The facilitation of the native bluegill sunfish by the invasive bighead carp

Collins, Scott F.; Nelson, Kirsten; DeBoom, Corey S.; Wahl, David H.

doi:10.1111/fwb.12976

Cited by 16 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…In contrast, P. megacephala invasion generates a landscape of unoccupied, low‐reward host plants, which shifts competition among acacia ants to the colony founding stage, favoring more strongly colonizing species with lower energetic requirements. Our results are consistent with other studies demonstrating that invasive species can facilitate natives (Rodriguez 2006, Collins et al 2017, Kindinger 2018, Goodman and Warren 2019, Rees et al 2019). For example, Kindinger (2018) showed that invasive lionfish ( Pterois volitans ) facilitated the native blackcap basslet ( Gramma melacara ) through differential predation on the basslet’s competitor on Bahamian reefs.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Frenemy at the gate: Invasion by Pheidole megacephala facilitates a competitively subordinate plant ant in Kenya

Palmer

Riginos

Milligan

et al. 2020

Ecology

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Biological invasions can lead to the reassembly of communities and understanding and predicting the impacts of exotic species on community structure and functioning are a key challenge in ecology. We investigated the impact of a predatory species of invasive ant, Pheidole megacephala, on the structure and function of a foundational mutualism between Acacia drepanolobium and its associated acacia‐ant community in an East African savanna. Invasion by P. megacephala was associated with the extirpation of three extrafloral nectar‐dependent Crematogaster acacia ant species and strong increases in the abundance of a competitively subordinate and locally rare acacia ant species, Tetraponera penzigi, which does not depend on host plant nectar. Using a combination of long‐term monitoring of invasion dynamics, observations and experiments, we demonstrate that P. megacephala directly and indirectly facilitates T. penzigi by reducing the abundance of T. penzigi’s competitors (Crematogaster spp.), imposing recruitment limitation on these competitors, and generating a landscape of low‐reward host plants that favor colonization and establishment by the strongly dispersing T. penzigi. Seasonal variation in use of host plants by P. megacephala may further increase the persistence of T. penzigi colonies in invaded habitat. The persistence of the T. penzigi–A. drepanolobium symbiosis in invaded areas afforded host plants some protection against herbivory by elephants (Loxodonta africana), a key browser that reduces tree cover. However, elephant damage on T. penzigi‐occupied trees was higher in invaded than in uninvaded areas, likely owing to reduced T. penzigi colony size in invaded habitats. Our results reveal the mechanisms underlying the disruption of this mutualism and suggest that P. megacephala invasion may drive long‐term declines in tree cover, despite the partial persistence of the ant–acacia symbiosis in invaded areas.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Frenemy at the gate: Invasion by Pheidole megacephala facilitates a competitively subordinate plant ant in Kenya

Palmer

Riginos

Milligan

et al. 2020

Ecology

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“…Because of reduced growth rates resulting from competition, larval bluegill may be vulnerable to direct predation by native piscivores for longer periods of time (Persson, Andersson, Wahlstrom, & Eklov, 1996;Reznick, Bryga, & Endler, 1990). If so, bighead carp could facilitate native predators through their effects on fish larvae (Collins, Nelson, DeBoom, & Wahl, 2017;Nelson et al, 2017). By affecting the coupling of habitats via organism movements during early ontogeny, bighead carp may also indirectly disrupt predator-prey interactions of native taxa.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Competition during early ontogeny: Effects of native and invasive planktivores on the growth, survival, and habitat use of bluegill

