Evaluation of factors associated with dynamics of Cichla ocellaris invasion of the Upper Paraná River floodplain system, Brazil

Abstract

Invasion by Cichla ocellaris was studied in the Upper Paraná River floodplain. Generalised linear models and the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) were applied to standardised gill-net catch data (CPUE), with years, rivers, secchi depth, and their respective interactions. Generalised additive models and AIC were used to evaluate relationships of CPUE for C. ocellaris with standard length, sampling year and secchi depth. C. ocellaris was first recorded in 1992 in the Paraná and Ivinheima Rivers. Nevertheless, the CPUE of individuals was very low in the latter until 2000, and the species was not recorded from the Baía River until 2000. In 2001, CPUE of C. ocellaris greatly increased (from 20 to 140) in all three rivers, and this coincided with changes in hydrology and suspended sediment. Greater secchi depth is thought to benefit foraging by these visually oriented, diurnal piscivores. The estimated annual growth rate for local populations was 21% for the Paraná, 42% for the Ivinheima, and 73% for the Baía Rivers. Consequently, relative to other populations, C. ocellaris of the Baía River and, to a lesser degree, the Ivinheima River, appear to be less influenced by density-dependent factors given their more recent invasions of those areas.

A review on introduced Cichla spp. and emerging concerns

“…In the Neotropical habitat, Cichla spp. resides in waters with 23–28 °C temperature, pH of 7.8 and dissolved oxygen concentration of ±5.0 mg l −1 ( Fugi et al., 2008 ; Kovalenko et al., 2010 ; de Souza et al., 2011 ; Espinola et al., 2014 ; Franco et al., 2018 ).…”

“…Introduced Cichla spp. can tolerate dissolved oxygen (2.9–8.0 mg/L) and water temperatures (26–29.2 °C) of tropical environments while also experiencing 77 % rapidness for their growth rates and are able to produce offspring that are tolerant to similar conditions ( Straškraba et al., 1993 ; Shafland, 1999a ; Chellappa et al., 2003a , b ; Espínola et al., 2014 ; Bower et al., 2016 ; Sharpe et al., 2017 ; Franco et al., 2018 ; Schofield et al., 2019 ).…”

“…The discovery of C. temensis, C. ocellaris, C. monoculus, and C. kelberi during 1960s favoured them for aquaculture produce, game fishing, pet and exotic species trade in Europe, North and Central America and Asia ( Winemiller et al., 1997 , 2001 ; Fugi et al., 2008 ; Pelicice and Agostinho, 2009 ; Espinola et al., 2014 ; Franco et al., 2018 ). It is possible that flash floods and damming have allowed fish to migrate between unconnected water bodies and inaccessible areas in Brazil, Peru and Venezuela ( Zaret and Paine, 1973 ; Latini and Petrere Jr, 2004 ; Espinola et al., 2014 ; Agostinho et al., 2018 ; Franco et al., 2018 ). Therefore, in the course of 25 years, 15 species of Cichla were being discovered in South America ( Vasquez and Rogers, 1992 ; Jepsen et al., 1997 ; Winemiller et al., 1997 ; Kullander and Ferreira, 2006 ; Willis et al., 2012 ; Mourāo et al., 2017 ).…”

Aquarium trade and fish farms as a source of non-native freshwater fish introductions in French Guiana

“…Non-native species are indeed recognised as one of the main cause of biodiversity erosion (Butchart et al, 2010) and freshwater fish invasions already had pervasive impacts throughout South America (Vitule et al, 2009;Pelicice et al, 2017). More specifically Cichla invasion has been reported to cause a biodiversity collapse of the lake Panama ecosystem in the seventies (Zaret and Paine, 1973), and Cichla ocellaris, a species closely related to Cichla monoculus, is currently invading the Upper Parana river (Espinola et al, 2015). Tilapia (Oreochromis sp.)…”

Upper Paraná River floodplain: synthesizing knowledge over time

“…Graça & Pavanelli (2007), recorded about 75 invasive species of fish in the floodplain, among them the tucunaré (Cichla monoculus Bloch & Schneider), which is a visually oriented and diurnal piscivore. Therefore, its successful invasion after the Porto Primavera dam closed reduced suspended materials and consequently increased water transparency (Espínola et al, 2015).…”