Evaluating potential competitive bottlenecks between invasive common carp and native bluegill and yellow perch

Abstract

Processes influencing fish recruitment are often highly complex and inherently difficult to understand. Invasive species may complicate recruitment through habitat and food web modifications resulting in competitive bottlenecks. Common carp Cyprinus carpio have been distributed worldwide, and their introductions have resulted in destructive effects on aquatic ecosystems and food web dynamics. Common carp are highly fecund, and high densities of age-0 carp may occur in some years that may reduce invertebrate prey resources and adversely affect native age-0 fishes. We used enclosures and field observations to examine potential effects of age-0 common carp on growth and survival of age-0 yellow perch Perca flavescens and bluegill Lepomis macrochirus. Yellow perch and bluegill were stocked into enclosures with and without common carp (31 fish/m 3 ) using a substitution experimental design, and fish growth and survival and invertebrate prey resources were assessed. Common carp reduced growth of yellow perch but not bluegill and did not affect survival of either species in mesocosms. Next, we used patterns of common carp, bluegill, and yellow perch abundance and total length across 38 lake-years to evaluate potential interspecific interactions in natural systems. Age-0 common carp abundance was not negatively related to size or abundance of bluegill or yellow perch. However, adult common carp and age-0 yellow perch abundance were inversely related, suggesting a potential competitive bottleneck. Thus, age-0 common carp may suppress growth of yellow perch when prey is limited, but adult common carp may have larger effects than early life stages on native juvenile fishes. K E Y W O R D SCyprinus carpio, interspecific, intraspecific, invasive species, invertebrates

Comparative trophic impacts of two globally invasive cyprinid fishes reveal species‐specific invasion consequences for a threatened native fish

“…carpio, with the Carassius fishes being impacted as a result. It is anticipated that this would primarily be via competitive interactions, at least in juvenile fishes, with this aligned to Weber and Brown (2017) who suggested that the impacts of Cy. carpio juveniles on native fish mainly occurs under food limitation.…”

“…Adult Cy. carpio , a life‐stage not studied here, had more substantial impacts on native fish recruitment (Weber & Brown, ), with Britton () revealing that the mechanism of Cy. carpio suppressing recruitment of other fishes was piscivory of young‐of‐the‐year.…”

“…Their ecological consequences for native fishes that feed at similar trophic levels are less certain (Guo et al., ), with it likely that there are differences between impacts on native fish of 0‐group Cy. carpio and adults (Weber & Brown, ). Although current knowledge on C. auratus impacts has mainly focused on genetic issues (e.g.…”

It’s Complicated and It Depends: A Review of the Effects of Ecosystem Changes on Walleye and Yellow Perch Populations in North America

“…Similarly, in Oneida Lake, both positive and negative effects of zebra mussels Dreissena polymorpha were reported depending on measure of impact, life stage, and time period (Rutherford et al 1999; Mayer et al 2001; Irwin et al 2016). Invasive species did not affect Yellow Perch abundance in 33% of tests, including Common Carp Cyprinus carpio in South Dakota (Weber and Brown 2011, 2018), White Perch Morone americana in Lake Erie (Guzzo et al 2013), and Round Goby in St. Marys River (Schaeffer et al 2017).…”