Comparative functional responses of native and high‐impacting invasive fishes: impact predictions for native prey populations

Comparative functional responses (FRs) can predict impacts of invasive species, including piscivorous fishes, via quantifying their depletion of native food resources as a function of prey density. The utility of FRs for predicting impacts on prey populations by invasive fishes of different trophic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecology of freshwater fish 2017-10, Vol.26 (4), p.533-540
Main Authors: Guo, Zhiqiang, Sheath, Danny, Amat Trigo, Fatima, Britton, J. Robert
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Barbus barbus
Carassius auratus
Consumption
consumption rate
Cyprinus carpio
Fish
Food resources
Foraging
Freshwater fishes
Guilds
Impact prediction
Interspecific relationships
Introduced species
invasion
Invasive fish
Invasive species
Larvae
Population density
Predation
Prey
Tinca tinca
type II functional response
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Summary:Comparative functional responses (FRs) can predict impacts of invasive species, including piscivorous fishes, via quantifying their depletion of native food resources as a function of prey density. The utility of FRs for predicting impacts on prey populations by invasive fishes of different trophic guilds was tested here by comparing the FRs of the invaders Cyprinus carpio and Carassius auratus, with three native, trophically analogous fishes, Barbus barbus, Squalius cephalus and Tinca tinca. Chironomid larvae and Gammarus pulex were used as prey items. Predictions, developed from studies on the foraging of C. carpio and C. auratus in the literature, were that the invaders would have significantly higher consumption rates for chironomids than the native fishes, but not for G. pulex. Mean consumption rates for chironomids were significantly lower for both invaders than B. barbus and S. cephalus, but were similar to T. tinca. Barbus barbus had a significantly lower consumption rate of G. pulex than both invaders, but there were no significant differences between S. cephalus, T. tinca and the invaders. All FRs were type II, with FR curves for the invaders preying upon chironomids never being significantly higher than the native fishes, contrary to predictions. For G. pulex, some significant differences were apparent between the invaders and native fishes, but again were contrary to predictions. These results indicated that when predation impacts of invasive fishes could also be a function of their population density and body sizes, these parameters should be incorporated into FR models to improve impact predictions.
ISSN:0906-6691
1600-0633
DOI:10.1111/eff.12297