Impacts of the invasive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) on benthic invertebrate fauna: a case study from the Baltic Sea

Abstract

The round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) was first observed in the Baltic Sea in 1990 and has since displayed substantial secondary dispersal, establishing numerous dense populations where they may outcompete native fish and negatively impact prey species. There have been multiple round goby diet studies from both the Baltic Sea and the North American Great Lakes where they are similarly invasive. However, studies that quantify their effects on recipient ecosystems and, specifically, their impacts on the benthic invertebrate macrofauna are rare, particularly from European waters. In this study, we conducted the first before-after study of the potential effects of round goby on benthic invertebrate macrofauna taxa in marine-brackish habitats in Europe, focusing of two sites in the Western Baltic Sea, Denmark. Results were in line with those from the Great Lakes, indicating negative impacts on specific molluscan taxa (e.g. Cardiidae bivalves and Neritidae gastropods, which both showed a fall in detected densities of approximately 98% within the Guldborgsund Strait). In contrast, many other groups appeared to be largely unaffected or even show positive trends following invasion. Round goby gut content data were available at one of our study sites from the period immediately after the invasion. These data confirmed that round goby had in fact been preying on the subset of taxa displaying negative trends.

Adding insult to injury: anthropogenic noise intensifies predation risk by an invasive freshwater fish species

“…In the present study, we investigated whether trophic impact by the round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) was in uenced by anthropogenic noise and particularly motorboat sounds. Regarded as one of the most impactful invasive species, it has spread from the Ponto-caspian region to the North American Great Lakes and throughout Western Europe where it outcompetes native shes and impoverishes invertebrate communities (Kornis et al 2012;Henseler et al 2021;van Deurs et al 2021).…”

Monitoring of the invasive round goby in an estuarine seascape based on eDNA

“…This bottom dwelling, up to >30 cm long fish can have big impacts on the benthic community (Van Deurs et al, 2021) and is important to monitor for efficient targeted reduction efforts (Bradley et al, 2019, Green & Grosholz, 2021; ICES, 2022; McConnachie et al, 2015).…”

Alternative reproductive tactics in goby fishes of the Caspian Sea

“…Biota from this Ponto-Caspian region are considered tolerant of extreme conditions, a trait that can increase the likelihood of successful invasion. Indeed, some of the most well-known freshwater aquatic invasive species in Europe and North America come from this Ponto-Caspian region and are members of the family Gobiidae (Ricciardi & MacIsaac, 2000;Van Deurs et al, 2021). Given their detrimental effects on biodiversity and productivity of invaded ecosystems such as the Laurentian Great Lakes, the European rivers, and the Baltic Sea (Charlebois et al, 1997(Charlebois et al, , 2001Corkum et al, 2004;Kornis et al, 2012;Ojaveer et al, 2015;Ricciardi & Rasmussen, 1998), numerous studies have been conducted on invasive gobies.…”