Biodiversity and ecosystem risks arising from using guppies to control mosquitoes

El‐Sabaawi, Rana W.; Frauendorf, Therese C.; Marques, Piatã Santana; MacKenzie, Richard A.; Manna, Luisa Resende; Mazzoni, Rosana; Phillip, Dawn A. T.; Warbanski, Misha L.; Zandonà, Eugênia

doi:10.1098/rsbl.2016.0590

Cited by 56 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…However, some studies show that P. reticulata is favoured and highly adapted to urbanised environments, as it is considered a synanthropic species (McKinney, 2006). Its introduction in nonnative environments is mainly related to mosquito control, and often, its population exhibits explosive growth (El-Sabaawi et al, 2016). This species is opportunistic, omnivorous and bottom-dwelling (Lawal, Edokpayi, & Osibona, 2012), feeding on algae, invertebrates and detritus (Alves, Tófoli, Ganassin, & Hahn, 2016;Dussalt & Kramer, 1981).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Urbanisation affects the diet and feeding selectivity of the invasive guppy Poecilia reticulata

Ganassin

Frota

Muniz

et al. 2019

Ecology of Freshwater Fish

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The process of urbanisation is increasing the frequency and magnitude of fluctuations in the availability of food resources for fish. In this study, we investigated whether the diet and prey selected by the guppy Poecilia reticulata reflect the different levels of urbanisation using the total area of impervious surface soil as the metric. Rural streams (low percentage of urbanisation—LPU) and urban streams (high percentage of urbanisation—HPU) were sampled during both the rainy and dry seasons. The hypothesis tested was that the diet and selective behaviour differ spatially and seasonally between LPU and HPU streams. Among the analysed items, seasonal significant differences were only observed in HPU streams. In LPU streams, the trophic spectrum was wider, and a higher diversity of prey was selected. In HPU streams, the diet richness was lower with a dominance of Chironomidae, and there was also less variability in selected prey. Ephemeroptera and Trichoptera were always avoided, but Coleoptera were avoided only in LPU, while Oligochaeta were avoided in HPU streams. Thus, the diet and prey selected by P. reticulata were different between LPU and HPU streams, and this species has potential to compete for food with the native fauna in a wide variety of environmental conditions and available resources. Therefore, this dietary flexibility probably offers competitive advantages when colonising and establishing in a new habitat.

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

Urbanisation affects the diet and feeding selectivity of the invasive guppy Poecilia reticulata

Ganassin

Frota

Muniz

et al. 2019

Ecology of Freshwater Fish

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“…This study showed that guppies are widespread in Brazil, mostly in the southeastern and northeastern regions. The use of this species for mosquito control and the relaxation of environmental laws has certainly contributed to its widespread introduction, even though the effectiveness of mosquito control is questionable (Azevedo‐Santos et al ., , ; El‐Sabaawi et al ., ), and Brazilian federal policies are contrary to international sustainable practices (Lima‐Junior et al ., ; Padial et al ., ; Pelicice et al ., ). In countries with megadiverse biotas, it is essential to take precautions to prevent new invasions and loss of native fish species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This small‐bodied species (up to 6 cm in standard length, according to FishBase; Froese & Pauly, ), native of the coastal regions of Venezuela, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago (Deacon et al ., ), has become widely known because of the bright‐coloured patterns and voluminous caudal fins in males, leading to its frequent use in the aquarium market. Another route of guppy introduction involves stocking individuals in small waterbodies as a misguided strategy (Azevedo‐Santos et al ., , ; El‐Sabaawi et al ., ) to biological control of mosquito larvae (Chandra et al ., ; Deacon et al ., ). Once introduced, P. reticulata often becomes numerically dominant, especially in degraded areas (Casatti et al ., ; Magalhães & Jacobi, ; Vieira & Shibatta, ), and much of its invasion success can be explained by its sperm storage, early reproductive maturity (Winemiller & Rose, ) and air‐breathing capacity (Boschetto et al ., ; Kramer & Mehegan, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Historical distribution and current drivers of guppy occurrence in Brazil

Dias

Faria

Guarido

et al. 2020

Journal of Fish Biology

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Humans introduce non‐native species by means such as the deliberate release of fish into fresh waters and through commercial trade. The guppy Poecilia reticulata Peters, 1859, is commonly kept in aquaria and controls disease vectors, and now it occurs in many areas outside its natural distribution. Its initial habitat in Brazil was identified, and a study was performed to determine whether the density of guppies can be explained by the density of human population, per‐capita gross domestic product, level of human impact on the areas where guppies have been found and fish‐sampling effort. A total of 1402 guppy records were found; the southeastern region had the oldest records; and the southeastern, northeastern and central‐western regions had the maximum records. Low tolerance to the colder climate may be the reason for the lack of guppy records in the southernmost states. It was also observed that the occurrence of this fish is positively, yet weakly, related to the density of human population, indicating that improved regulations regarding its use in controlling disease vectors, the aquarium trade and education of aquarium hobbyists could help prevent the spread of this species and its potential impacts in Brazil.

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“…flying insects concentrating around light), or disorient prey (Fleming & Bateman 2018). These abilities, as well as effective dispersal strategies common in Poecilidae, may also contribute to the guppy's impact as an invasive species in many places outside its native range (El-Sabaawi et al 2016;Warbanski et al 2017). reduced snowpack making hares The reported resilience of guppy populations in response to a major anthropogenic disturbance in Trinidadian streams has implications worldwide.…”

Section: F I G U R Ementioning

confidence: 99%

Altered visual environment affects a tropical freshwater fish assemblage through impacts on predator–prey interactions

2019

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Increased turbidity and siltation caused by rock quarrying, mining, and deforestation are pervasive disturbances in aquatic systems. Turbidity interferes with vision for aquatic organisms, potentially altering predator–prey interactions. We studied the effects of these disturbances in Trinidadian streams by surveying predators and their shared prey both in streams with versus without quarries as well as in a focal stream before and after the establishment of a quarry. Then, to evaluate whether differential foraging success in turbid water might underlie abundance patterns of predators, we experimentally induced turbidity in mesocosms and measured predator foraging success. Upstream quarry presence had a dramatic effect on the benthic structure of streams, greatly increasing siltation. A substantial decrease in the abundance of a diurnal cichlid predator (Crenicichla frenata) was associated with quarry presence, while a nocturnal erytherinid predator (Hoplias malabaricus) was equally as abundant in streams with or without quarries. The density of their shared prey, the Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata) remained unchanged. In mesocosm trials, Crenicichla were less successful predators with turbidity, whereas Hoplias performed equally across turbidities. These foraging success results help explain differences in demographic shifts in response to turbidity for both predators. By relating short‐term effects of an anthropogenically altered visual environment on species interactions to abundance patterns of predators and prey, this study helps to identify an important mechanism whereby changes to species’ visual ecology may have long‐term effects on population biology.

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Biodiversity and ecosystem risks arising from using guppies to control mosquitoes

Cited by 56 publications

References 28 publications

Urbanisation affects the diet and feeding selectivity of the invasive guppy Poecilia reticulata

Urbanisation affects the diet and feeding selectivity of the invasive guppy Poecilia reticulata

Historical distribution and current drivers of guppy occurrence in Brazil

Altered visual environment affects a tropical freshwater fish assemblage through impacts on predator–prey interactions

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