data to evaluate trophic relationships among native bull trout, nonnative lake trout and other fishes in seven lakes in Glacier National Park (GNP), Montana. Bull trout and lake trout had greater δ¹⁵N values relative to other fishes among lakes (δ¹⁵N ≥ 3.0‰). Lake trout had greater δ¹⁵N values relative to bull trout (δ¹⁵N = +1.0‰). Bull trout had greater δ¹³C values relative to lake trout in six of the seven lakes examined. Although both bull trout and lake trout had greater δ¹⁵N values relative to other fishes within lakes in GNP, differences in δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C between bull trout and lake trout suggest that they are consuming different prey species or similar prey species in different proportions. Therefore, displacement of bull trout as a direct result of complete overlap in food resource use is not anticipated unless diet shifts occur or food resources become limiting. Additionally, future studies should evaluate food habits to identify important prey species and sources of partial dietary overlap between bull trout and lake trout.     

Diet and trophic niche of the endangered fish Garra ghorensis in three Jordanian populations

Garra ghorensis is a small riverine cyprinid fish endemic to the southern Dead Sea that is endangered through habitat loss and invasive species. Here, their diet and trophic niche were assessed in three Jordanian populations: an allopatric population, a population sympatric with native Capoeta damascina and a population sympatric with invasive Oreochromis aureus. Stomach content analyses of samples collected between February 2011 and January 2012 revealed that detritus and algae were prominent food items in their diets, with low dietary contributions of animal material. The most frequent and abundant macro‐invertebrates in intestines were Odonata nymphs and gastropod species. The calculation of trophic niche size from the stomach content data revealed that the niche of G. ghorensis (0.10) was generally smaller than sympatric C. damascina (0.24), with an overlap of 72%, whereas they had a larger trophic niche than sympatric O. aureus (0.20–0.13), with a niche overlap of 54%. These outputs were generally supported by stable isotope analyses of δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N completed on samples collected at the end of the 2011 growth season, although these indicated a greater contribution of animal material to assimilated diet. They also indicated that the trophic niche breadth [as standard ellipse area (SEA)] of C. damascina (4.18‰²) was higher than G. ghorensis (2.48‰²) and overlapped by 26%. For G. ghorensis, their SEA was slightly larger than O. aureus (4.33–4.00‰²), with an overlap of 27%. Although both methods indicated some sharing of food resources between sympatric fishes, there was no evidence suggesting detrimental outcomes for G. ghorensis and thus was not considered as a constraint on the status of their populations.     

Stable isotopes reveal niche segregation between native and non-native Hoplias in a Neotropical floodplain

We investigated whether isotopic niche partitioning could mediate the coexistence between native (Hoplias sp. B) and non-native (Hoplias mbigua) trahira in a Neotropical floodplain. We hypothesised that during the dry season both species inhabit isolated sites (i.e. lakes) and thus rely on distinct food resources to sustain their coexistence. We found evidence of trophic segregation among native and non-native freshwater fish in the Upper Paraná River, Brazil. Even though both species rely on the same primary littoral carbon sources and present similar trophic diversity, trophic segregation was attained through larger niche amplitude and smaller isotopic niche width for the non-native fish. Three decades after initial invasion, non-native Hoplias have distinct foraging behaviour and do not compete for trophic resources with native trahira; this is likely due to morpho-anatomical differences. Limited morphological similarity between these congeneric species might be the strongest factor contributing to their coexistence in the Paraná River floodplain during the dry season.     

