Key Morphological Features Favor the Success of Nonnative Fish Species under Reduced Turbidity Conditions in the Lower Colorado River Basin

Moran, Clinton J.; Ward, David L.; Gibb, Alice C.

doi:10.1002/tafs.10079

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 90 publications

(119 reference statements)

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“…This is a common trend in fishes with large gapes, including flathead catfish ( Pylodictis olivaris ; Slaughter & Jacobson, 2008 ), black basses ( Micropterus spp. ; Moran, Ward & Gibb, 2018 ), and is somewhat supported by the data for sharks in the present study.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Giant, swimming mouths: oral dimensions of extant sharks do not accurately predict body size in Dunkleosteus terrelli (Placodermi: Arthrodira)

Engelman

2023

PeerJ

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Background The size of Dunkleosteus and other late Devonian arthrodire placoderms has been a persistent problem in paleontology. The bony head and thoracic armor of these animals are typically the only elements preserved in the fossil record, with the rest of the body being lost during fossilization. Accurate length estimates of arthrodires are critical for reconstructing the paleobiology of these taxa and Devonian paleoecology more generally. Lengths of 5.3–8.8 m were proposed for Dunkleosteus based on allometric relationships between upper jaw perimeter and total length in extant large-bodied sharks. However, these methods were not statistically evaluated to determine if allometric relationships between body size and mouth size in sharks reliably predicted size in arthrodires. Several smaller arthrodire taxa are known from relatively complete remains, and can be used as independent case studies to test the accuracy of these methods. Results Length estimates for Dunkleosteus are evaluated through an examination of mouth proportions in complete arthrodires and fishes more generally. Currently accepted lengths of 5.3–8.8 m for D. terrelli are mathematically and biologically unlikely for three major reasons: (1) Arthrodires have larger mouths than sharks at similar body sizes. (2) upper jaw perimeter and mouth width produce extreme overestimates of body size (at least twice the actual value) in arthrodires known from complete remains. (3) Reconstructing Dunkleosteus using lengths predicted by upper jaw perimeter results in highly unusual body proportions, including extremely small, shrunken heads and hyper-anguilliform body plans, not seen in complete arthrodires or fishes more generally. Conclusions Length estimates for arthrodires based on the mouth dimensions of extant sharks are not reliable. Arthrodires have proportionally larger mouths than sharks, more similar to catfishes (Siluriformes). The disproportionately large mouths of arthrodires suggest these animals may have consumed larger prey relative to their body size than extant macropredatory sharks, and thus the paleobiology and paleoecology of these two groups may not have been exactly analogous within their respective ecosystems.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Giant, swimming mouths: oral dimensions of extant sharks do not accurately predict body size in Dunkleosteus terrelli (Placodermi: Arthrodira)

Engelman

2023

PeerJ

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“…In addition to a connection between eye size and survival, increases in eye size may potentially increase fitness via improved identification of optimal microhabitats leading to enhanced foraging (Banks et al, 2015;Bauer & Kredler, 1993;Brandon et al, 2015;Garamszegi, Møller, & Erritzøe, 2002;Lisney et al, 2013;Martin, 1998;Moran, Ward, & Gibb, 2018;Thomas et al, 2006;Veilleux & Kirk, 2014). Individuals in Rivulus-only sites experience high densities and intense competition for resources in the absence of predators (Walsh & Reznick, 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural selection favours a larger eye in response to increased competition in natural populations of a vertebrate

Beston

Walsh

2019

Functional Ecology

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Eye size varies notably across taxa. Much work suggests that this variation is driven by contrasting ecological selective pressures. However, evaluations of the relationship between ecological factors and shifts in eye size have largely occurred at the macroevolutionary scale. Experimental tests in nature are conspicuously absent. Trinidadian killifish, Rivulus hartii, are found across fish communities that differ in predation intensity. We recently showed that increased predation is associated with the evolution of a smaller eye. Here, we test how divergent predatory regimes alter the trajectory of eye size evolution using comparative mark–recapture experiments in multiple streams. We found that increases in eye size are associated with enhanced survival, irrespective of predation intensity. More importantly, eye size is associated with enhanced growth in communities that lack predators, while this trend is absent when predators are present. Such results argue that increased competition for food in sites that lack predators is the key driver of eye size evolution. A plain language summary is available for this article.

