The diet of the alien channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus in the River Arno (Central Italy)

Haubrock, Phillip J.; Balzani, Paride; Johović, Iva; Inghilesi, Alberto Francesco; Nocita, Annamaria; Tricarico, Elena

doi:10.3391/ai.2018.13.4.14

Cited by 31 publications

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“…Moreover, the length-toweight ratio of I. punctatus was higher than that of S. glanis and the fullness index estimated for I. punctatus was in all three cases (immature, mature and all specimens) more than twice than that measured for S. glanis. Abundant algae or plants could potentially be a response to either scarce animal prey or an adaptation to abundant vegetation as a replacement to avoid intra-as well as interspecific TA B L E 4 Estimated niche overlap for all groups using the maximum likelihood fitted standard ellipse area (SEAc) and the overlap between the corresponding 95% ellipse area (SEAb) competition (Copp et al, 2009;Davidson, Jennions, & Nicotra, 2011;Haubrock, Balzani, Johovic, et al, 2018b). The high occurrence of plants (terrestrial as well as aquatic leaves) within the diet of sampled S. glanis is highly unusual (Carol, Benejam, Benito, & García-Berthou, 2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In total, 40 individuals of I. punctatus were sampled and the stage of maturity was set according to Haubrock, Balzani, Johovic, et al (2018b) as 31.9 cm, resulting in 20 "immature I. punctatus" and 20 "mature I. Fish were caught using standard fishing rods (2.20-3.90 m), 0.30-0.44 mm monofilament line and size 2-26 fishing hooks baited with a variety of food (maggots, worms, and freshly cut liver or baitfish) placed (a) on the bottom, (b) in the middle water and (c) below the surface.…”

Section: Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With a fast expansion of the mouth while keeping opercular valves closed in the beginning to maximise the sucked volume, S. glanis imbibes prey inside its oral opening (Bruton, 1996). Furthermore, such information is needed to better understand the impact these species have on recipient ecosystems (Haubrock, Balzani, Johovic, et al, 2018b). Moreover, length-weight relationships and thus growth rates might differ between both species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the diet of I. punctatus has been recently analysed by collecting stomach contents of specimens in the Arno River (Haubrock, Balzani, Johović, et al, 2018a;Haubrock et al, 2017). In contrast, recent and relevant data for S. glanis' feeding habit from Central Italy are preliminary or anecdotal (Gualtieri & Mecatti, 2005), making investigating facilitation processes or interfering competition processes difficult.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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When alien catfish meet—Resource overlap between the North American Ictalurus punctatus and immature European Silurus glanis in the Arno River (Italy)

Haubrock

Azzini

Balzani

et al. 2019

Ecology of Freshwater Fish

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Due to the increasing globalisation and ongoing introduction of alien species specifically regarding European freshwater ecosystems, native and already present alien species will be confronted with competitors with unknown outcomes. One such case is the situation of the European catfish Silurus glanis introduced in the Arno River (Central Italy), a species sought after by anglers, which is facing competition from the later introduced alien North American channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus. Large catfish species are highly valued among anglers, but their interspecific interactions and potential ecosystem-level impacts are still poorly known. We used stomach contents and stable isotope analyses to study niche partitioning between these two alien catfish species, coexisting in the Arno River. The results suggest partial niche segregation, with immature S. glanis showing a narrower dietary and isotopic niche and a slightly higher trophic position than I. punctatus. Monitoring the catfish population sizes, trophic niches and effects on lower trophic levels are essential for future management and mitigation of their potential impacts on invaded freshwater ecosystems. K E Y W O R D Salien species, dietary analysis, interactions, isotope analyses, niche overlap, niche partitioning

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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When alien catfish meet—Resource overlap between the North American Ictalurus punctatus and immature European Silurus glanis in the Arno River (Italy)

Haubrock

Azzini

Balzani

et al. 2019

Ecology of Freshwater Fish

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“…Young I. punctatus feed mainly on insects, but adults are usually omnivorous and also prey on fish (Bailey & Harrison, ; Braun & Phelps, ; Hill, Duffy & Thompson, ; Tyus & Nikirk, ). The species has opportunistic behaviour and is generalist, preying on a wide range of available resources in non‐native regions (Endo et al., ; Haubrock et al., ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the impacts of the introduced channel catfishIctalurus punctatususing the comparative functional response approach

Faria

Alexander

Vitule

2019

Fisheries Management Eco

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In the metric “Relative Impact Potential” (RIP), the functional response (FR) of a non‐native species can be compared with that of a native analogue and combined with the species abundance to predict its environmental impact. Here, using the River Guaraguaçu (Brazil) as a case study, this methodology was implemented to identify the impacts of the non‐native channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque) compared with a native species Rhamdia quelen (Quoy & Gaimard) towards small prey fish. Both species exhibited Type II FRs, but handling times were lower for I. punctatus, resulting in a greater maximum feeding rate in this species. Consequently, an RIP > 1 was found, indicating that I. punctatus represents a superior impact to prey compared with its native analogue. These results demonstrate that I. punctatus is a potential threat to small endangered fish species; therefore, policies to avoid escapes from aquaculture should be created and the abundance of I. punctatus controlled.

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Trophic structure of a pond community dominated by an invasive alien species: Insights from stomach content and stable isotope analyses

Bissattini

Haubrock

Buono

et al. 2021

Aquatic Conservation

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Invaders affect native species across multiple trophic levels, influencing the structure and stability of freshwater communities. Based on the ‘trophic position hypothesis’, invaders at the top of the food web are more harmful to native species via direct and indirect effects than trophically analogous native predators are. However, introduced and native predators can coexist, especially when non‐native species have no ecological and behavioural similarities with natives, occupy an empty niche, or natives show generalist anti‐predator strategies that are effective at the community level. At present, conservation efforts are focused on eradicating invaders; however, their removal may lead to unwanted and unexpected outcomes, especially when invaders are well established and strongly interspersed with natives. This highlights the need to consider invaders in a whole‐ecosystem context and to consider the evolutionary history and behavioural ecology of natives and invaders before active management is applied. Here, stomach content and stable isotope analyses were combined to investigate a pond system dominated by invaders in order to understand the effects of the interactions among upper level predators and lower level members of the food web on the whole community structure. Both diet and isotope analyses showed that several invaders contributed to the diet of natives and invaders. A significant isotope overlap was found among upper level predators. However, stomach content analysis suggested that predators reduced the potential competition differentiating the food spectrum by including additional prey in their diet. Both native and non‐native upper level predators, by preying on invaders, seem not to exert a strong suppressive effect through predation and competition on native species. This research confirms the importance of studying food webs to identify ecological conditions that forecast the potential for deleterious impacts before management is applied. In cases where invaders cannot be eradicated, management efforts should follow a conciliatory approach promoting the coexistence of native species with invaders.

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The diet of the alien channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus in the River Arno (Central Italy)

Cited by 31 publications

References 0 publications

When alien catfish meet—Resource overlap between the North American Ictalurus punctatus and immature European Silurus glanis in the Arno River (Italy)

When alien catfish meet—Resource overlap between the North American Ictalurus punctatus and immature European Silurus glanis in the Arno River (Italy)

Assessing the impacts of the introduced channel catfishIctalurus punctatususing the comparative functional response approach

Trophic structure of a pond community dominated by an invasive alien species: Insights from stomach content and stable isotope analyses

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