Quantifying trophic interactions and niche sizes of juvenile fishes in an invaded riverine cyprinid fish community

Quantifying feeding interactions between nonindigenous and indigenous fishes in invaded fish communities is important for determining how introduced species integrate into native food webs. Here, the trophic interactions of invasive 0+ European barbel Barbus barbus (L.) and the three other principal 0+ fishes in the community, Squalius cephalus (L.), Leuciscus leuciscus (L.) and Phoxinus phoxinus (L.), were investigated in the River Teme, a River Severn tributary in Western England. B. barbus has been present in the River Teme for approximately 40 years. Analyses of stomach contents from samples collected from three sites between June and September 2015 revealed that, overall, fishes displayed a generalist feeding strategy, with most prey having low frequency of selection. Relationships of diet composition versus body length and gape height were species‐specific, with increasing dietary specialisms apparent as the 0+ fishes increased in length and gape height. The trophic niche size of invasive B. barbus was always significantly smaller than S. cephalus and L. leuciscus and was significantly smaller than P. phoxinus at two sites. This was primarily due to differences in the functional morphology of the fishes; 0+ B. barbus were generally restricted to foraging on the benthos, whereas the other fishes were able to forage on prey present throughout the water column. Nevertheless, the invasive B. barbus were exploiting very similar prey items to populations in their native range, suggesting these invaders were strongly pre‐adapted to the River Teme and this arguably facilitated their establishment and invasion.     

Coexisting invasive gobies reveal no evidence for temporal and trophic niche differentiation in the sublittoral habitat of Lake Erhai,China

Niche differentiation facilitates the coexistence of species within a community through avoidance of competition via mechanisms involving spatial, temporal and/or trophic dimensions. Where invasive species coexist in their non‐native range, niche differentiation could allow their persistence at higher levels of abundance. Here, we tested whether there was temporal and/or trophic niche differentiation between two congeneric invasive goby species (Rhinogobius cliffordpopei and Rhinogobius giurinus) in the sublittoral habitat of Lake Erhai (south‐west China) through quantifying their diel and seasonal rhythm of locomotion activities, feeding activities and diet composition. Both species displayed two similar diel peaks in activity and two main feeding periods (6:00–10:00 and 18:00–22:00), with rhythms of locomotion and feeding activity not differing significantly between the species in each season. Their diets had a high degree of overlap, being primarily composed of macrozooplankton, aquatic insects and shrimp larvae, with no diel changes across the seasons. Thus, in this habitat, there was no clear temporal or trophic niche differentiation between the invasive congeners, indicating their coexistence with high temporal and trophic overlap. In conjunction with data from the littoral and profundal habitats, the gobies revealed different strategies across the habitats (e.g. spatial segregation, trophic niche differentiation) that minimised their competitive interactions and promoted their coexistence. This suggests that the interactions of invasive fishes during the integration into native communities can be context dependent, varying according to factors including habitat and the availability of food resources.     

Dietary overlap and selectivity among silver carp and two native filter feeders in the Wabash River

Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) are a potential threat to native filter feeders and larval fish due to dietary overlap. To test for dietary overlap and selectivity, we collected diet samples from invasive silver carp and two native filter feeders (gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum and bigmouth buffalo Ictiobus cyprinellus), and river plankton samples at three sites on the Wabash River during the spring and summer of 2015. Contents of diet items were identified to major group and quantified. Diet proportions were compared among seasons, sites and species. Diet selectivity was calculated using the Manly–Chesson diet selectivity index. The results of our diet analysis showed that silver carp had significantly dissimilar diets among seasons and displayed dietary overlap with native fishes. We did not find a significant difference among sample sites. While silver carp diets overlapped with native fishes, the impact of this possible source of competition requires further study to confirm impacts on native fish abundances and body conditions.     

Reduction of a native fish fauna by alien species: an example from Brazilian freshwater tropical lakes

The consequences of introducing Cichla cf. monoculus Spix & Agassiz, Astronotus ocellatus (Agassiz) and Pygocentrus nattereri Kner into lakes in the River Doce basin, Brazil, on richness, diversity and efficiency of aquatic macrophytes as natural refugia to native fishes was investigated. Samples were taken from lakes with and without alien fishes in areas with and without aquatic macrophytes. The presence of alien fishes reduced richness and diversity of the native fish community. The refugia function, which could be attributed to the clustering of aquatic macrophytes, does not exist in these lakes probably because the alien fishes exploit such habitats for reproduction. Since introductions threaten the native fish diversity of the region, studies on regional dispersion and factors that minimise the spread of alien fishes are needed.     