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“…Upstream of the waterfall, channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) is the only nonnative potential fish predator large enough to consume the size of fishes in our study (Hedden et al, 2021(Hedden et al, , 2022, but downstream of the waterfall, potential large-bodied fish predators, including black bullhead (Ameiurus melas), yellow bullhead (Ameiurus natalis), largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu), walleye (Sander vitreus), and striped bass (Morone saxatilis), are in relatively high abundance, particularly nearer the reservoir (Pennock, Hines, et al, 2021). Many of the translocated individuals in our study are susceptible to large-gaped nonnative predators (Moran et al, 2018). Because razorback suckers were generally larger than the other species (all individuals >280 mm TL), they were likely less susceptible to predation except for the largest nonnative fish predators, which might explain relatively higher survival regardless of location for this species.…”

Section: Speciesmentioning

confidence: 88%

Translocation in a fragmented river provides demographic benefits for imperiled fishes

Pennock,

Healy,

Bogaard

et al. 2024

Ecosphere

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Fragmentation isolates individuals and restricts access to valuable habitat with severe consequences for populations, such as reduced gene flow, disruption of recolonization dynamics, reduced resiliency to disturbance, and changes in aquatic community structure. Translocations to mitigate the effects of fragmentation and habitat loss are common, but few are rigorously evaluated, particularly for fishes. Over six years, we translocated 1215 individuals of four species of imperiled fish isolated below a barrier on the San Juan River, Utah, USA, that restricts access to upstream habitat. We used re‐encounter data (both passive integrated transponder tag and telemetry detections and physical recaptures) collected between 2016 and 2023, to inform a spatially explicit multistate mark–recapture model that estimated survival and transition probabilities of translocated and non‐translocated individuals, both below and above the barrier. Individuals of all four species moved large (>200 km) distances upstream following translocation, with the maximum upstream encounter distance varying by species. Results from the multistate mark–recapture model suggested translocated fish survived at a higher rate compared with non‐translocated fish below the barrier for three of the four species. Above the barrier, translocated individuals survived at similar rates as non‐translocated fish for bluehead sucker (Catostomus discobolus) and flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnis), while survival rates of translocated endangered Colorado pikeminnow (Ptychocheilus lucius; mean, 95% CI: 0.75, 0.55–0.88) and endangered razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus; 0.86, 0.75–0.92) were higher relative to non‐translocated individuals (Colorado pikeminnow: 0.52, 0.51–0.54; razorback sucker: 0.75, 0.74–0.75). Transition probabilities from above the barrier to below the barrier were generally low for three of the four species (all upper 95% CI ≤ 0.23), but they were substantially higher for razorback sucker. Our results suggest translocation to mitigate fragmentation and habitat loss can have demographic benefits for large‐river fish species by allowing movements necessary to complete their life history in heterogeneous riverscapes. Further, given the costs or delays in providing engineered fish passage structures or in achieving dam removal, we suggest translocations may provide an alternative conservation strategy in fragmented river systems.

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Key Morphological Features Favor the Success of Nonnative Fish Species under Reduced Turbidity Conditions in the Lower Colorado River Basin

Cited by 7 publications

References 90 publications

Giant, swimming mouths: oral dimensions of extant sharks do not accurately predict body size in Dunkleosteus terrelli (Placodermi: Arthrodira)

Giant, swimming mouths: oral dimensions of extant sharks do not accurately predict body size in Dunkleosteus terrelli (Placodermi: Arthrodira)

Natural selection favours a larger eye in response to increased competition in natural populations of a vertebrate

Translocation in a fragmented river provides demographic benefits for imperiled fishes

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