Impact of the invasive three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) on relative abundance and growth of native pelagic whitefish (Coregonus wartmanni) in Upper Lake Constance

Rösch, Roland; Baer, Jan; Brinker, Alexander

doi:10.1007/s10750-017-3479-6

Cited by 35 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Since the end of 2012 however, a massive invasion by three‐spined stickleback ( Gasterosteus aculeatus L.) of the pelagic zone of the lake (Eckmann and Engesser ) has created very significant predation pressure on whitefish (Rösch et al. ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The example of Lake Constance whitefish Coregonus wartmanni whose larvae appear to be strongly impaired in growth and recruitment by the recent invasion of a non‐native predator, the three‐spined stickleback ( Gasterosteus aculeatus L.), provides a useful real‐life case study (Rösch et al. ). Predation on whitefish larvae by wild sticklebacks in Lake Constance during the short time window in spring when both share habitat has been proven by analysis of stomach contents (Roch et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Anti‐predator mechanisms in evolutionarily predator‐naïve vs. adapted fish larvae

et al. 2019

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It is a fundamental feature of evolution that natural selection acts on individuals to adapt to predation pressure via the development of anti‐predator mechanisms. As such mechanisms are costly in terms of energy and time, species living in habitats where predators are rare or absent were expected to show reduced predator responses. Such a reduction was expected for larvae of the native whitefish (Coregonus wartmanni) in Upper Lake Constance, as these pass their initial stage in a historically predator‐free pelagic habitat and only start to encounter predators in a later ontogenetic stage during which they shift to littoral habitat. However, a recent invader of the pelagic waters of the lake, the three‐spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), is implicated in a severe decline in whitefish recruitment through larval predation. The predator‐naivety effect and its consequences on predation were experimentally tested by comparing predator defenses of different age classes of whitefish with those of roach (Rutilus rutilus) and perch (Perca fluviatilis), two species whose larvae grow up in a predator‐holding habitat. As predator, the three‐spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) was selected. Sticklebacks actively hunted all prey species but predation was high on whitefish only. The addition of zooplankton (Daphnia) as alternative prey for sticklebacks in the experimental setup did not reduce predation on the whitefish larvae, indicating a clear preference for whitefish in this invasive predator. The escape responses of roach and perch were found to be clearly more complex and diverse to those of the predator‐naïve whitefish larvae. Particularly striking was that whitefish often did not show any apparent behavioral response to the approaching predator. Only large whitefish larvae (Table 1: length = 40.8 ± 0.6 mm) appeared capable of escaping predation, and this was correlated with a change in complexity of predator escape responses. Thus, differences in predation pressure for the different larvae species were highly related to the observed interspecific differences in predator defenses, and with the ontogenetic intraspecific change in whitefish from poor and inefficient predator escape responses to complex and more efficient predator escape responses. The evolutionary consequences of stickleback as an invasive predator on whitefish larvae behavior are discussed.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anti‐predator mechanisms in evolutionarily predator‐naïve vs. adapted fish larvae

et al. 2019

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“…Second, an Eastern European lineage originating from the Baltic Sea Catchment currently dominates Lake Constance (Marques et al, 2019a). However, the history of stickleback in Lake Constance in terms of their time of arrival, source of colonization, and the mode of diversification into lake and stream ecotypes has been debated recently (Roesti et al, 2015;Rösch et al, 2017;Marques et al, 2019a). Notably, some authors proposed a natural postglacial colonization of the Lake Constance basin from the Danube about 9,000 years ago, similar to some other freshwater fish species of which Danube populations inhabit Lake Constance as a consequence of river capture by the Rhine catchment (Nesbø et al, 1999;Bernatchez, 2001;Behrmann-Godel et al, 2004;Gum et al, 2005;Barluenga et al, 2006;Vonlanthen et al, 2007;Hudson et al, 2014;Gouskov and Vorburger, 2016;Lucek et al, 2018).…”

Section: Origins Of the Threespine Stickleback In Lake Constancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a recent assessment, sticklebacks in Lake Constance represent ∼28% of the fish biomass, and accounted for 96% of fish captured in the pelagic zone of the upper lake during the Projet Lac survey (Alexander et al, 2016). Despite being identified as hyper-abundant from the 1960's to the 70's (Numann, 1972), and again in littoral habitats almost two decades ago (Zimmermann, 2002) threespine sticklebacks were first recorded as bycatch in the pelagic zone of Constance by commercial fisheries in 2013 (Rösch et al, 2017). Previous reports (Numann, 1972;Deufel, 1985) indicate that stickleback have been a nuisance to fishermen in the past, with populations reaching high abundances, but then declining rapidly, presumably from parasitic infections (e.g., whitespot disease Ichthyophthirius multifiliis and carp louse Argulus foliaceus), though evidence of this is largely speculative.…”

