A review and meta-analysis of the environmental biology of bleak Alburnus alburnus in its native and introduced ranges, with reflections on its invasiveness

Abstract

The bleak Alburnus alburnus is a medium body-size leuciscid fish that is naturally distributed across central European and western Asian fresh waters. However, during the last two decades A. alburnus has been widely introduced elsewhere in Europe and in northern Africa, mostly as a forage species for game fishes. Given its relatively recent history of invasion in non-native Eurasian waters, where it can become highly abundant, A. alburnus poses a serious risk to native communities where introduced. This study provides a review and meta-analysis of the biological traits of A. alburnus coupled with insights into its invasiveness. In its native range, A. alburnus has a moderate lifespan, inhabiting lakes or still waters in medium-to-large rivers, where it feeds mainly on zooplankton. However, non-native A. alburnus populations display high phenotypic plasticity in their biological attributes. Thus, growth, reproductive and/or dietary traits have adapted to local environmental conditions, with the species also invading lotic (stream) ecosystems. Feeding changes to benthic invertebrates, plant material and detritus when zooplankton is scarce. Such plasticity, including broad physiological tolerance, is likely to facilitate the species' adaptation and invasion of new habitats in the near future.

Effects of mining activities on fish communities and food web dynamics in a lowland river

“…Indicated by the DNA sequences from metabarcoding, perch and bleak caught upstream of the dam had a higher number of terrestrial species in their gut content, but this result was not significant for roaches. While perch and roach are known to usually ingests only minor proportions of terrestrial insects (e.g., Marklund et al., 2019 ; Persson, 1983 ; Svanbäck & Bolnick, 2007 ), bleak has an upward‐facing snout showing the adaptions feeding on insects from the water surface (Bíró & Muskó, 1995 ; Latorre et al., 2023 ). The metabarcoding approach does not allow for a quantitative assessment of the ingested prey, as biomass estimates are not possible.…”

“…(2019). We did not estimate the trophic level ($$$ \mathrm{TL} $$$) of the fish, but assumed a theoretical level of 2.5, as we analyzed omnivorous species and individuals (Bíró & Muskó, 1995; Latorre et al., 2023; Marklund et al., 2019; Persson, 1983).…”

Swimming under Pressure: The Sub-Lethal Effects of a Pesticide on the Behaviour of Native and Non-Native Cypriniformes Fish

“…The barbel is a medium-sized species with a bottom trophic strategy; it mostly inhabits lotic environments but has the ability to live in reservoirs. The bleak is an invasive opportunist that feeds mostly on zooplankton and algae but occasionally eats fish larvae [65]. It inhabits preferably lentic environments but can spread across river networks and occupy lotic ones.…”