Modelling how bottom-up and top-down processes control the major functional groups of biota in a large temperate shallow lake

Bhele, Upendra; Öğlü, Burak; Feldmann, Tõnu; Bernotas, Priit; Agasild, Helen; Zingel, Priit; Nõges, Peeter; Nõges, Tiina; Cremona, Fabien

doi:10.1080/20442041.2022.2031813

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…According to our results, Amur sleeper can have a substantial effect on native species in LV. The decreased abundance of top predator fishes and increased abundance of zooplanktivorous fishes may trigger a trophic cascade (Bhele et al, 2022; Ripple et al, 2016) resulting in increased harmful algal blooms (Cremona et al, 2018) and increased water turbidity owing to reduced zooplankton grazing. Due to its ability to become rapidly abundant in invaded habitats (Bogutskaya & Naseka, 2002; Koščo et al, 2003), Amur sleeper may induce harmful bottom‐up processes, for example, through bioturbation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Generalist invasion in a complex lake food web

Kuparinen

Uusi‐Heikkilä

Perälä

et al. 2023

Conservat Sci and Prac

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Invasive species constitute a threat not only to native populations but also to the structure and functioning of entire food webs. Despite being considered as a global problem, only a small number of studies have quantitatively predicted the food web‐level consequences of invasions. Here, we use an allometric trophic network model parameterized using empirical data on species body masses and feeding interactions to predict the effects of a possible invasion of Amur sleeper (Perccottus glenii), on a well‐studied lake ecosystem. We show that the modeled establishment of Amur sleeper decreased the biomasses of top predator fishes by about 10%–19%. These reductions were largely explained by increased larval competition for food and Amur sleeper predation on fish larvae. In contrast, biomasses of less valued fish of lower trophic positions increased by about 0.4%–9% owing to reduced predation pressure by top piscivores. The predicted impact of Amur sleeper establishment on the biomasses of native fish species vastly exceeded the impacts of current‐day fishing pressures.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Generalist invasion in a complex lake food web

Kuparinen

Uusi‐Heikkilä

Perälä

et al. 2023

Conservat Sci and Prac

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Lake food web structure in Teici Nature reserve, Latvia: fish presence shapes functioning of pristine bog lake food webs

Zagars,

Christoffersen,

Cremona

2024

Hydrobiologia

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Studies on the effects of fish presence on lake ecosystems are widespread but only a few have been conducted in pristine aquatic environments. We employed Ecopath model for assessing food web structure in two fish-inhabited and one fishless lake in a pristine bog area. We hypothesized that: (a) fish absence will raise trophic positions of macroinvertebrate predators; (b) fish predation will lead to higher overall predation rates on zooplankton; (c) fish predation on large bodied zooplankton will result in top-down cascading effect, increasing phytoplankton biomasses. We found that fish have direct and indirect effects on zoobenthic communities. Chironomid biomass was greater and predatory macroinvertebrate groups had a higher trophic level in the fishless lake than in fish-inhabited lakes. Consumption rates of the benthic consumer fraction were greater than that of the planktonic fraction in the fishless lake; the opposite was found in the two lakes with fish. No effects of fish presence on zooplankton were found and we explain this partly by the low water transparency masking the impact of fish. Terrestrial insects constituted a crucial part of adult fish diet and we conclude that terrestrial secondary production contributes to the trophic support of fish communities in pristine bog lakes.

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