Diet Selectivity of Introduced Flathead Catfish in Coastal Rivers

Pine, William E.; Kwak, Thomas J.; Waters, D. Scott; Rice, James A.

doi:10.1577/t04-166.1

Cited by 44 publications

(72 citation statements)

References 8 publications

(9 reference statements)

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“…The flexibility (across years) in prey consumption and apparent generalist feeding strategy observed for lionfish in this study is consistent with predatory strategies documented for other invasive fishes, including racer goby Neogobius gymnotrachelus and flathead catfish Pylodictis olivaris (Grabowska & Grabowski 2005, Pine et al 2005. Available evidence suggests that the most successful fish invaders appear to be piscivorous or omnivorous and ecological generalists (Kolar & Lodge 2001, Unmack & Fagan 2004.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

“…Our density estimates for grunts, scad, and damselfishes suggest that the 3 most abundant prey items observed in lionfish stomachs were also the 3 most abundant prey in the environment. This suggests that prey are generally taken in relation to their local abundance but additional prey surveys coupled with stomach contents are needed to strengthen this conclusion.The flexibility (across years) in prey consumption and apparent generalist feeding strategy observed for lionfish in this study is consistent with predatory strategies documented for other invasive fishes, including racer goby Neogobius gymnotrachelus and flathead catfish Pylodictis olivaris (Grabowska & Grabowski 2005, Pine et al 2005. Available evidence suggests that the most successful fish invaders appear to be piscivorous or omnivorous and ecological generalists (Kolar & Lodge 2001, Unmack & Fagan 2004.…”

supporting

confidence: 84%

“…Available evidence suggests that the most successful fish invaders appear to be piscivorous or omnivorous and ecological generalists (Kolar & Lodge 2001, Unmack & Fagan 2004. Such predation strategies likely aid invasive species during establishment in novel environments where the food base may differ from the species' natural range (Grabowska & Grabowski 2005, Pine et al 2005, providing an abundance of diverse potential prey resources that would only rarely be limiting (Grabowska & Grabowski 2005, Rehage et al 2005. The generalist feeding strategy that we have documented for Pterois volitans indicates one potential mechanism for the success of this invasive piscivore.…”

mentioning

confidence: 77%

“…As with nearly all studies of stomach contents from predatory fishes, we sampled specimens that contained prey items that could only be categorized as unidentifiable fish species. However, since different fish species are not expected to show differential digestion rates, we assumed that unidentifiable fish prey came from the same species and in similar proportions as identifiable species (Pine et al 2005). We incorporated unidentifiable fish prey for those analyses that did not depend on the identity of the particular prey item (cumulative prey curve, broad prey categories consumed, distributions of volume and number of prey consumed), and only used recognizable prey items for the remaining analyses.…”

Section: Duringmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diet of invasive lionfish on hard bottom reefs of the Southeast USA: insights from stomach contents and stable isotopes

Muñ̃oz¹,

Currin²,

Whitfield³

2011

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

119

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The Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans and P. miles complex) has become widely established along the United States Southeast coast and continues to colonize the Caribbean, yet its biology and ecology is only beginning to be understood. We used stomach contents and stable isotope analyses to determine the diet of lionfish in the warm-temperate hard bottom reef community in the Southeast US Atlantic Ocean. During June to August 2004 and 2006, we collected lionfish with SCUBA from 18 different locations in Onslow Bay, North Carolina, at depths of 30 to 45 m. In 2006, we also conducted visual surveys of small benthic fishes to estimate the abundances of potential prey. Analyses of stomach contents (n = 183) and stable isotopes (n = 115) suggest a generalist carnivorous diet, and prey categories were predominately fish (~99% of total volume) from 16 families. Major differences in the importance of prey occurred between years. Serranidae and Scaridae dominated the diet in 2004, while Haemulidae and Carangidae were important in 2006. Analyses of visual prey surveys did not reveal specialization on particular prey taxa but instead suggest that prey are consumed in relation to their local abundance. Given current theory pertaining to invasive species impacts, the expanding lionfish distribution, and observations that lionfish appear capable of settling to many different habitat types, the overall pattern of generalist piscivory emerging from these data indicates the potential for significant impacts to the invaded community.KEY WORDS: Marine invasion · Rocky reef · Scorpaenidae · Warm temperate · Continental shelf · Piscivory · Diet · Prey Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog Ser 432: [181][182][183][184][185][186][187][188][189][190][191][192][193] 2011 Along the United States Southeast Atlantic coast, and in Bermuda and the Bahamas, red lionfish Pterois volitans and devil firefish P. miles are now established and are continuing to expand their range in the Caribbean , Schofield 2009). These 2 species are nearly morphologically identical and 93% of specimens sampled from the Atlantic as well as North Carolina were P. volitans (Hamner et al. 2007), so hereafter we refer to invasive specimens collectively as lionfish or P. volitans. Native to the subtropical and tropical regions of the South Pacific, Indian Ocean, and the Red Sea, lionfish are venomous predators whose popularity in the aquarium trade may have contributed to their introduction to Atlantic waters (Whitfield et al. 2002, Semmens et al. 2004, Ruiz-Carus et al. 2006. Classified as demersal mesocarnivores together with groupers (Serranidae) and snappers (Lutjanidae) (Caillet et al. 1986), lionfish are believed to be opportunistic predators that consume fish, shrimp, and crabs in their native range (Hiatt & Strasburg 1960, Harmelin-Vivien & Bouchon 1976, Sano et al. 1984. However, until their recent invasion of the Atlantic and Caribbean, their biology and ecology were poorly understood bey...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