Stable isotope evaluation of population‐ and individual‐level diet variability in a large,oligotrophic lake with non‐native lake trout

Non‐native piscivores can alter food web dynamics; therefore, evaluating interspecific relationships is vital for conservation and management of ecosystems with introduced fishes. Priest Lake, Idaho, supports a number of introduced species, including lake trout Salvelinus namaycush, brook trout S. fontinalis and opossum shrimp Mysis diluviana. In this study, we used stable isotopes (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) to describe the food web structure of Priest Lake and to test hypotheses about apparent patterns in lake trout growth. We found that isotopic niches of species using pelagic‐origin carbon did not overlap with those using more littoral‐origin carbon. Species using more littoral‐origin carbon, such as brook trout and westslope cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi, exhibited a high degree of isotopic niche overlap and high intrapopulation variability in resource use. Although we hypothesised that lake trout would experience an ontogenetic diet shift, no such patterns were apparent in isotopic signatures. Lake trout growth rates were not associated with patterns in δ¹⁵N, indicating that variation in adult body composition may not be related to adult diet. Understanding trophic relationships at both the individual and species levels provides a more complete understanding of food webs altered by non‐native species.     

Diet of non‐native northern snakehead (Channa argus) compared to three co‐occurring predators in the lower Potomac River,USA

Abstract – Introductions of large, non‐native, carnivorous fishes continue to occur worldwide and represent a substantial management concern to global biodiversity. One of the most recent non‐native fishes to successfully establish in North America is the northern snakehead (Channa argus), found in the lower Potomac River catchment. Dispersal of the northern snakehead throughout this system has been well documented since its original discovery in May 2004; however, little is known about the foraging habits of this species and its interactions with co‐occurring predators. Here, we quantify northern snakehead diet in comparison with the diets of naturalised largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), and native American eel (Anguilla rostrata) and yellow perch (Perca flavescens) collected from tidal freshwaters bordering Virginia and Maryland near Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Over 97% of northern snakehead gut contents were fishes, with fundulid and centrarchid species consumed most frequently. Dietary overlap was biologically significant only between northern snakehead and largemouth bass. Aquatic invertebrates were >10 times more common in native predator diets, reducing dietary overlap with northern snakehead. Ontogenic shifts in adult northern snakehead diet were also detected, which may be explained by optimal foraging rather than true prey specificity. Northern snakehead may be occupying a novel niche based on a piscivorous diet, therefore limiting competition with resident predators in the lower Potomac River. Further research into interactions between largemouth bass and northern snakehead is needed to inform management decisions and understand the ecological impacts of this non‐native species.     

Large‐bodied fish migration and residency in a flood basin of the Sacramento River,California, USA

River–floodplain complexes represent some of the most variable and diverse habitats on earth, yet they are among our planet's most threatened ecosystems. Use of these habitats by large‐bodied fishes is especially poorly understood, particularly in temperate regions. To provide insight into the factors that affect floodplain assemblages and migration, we sampled large‐bodied fishes with a fyke trap for 7 years in the Yolo Bypass, the primary flood basin of the Sacramento River, California. We collected a total of 18,336 individual fish comprised of 27 species, only 41% of which were native. Year‐round resident species white catfish Ameiurus catus, channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus and common carp Cyprinus carpio (all alien species) were the most abundant and comprised 74% of the total catch. Splittail Pogonichthys macrolepidotus (3.8%), white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus (2.3%) and Sacramento sucker Catostomus occidentalis (1.1%) were the primary native species. We found that seasonal variation in water temperature and flood stage were important factors affecting the fish assemblage structure and the presence of migratory species. American shad Alosa sapidissima, an alien species, showed highest abundance during the early summer upstream migration, when temperatures were warmer. For native species, the abundances of white sturgeon, splittail, Sacramento pikeminnow Ptychocheilus grandis and Sacramento sucker were all highest during flood pulses. While our results suggest that flow alone is not sufficient to control alien species, the strong linkage between native fish migration and flow pulses highlights the importance of river–floodplain connectivity for the conservation of native fishes.     