et al. 2019

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Early life stages of fishes are sensitive to ecological and environmental disturbances and experience very high mortality rates. During early ontogeny, the growth and survival of larval fish often depends on food availability. Because habitat and diet shifts are strongly tied to individual body size, factors that influence the growth rates of individuals (e.g. resource limitation, competition) also affect other aspects of ontogeny including the timing of habitat or diet shifts. In the context of biological invasions, non‐native species can potentially disrupt the interaction of larval fish with their food via competition for shared prey, reducing growth and survival during a vulnerable period of an organism's life history. We hypothesised that invasive planktivores negatively affect native species through the vulnerable larval life stage via competition for zooplankton resources. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a series of experiments to assess and contrast the effects of invasive (bighead carp, Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) and native (golden shiners, Notemigonus crysoleucas) planktivores on zooplankton densities, and their effects on the growth, survival, abundance, and habitat use of larval bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus). Overall, the effects of the invasive planktivore were consistently greater than the native planktivore in terms of reduced prey densities, reduced bluegill growth rates, and delays to the timing of ontogenetic habitat shifts. Growth rates of bluegill larvae were reduced by 58–87% in the presence of bighead carp and 37% in the presence of golden shiners (relative to controls), but such reductions did not consistently lead to reduced survival (in mesocosm experiment) or relative abundance (in pond experiment). However, we estimated that bighead carp and golden shiners delayed ontogenetic habitat shifts in bluegill by 9–24 and 1–3 days, respectively. Although we did not detect an effect of planktivores on the numbers of larval bluegill, our findings suggest that bighead carp may still affect bluegill ontogeny and freshwater food webs by disrupting the timing of ontogenetic habitat shifts. By affecting the coupling of habitats via organism movements during early ontogeny, bighead carp may indirectly disrupt predator–prey interactions of native taxa.

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“…We tested our hypothesis with an additive experiment, which is recommended for evaluating the effects of non‐native fishes because it hold all factors equal except for the invader (Fausch, ). Additive experimental designs have an inherent logical limitation which precludes separating the effect of an invader from simply having more individuals within a treatment (Collins, Nelson, et al., ). Consequently, the rationale for an experiment must compliment the design and any inferential limitations.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most often, the top-down effects of these planktivores are characterised via changes to prey densities (e.g., Collins, Nelson, Deboom, & Wahl, 2017;Cooke, Hill, & Meyer, 2009;Sass et al, 2014). Other prey responses, such as plastic changes to body length and alterations to energy flow via secondary production, are seldom assessed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Size‐specific effects of bighead carp predation across the zooplankton size spectra

Collins¹,

Wahl²

2018

Freshwater Biology

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Bigheaded carp (Cyprinidae: Hypophthalmichthys spp.) were brought to North America for aquaculture and eventually escaped captivity. Since their liberation, they have dispersed northward through the Mississippi River Basin and its tributaries. Although bigheaded carp are omnivorous filter‐feeding planktivores, their predatory effects on zooplankton are of principal concern because many native fishes feed on planktonic invertebrates during some phase of their life history. The aim of our study was to quantify the magnitude of effect of bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) on zooplankton body size and daily secondary production across a range of body lengths. We conducted an experiment where we compared responses of zooplankton in the presence of a native fish assemblage (control, n = 5 ponds) and a native fish assemblage plus bighead carp (invaded, n = 5 ponds). The experiment lasted 3 months (June–September, 2014) and was conducted in clay‐lined ponds (0.04 ha. wetted area; 1.5–1.75 m water depths). We quantified the predatory effects of bighead carp on overall changes to the size structure of zooplankton assemblages, body lengths of zooplankton taxa and taxa‐specific changes to standing crop biomass and daily secondary production. The size structure of zooplankton assemblage shifted towards smaller invertebrates in the presence of bighead carp. Bighead carp reduced the individual body sizes of Diaphanosoma (Sididae) (−19%) and Daphnia (Daphniidae) (−9%) after 3 months. Moreover, the standing crop biomass (−92% to 98%) and daily production (−65% to 74%) of Diaphanosoma, Daphnia and Calanoida were reduced in the presence of bighead carp. Bighead carp reduced immature copepod nauplii by 75% when compared to controls and may have affected recruitment to the adult stage. Our experiment indicated that the magnitude of predation by bighead carp increased with zooplankton body size, although rotifers and nauplii were exceptions to this pattern. The combined effects of reduced body sizes of some taxa and direct predation on immature and adult life stages of larger taxa suggest that bighead carp may be affecting zooplankton demographics through additional mechanisms such as reduced egg production, mate limitation, and recruitment.

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The facilitation of the native bluegill sunfish by the invasive bighead carp

Cited by 16 publications

References 47 publications

Frenemy at the gate: Invasion by Pheidole megacephala facilitates a competitively subordinate plant ant in Kenya

Frenemy at the gate: Invasion by Pheidole megacephala facilitates a competitively subordinate plant ant in Kenya

Competition during early ontogeny: Effects of native and invasive planktivores on the growth, survival, and habitat use of bluegill

Size‐specific effects of bighead carp predation across the zooplankton size spectra

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