supporting

confidence: 84%

mentioning

confidence: 77%

Section: Duringmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Diet of invasive lionfish on hard bottom reefs of the Southeast USA: insights from stomach contents and stable isotopes

Muñ̃oz¹,

Currin²,

Whitfield³

2011

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

119

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“…These qualities support recreational and commercial fisheries throughout their native range and developing fisheries throughout their introduced range (Quinn 1993;Jackson 1999;Travnichek and Clemmons 1999). Unlike most other catfishes, flathead catfish are obligate carnivores and primarily piscivorous, and given their potential to reach large sizes, their feeding patterns have been widely studied to discern interactions with other fish species (Pine et al 2005). Swingle (1967) documented that flathead catfish greater than 254 mm total length ''may compete with fishermen for fish of harvestable size'' in ponds.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling Management Scenarios and the Effects of an Introduced Apex Predator on a Coastal Riverine Fish Community

2007

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Abstract.-The flathead catfish Pylodictis olivaris, a carnivorous fish species native to most of the central interior basin of North America, has been introduced into at least 13 U.S. states and 1 Canadian province. Concurrent declines in abundance of native fishes have been reported in aquatic systems where flathead catfish have been introduced. To evaluate the potential impact of this invasive species on the native fish community we developed an ecosystem simulation model (including flathead catfish) based on empirical data collected from a North Carolina coastal river. The model results suggest that flathead catfish suppress native fish community biomass by 5-50% through both predatory and competitive interactions. However, our model suggests these reductions could be mitigated through sustained exploitation of flathead catfish by recreational or commercial fishers at rates equivalent to those for native flathead catfish populations (annual exploitation ¼ 6-25%). These findings demonstrate the potential for using directed harvest of an invasive species to assist in restoring native communities.

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Specialized Feeding Patterns and Marine Resource Use by Nonnative Catfishes in a Coastal River Ecosystem Revealed by Dietary and Stable Isotopic Analyses

2021

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Two large predatory catfishes, the Flathead Catfish Pylodictis olivaris and Blue Catfish Ictalurus furcatus, have been introduced into multiple U.S. Atlantic slope drainages in recent decades, with concomitant reductions in native fish abundance and changes in faunal community composition. Here, we report on a study of the trophic ecology of sympatric Flathead Catfish and Blue Catfish in the lower Cape Fear River, North Carolina, to estimate trophic positions and identify possible impacts on marine and estuarine prey resources. We applied both dietary and stable isotope analysis to quantify species-specific foraging patterns, as well as the extent of variation among tributaries, seasonal periods, and ontogeny. Both catfish species displayed limited dietary breadth and specialized feeding patterns focused on prey resources within a restricted range of trophic levels. Dietary overlap between Blue Catfish and Flathead Catfish was low, and the species were separated by more than one trophic position. Flathead Catfish relied heavily on fish prey throughout ontogeny, with macroinvertebrates (crustaceans) as a consistent secondary prey resource, and showed increased reliance on potential anadromous prey resources at the largest sizes. Blue Catfish diets were dominated by the invasive Asian clam Corbicula fluminea, with contributions from fish prey only increasing for the largest individuals. Catfish trophic ecology varied among tributaries, and to a greater extent for Flathead Catfish, in terms of both the fish fauna eaten and the relative contribution of different invertebrate prey. Isotopic signatures for Flathead Catfish aligned with stomach contents to indicate a greater contribution of marine prey resources, including anadromous fishes, in the main-stem Cape Fear River compared with the Black and Northeast Cape Fear rivers. Our findings indicate that the predatory impacts of catfishes introduced to coastal river ecosystems will differ considerably between catfish species and may also vary within systems across fine spatial scales.

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Diet Selectivity of Introduced Flathead Catfish in Coastal Rivers

Cited by 44 publications

References 8 publications

Diet of invasive lionfish on hard bottom reefs of the Southeast USA: insights from stomach contents and stable isotopes

Diet of invasive lionfish on hard bottom reefs of the Southeast USA: insights from stomach contents and stable isotopes

Modeling Management Scenarios and the Effects of an Introduced Apex Predator on a Coastal Riverine Fish Community

Specialized Feeding Patterns and Marine Resource Use by Nonnative Catfishes in a Coastal River Ecosystem Revealed by Dietary and Stable Isotopic Analyses

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