Trophic niche overlap between native freshwater mussels (Order: Unionida) and the invasive Corbicula fluminea

1. Freshwater mussels (Order Unionida) are highly threatened. Interspecific competition for food sources with invasive alien species is considered to be one of the factors responsible for their decline because successful invaders are expected to have wider trophic niches and more flexible feeding strategies than their native counterparts.
2. In this study, carbon (δ¹³C: ¹³C/¹²C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N: ¹⁵N/¹⁴N) stable isotopes were used to investigate the trophic niche overlap between the native freshwater mussel species, Anodonta anatina, Potomida littoralis, and Unio delphinus, and the invasive bivalve Corbicula fluminea living in sympatry in the Tua basin (south-west Europe).
3. The species presenting the widest trophic niches were C. fluminea and A. anatina, which indicate that they have broader diets than U. delphinus and P. littoralis. Nonetheless, all the species assimilated microphytobenthos, sediment organic matter, and detritus derived from vascular plants, although with interspecific variability in the assimilated proportions of each source. The trophic niche of the invasive species overlapped with the trophic niche of all the native species, with the extent varying between sites and according to the species.
4. From the three native species analysed, Potomida littoralis may be at a higher risk for competition for food with C. fluminea in the Tua basin, if food sources become limited, because this native mussel presented the narrowest trophic niche across sites and the highest probability of overlapping with the trophic niche of C. fluminea.
5. Given the global widespread distribution of C. fluminea, the implementation of management measures devoted to the control or even eradication of this invasive alien species should be a conservation priority given its potential for competition with highly threatened native freshwater mussels.

     

Trophic plasticity of invasive juvenile largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides in Iberian streams

Biological invasions are a major factor for biodiversity loss, particularly in freshwater environments. Largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides is native to North America and is invasive on the Iberian Peninsula, primarily to provide angling opportunities in reservoirs. However, this species is a threat to the endemic Iberian fauna via predation and competition. Currently, there is little information on largemouth bass in European streams. Thus, we assessed the trophic plasticity and body condition of young largemouth bass in both invasive (the regulated Bullaque River) and native (Murray Creek) streams. Abundance of juvenile largemouth bass, percentage of full stomachs and body condition were higher in Bullaque River. Largemouth bass preyed on benthic invertebrates much more heavily in the Bullaque River, whereas fishes were the most important prey in Murray Creek. Prey richness, diet diversity and trophic niche breadth were higher in the Bullaque River population. Largemouth bass preferred water-column fishes as prey and avoided consuming benthic fishes in Murray Creek, whereas water-column fishes were avoided in Bullaque River. These results demonstrate that largemouth bass display substantial trophic plasticity which possibly facilitates its success as invasive species. Regulated Iberian streams may provide both suitable food and habitat resources with minimal predation pressure, and hence may serve as recruitment sources for this invasive fish.     

Habitat niche separation of the nonnative rainbow trout and native masu salmon in the Atsuta River,Hokkaido, Japan

The mechanisms by which nonnative species establish populations can be classified into two broad categories: they usurp the niches of native species through interspecific competition, or they avoid this intense interspecific competition by making use of minimal niche overlap with the native species. In this study, we considered how a nonnative salmonid species, the rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, established a population in the presence of the native salmonid species, the masu salmon O. masou, in Hokkaido, Japan. Circumstantial field evidence shows that the masu salmon exceeds the rainbow trout in abundance and suggests that these species use different types of cover habitat (rainbow trout abundance increases with increasing abundance of large woody debris aggregates, whereas masu salmon abundance increases with increasing abundance of undercut banks). These results imply that the rainbow trout established a population due to minimal niche overlap with the masu salmon, and not by competitive exclusion of the native species.     

