Issue |
Knowl. Manag. Aquat. Ecosyst.
Number 424, 2023
Biological conservation, ecosystems restoration and ecological engineering
|
|
---|---|---|
Article Number | 13 | |
Number of page(s) | 9 | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/kmae/2023010 | |
Published online | 17 May 2023 |
Research Paper
Interactions of invasive pumpkinseed with a riverine endemic fish indicate trophic overlap but minimal consequences for somatic growth and condition
1
Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Fisheries, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, Menteşe, Muğla, Turkey
2
Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology Bournemouth University, Poole, Dorset, UK
3
Department of Ecology and Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Łódź, Łódź, Poland
4
Department of Biology, Science and Letters Faculty, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale, Turkey
5
Laboratorian and Veterinarian Health, Open and Distance Education Faculty, İstanbul University, İstanbul, Turkey
* Corresponding author: serhantarkan@gmail.com
Received:
26
March
2023
Accepted:
21
April
2023
The North American invasive fish pumpkinseed Lepomis gibbosus has been associated with some detrimental ecological consequences in some parts of its invasive range. Here, we tested the trophic interactions of pumpkinseed with the endemic stream fish Aegean chub Squalius fellowesii (‘chub’) in a Mediterranean-type water course in SW Anatolia, Turkey, using a bulk stable isotope approach (δ13C, δ15N). Seven sampling sites were able to be grouped as chub in pumpkinseed presence (n = 2) and absence (n = 3), and pumpkinseed in chub absence (n = 2). Across these groups, stable isotope metrics revealed that chub trophic (isotopic) niche size was similar in pumpkinseed presence/absence, but pumpkinseed had a larger niche in chub presence. In sites where they are co-habited, their niches showed some convergence, but with no apparent consequences for their growth or body condition, suggesting there were minimal ecological consequences of this sharing of food resources. These results suggest that the trophic consequences of this riverine invasion of pumpkinseed on this endemic chub was minimal.
Key words: Stable isotope analysis / freshwater fish / growth index / diet overlap
© U. Karakuş et al., Published by EDP Sciences 2023
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