Section: Examining the Lake Constance Stickleback Population From A Gmentioning

confidence: 99%

Threespine Stickleback in Lake Constance: The Ecology and Genomic Substrate of a Recent Invasion

et al. 2021

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Invasive species can be powerful models for studying contemporary evolution in natural environments. As invading organisms often encounter new habitats during colonization, they will experience novel selection pressures. Threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus complex) have recently colonized large parts of Switzerland and are invasive in Lake Constance. Introduced to several watersheds roughly 150 years ago, they spread across the Swiss Plateau (400–800 m a.s.l.), bringing three divergent hitherto allopatric lineages into secondary contact. As stickleback have colonized a variety of different habitat types during this recent range expansion, the Swiss system is a useful model for studying contemporary evolution with and without secondary contact. For example, in the Lake Constance region there has been rapid phenotypic and genetic divergence between a lake population and some stream populations. There is considerable phenotypic variation within the lake population, with individuals foraging in and occupying littoral, offshore pelagic, and profundal waters, the latter of which is a very unusual habitat for stickleback. Furthermore, adults from the lake population can reach up to three times the size of adults from the surrounding stream populations, and are large by comparison to populations globally. Here, we review the historical origins of the threespine stickleback in Switzerland, and the ecomorphological variation and genomic basis of its invasion in Lake Constance. We also outline the potential ecological impacts of this invasion, and highlight the interest for contemporary evolution studies.

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“…Sticklebacks were already introduced to Austria in the late 19th century (Ahnelt, ), but were, until recently, nowhere particularly common and were not considered a major threat for other species (Wiesner et al, ; Zick et al, ). In Lake Constance, however, stickleback populations increased massively since 2012, which is assumed to have a profound impact on native species and fishery yields (Roch, von Ammon, Geist, & Brinker, ; Rösch, Baer, & Brinker, ). In the study area, the stickleback abundance is considerably lower than in Lake Constance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occurrence of non‐native fishes in the Danube east of Vienna (Austria) and potential interactions of invasive gobiids with native fishes

Ramler

Keckeis

2019

J Appl Ichthyol

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Summary Non‐native fish species pose a major threat to local fish populations and aquatic ecosystems in general. Invasive gobies are a particular focus of research, but with partly inconsistent results. While some studies reported severe detrimental impacts on native species, others have concluded less serious or neutral effects. We provide results from a large‐scale, multi‐annual fish monitoring program on the occurrence and abundance of non‐native fishes in the main stem of a free‐flowing section of the Austrian Danube. Special emphasis was placed on identifying positive or negative interactions of invasive gobies with native species. Whereas most non‐native species occurred too sporadically or were too few in number to infer a direct threat on the local fish community, invasive gobies were among the most common fishes throughout all sampling years. Co‐occurrence analyses revealed species‐ and mesohabitat type‐specific associations of gobies with native species, which were primarily positive. Notably, native predators such as asp, burbot, or perch probably benefit from the ubiquitous gobies. Two characteristic fluvial fishes revealed negative associations with invasive gobies, namely barbel (Barbus barbus) and Danube whitefin gudgeon (Romanogobio vladykovi): they appear to avoid habitats occupied by gobies. Accordingly, high abundances of round and bighead goby most likely resulted in population losses of barbel and whitefin gudgeon, respectively. Overall, our results indicate a limited negative impact of non‐native species in the sampling area. This is because only two out of 51 occurring species were found to be adversely affected by gobies, the share of co‐occurrences with native species was high, and other non‐native species were generally rare. Nevertheless, invasions are highly dynamic, and new non‐native species are likely to occur in the Austrian Danube, calling for continued monitoring and awareness.

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Impact of the invasive three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) on relative abundance and growth of native pelagic whitefish (Coregonus wartmanni) in Upper Lake Constance

Cited by 35 publications

References 31 publications

Anti‐predator mechanisms in evolutionarily predator‐naïve vs. adapted fish larvae

Anti‐predator mechanisms in evolutionarily predator‐naïve vs. adapted fish larvae

Threespine Stickleback in Lake Constance: The Ecology and Genomic Substrate of a Recent Invasion

Occurrence of non‐native fishes in the Danube east of Vienna (Austria) and potential interactions of invasive gobiids with native fishes

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