Do fish isotopic niches change in an Amazon floodplain lake over the hydrological regime?

Floodplain lakes are ecosystems characterised by annual flood and dry cycles. Fish ecology is influenced by the flood pulse due to the large influx of allochthonous food resources and diversification of habitats during the flood cycle, while during the dry cycle, fishes tend to be confined in reduced habitat. The aim of this study was to evaluate the seasonal variation in trophic niche width and overlap of four species—Mylossoma duriventre, Prochilodus nigricans, Cichla.pleiozona and Serrasalmus rhombeus—in an Amazonian floodplain lake. Stable isotope analyses were used to estimate trophic niche width and overlap during the flood and dry seasons. We hypothesised broader niche width for all species during the flood cycle and a higher degree of overlap between the two piscivorous fishes during the dry cycle. Isotopic niche width was 72% broader for P. nigricans, 61% for S. rhombeus and 54% for C. pleiozona during the dry cycle, which did not support our hypothesis. Core niche width overlaps were not observed between piscivorous species in either flood or dry cycle. The results indicate that seasonal variation in isotopic niche width is specific to feeding habit. Understanding how fish trophic ecology responds to changes in the hydrological regime during the seasons is crucial for sustainable fishery management in a region where many people rely heavily on fish for nutritional and economic purposes.     

Complex influences of low-head dams and artificial wetlands on fishes in a Colorado River tributary system

Abstract  Low-head dams in arid regions restrict fish movement and create novel habitats that have complex effects on fish assemblages. The influence of low-head dams and artificial wetlands on fishes in Muddy Creek, a tributary of the Colorado River system in the USA was examined. Upstream, fish assemblages were dominated by native species including two species of conservation concern, bluehead sucker, Catostomus discobolus Cope, and roundtail chub, Gila robusta Baird and Girard. The artificial wetlands contained almost exclusively non-native fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas Rafinesque, and white sucker, Catostomus commersonii (Lacepède). Downstream, fish assemblages were dominated by non-native species. Upstream spawning migrations by non-native white suckers were blocked by dams associated with the wetlands. However, the wetlands do not provide habitat for native fishes and likely inhibit fish movement. The wetlands appear to be a source habitat for non-native fishes and a sink habitat for native fishes. Two non-native species, sand shiner, Notropis stramineus (Cope), and redside shiner, Richardsonius balteatus (Richardson), were present only downstream of the wetlands, suggesting a beneficial role of the wetlands in preventing upstream colonisation by non-native fishes.     

Beaver dams shift desert fish assemblages toward dominance by non‐native species (Verde River,Arizona, USA)

The reintroduction of beaver (Castor canadensis) into arid and semi‐arid rivers is receiving increasing management and conservation attention in recent years, yet very little is known about native versus non‐native fish occupancy in beaver pond habitats. Streams of the American Southwest support a highly endemic, highly endangered native fish fauna and abundant non‐native fishes, and here we investigated the hypothesis that beaver ponds in this region may lead to fish assemblages dominated by non‐native species that favour slower‐water habitat. We sampled fish assemblages within beaver ponds and within unimpounded lotic stream reaches in the mainstem and in tributaries of the free‐flowing upper Verde River, Arizona, USA. Non‐native fishes consistently outnumbered native species, and this dominance was greater in pond than in lotic assemblages. Few native species were recorded within ponds. Multivariate analysis indicated that fish assemblages in beaver ponds were distinct from those in lotic reaches, in both mainstem and tributary locations. Individual species driving this distinction included abundant non‐native green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) and western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) in pond sites, and native desert sucker (Catostomus clarkii) in lotic sites. Overall, this study provides the first evidence that, relative to unimpounded lotic habitat, beaver ponds in arid and semi‐arid rivers support abundant non‐native fishes; these ponds could thus serve as important non‐native source areas and negatively impact co‐occurring native fish populations.     

Spatial extent and consequences of black bass (Micropterus spp.) invasion in a Cape Floristic Region river basin

相似文献