Impacts of zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) on isotopic niche size and niche overlap among fish species in a mesotrophic lake

Morrison, Alexandra L.; Thelen, Mary A.; Howe, S.; Zimmer, Kyle D.; Herwig, Brian R.; Staples, David F.; McEachran, Margaret C.

doi:10.1007/s10530-021-02553-0

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Zebra mussels are known to increase water clarity, decrease phytoplankton and zooplankton abundance, and shift energy towards benthic-littoral pathways (Higgins and Vander Zanden 2010). As a result, fish communities may shift towards greater utilization of littoral food resources, causing increased niche overlap and potentially increased interspecific competition (McEachran et al 2019;Morrison et al 2021). Increased water clarity can limit food resources and increase density-dependence, particularly at high perch abundances, which has been shown to affect size distributions for both Yellow Perch and Eurasian Perch (Rose et al 1999;Headley and Lauer 2008;Arranz et al 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessing Minnesota’s Changing Yellow Perch Populations Using Length‐Based Metrics

Holbrook

Bethke

Bacigalupi

et al. 2021

N American J Fish Manag

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Catch rates of Yellow Perch Perca flavescens in standard gill-net surveys conducted by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources have declined since 1970, but it is unclear whether this trend was due to reduced abundance or to changes in size structure affecting catchability. Because the minimum capture length of standard gill nets may limit effective sampling of some populations, the objectives of this study were to determine if length-based metrics could be used to characterize populations and their susceptibility to standard gill nets, if these metrics were correlated with a suite of abiotic and biotic variables, and if temporal trends in these metrics were evident. Data were collected from a broad size distribution of Yellow Perch sampled with standard gill nets, boat electrofishing, and small-mesh gill nets in 17 lakes. Estimated length at 50% maturity (L50) for females varied up to 100 mm across lakes, with values as small as 70 mm documented in some populations. Female L50 from supplemental gears was significantly positively correlated with the average length of the 15 largest fish (L max ) from all gears, and both of these metrics were positively correlated with standard gill-net catch. Exploratory analysis of female L50 indicated that this metric was positively correlated with latitude and lake size and negatively correlated with water clarity. Additionally, a statewide analysis of L max conducted with standard gill-net data from over 1,000 lakes found significant declines during the past 25 years, indicating that populations in Minnesota have likely shifted towards a smaller size structure, reducing catchability in standard gill nets. These results indicate that standard gill nets were ineffective for sampling some Yellow Perch populations and that length-based metrics such as L50 and L max can be used to infer catchability in standard gear and to monitor populations through time.Yellow Perch Perca flavescens are a percid species of management interest in the Upper Midwest region of the United States, occupying diverse lentic systems from the Great Lakes to glacial ponds. Yellow Perch fulfill dual ecological roles as a primary forage species for top predators, such as Walleye Sander vitreus (Johnson and Hale 1977) and Northern Pike Esox lucius (Pierce 2012), but are also piscivorous and targeted for harvest at larger

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2019; Morrison et al. 2021). Increased water clarity can limit food resources and increase density‐dependence, particularly at high perch abundances, which has been shown to affect size distributions for both Yellow Perch and Eurasian Perch (Rose et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing Minnesota’s Changing Yellow Perch Populations Using Length‐Based Metrics

Holbrook

Bethke

Bacigalupi

et al. 2021

N American J Fish Manag

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“…Interactions between these frequently cooccurring piscivores, including both direct predation and competition, have been well documented throughout their ranges (Anthony and Jorgensen 1977;Johnson et al 1977;McMahon and Bennett 1996;Fayram et al 2005;Paul et al 2021). Recent studies have indicated that Walleye and Northern Pike occupy somewhat similar isotopic niches in Minnesota lakes (Bethke and Schmalz 2020;Herwig et al 2022), and higher levels of overlap resulted from increased use of littoral energy following lake PISCIVORE DIETS IN MINNESOTA LAKES infestation with zebra mussels Dreissena polymorpha (McEachran et al 2018;Morrison et al 2021). Recent work has revealed substantial changes in the abundance and size structure of Yellow Perch populations in Minnesota lakes (Holbrook et al 2022), which could lead to increased competition between Walleye and Northern Pike if the resource becomes limiting.…”

Section: Diet Overlap Among Piscivore Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet Patterns and Niche Overlap of Muskellunge and Co‐Occurring Piscivores in Minnesota Lakes

Glade

Herwig

Ahrenstorff

et al. 2023

N American J Fish Manag

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Muskellunge Esox masquinongy, Northern Pike E. lucius, Walleye Sander vitreus, and Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides are popular sport fish that often co-occur in aquatic systems. Although numerous studies have investigated interactions among these species, the simultaneous evaluation of diet patterns and niche overlap among all four species has not been conducted. Our experimental design aimed to quantify diet overlap among Muskellunge and the other piscivores, while lakes without Muskellunge were also sampled to compare the diets of the other piscivores in their presence or absence. Diets of piscivores from 10 Minnesota lakes were collected via gastric lavage and quantified using an index of relative importance. Diets of individual species were compared among seasons and predator length categories, and among-species comparisons were also conducted by season and relative to Muskellunge presence using permutational multivariate ANOVA (PERMANOVA). Muskellunge consumed a wide range of prey, whereas Northern Pike and Walleye diets consisted primarily of Yellow Perch Perca flavescens and centrarchids. Largemouth Bass consumed more invertebrates, especially crayfish Faxonius spp. No species exhibited seasonal diet shifts, but diets were different among length categories for all species except Walleye. Although nonmetric multidimensional scaling ordinations indicated shared prey use, PERMANOVA results indicated that the diets of Muskellunge and Largemouth Bass were most different from each other and the other piscivores' diets across all seasons. Conversely,

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“…After Lake Erie was invaded by dreissenids, benthic resources were estimated to support 75–95% of the potential fish production (Johannsson et al, 2000 ). In Lake Ida (USA), 10 (out of 11) fish species increased the use of littoral carbon after the establishment of the zebra mussel, with the mean use of littoral carbon increasing from 43 to 67% (Morrison et al, 2021 ). In the Hudson River (USA), littoral macrophyte primary production doubled after zebra mussel colonized the river (Caraco et al, 2000 ), and many fishes associated with vegetated shallows where they feed chiefly on benthic invertebrates increased after the invasion, although pelagic fishes declined (Strayer et al, 2004 ).…”

Section: Provisioning Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecosystem services provided by the exotic bivalves Dreissena polymorpha, D. rostriformis bugensis, and Limnoperna fortunei

et al. 2022

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The ecosystem services approach to conservation is becoming central to environmental policy decision making. While many negative biological invasion-driven impacts on ecosystem structure and functioning have been identified, much less was done to evaluate their ecosystem services. In this paper, we focus on the often-overlooked ecosystem services provided by three notable exotic ecosystem engineering bivalves, the zebra mussel, the quagga mussel, and the golden mussel. One of the most significant benefits of invasive bivalves is water filtration, which results in water purification and changes rates of nutrient cycling, thus mitigating the effects of eutrophication. Mussels are widely used as sentinel organisms for the assessment and biomonitoring of contaminants and pathogens and are consumed by many fishes and birds. Benefits of invasive bivalves are particularly relevant in human-modified ecosystems. We summarize the multiple ecosystem services provided by invasive bivalves and recommend including the economically quantifiable services in the assessments of their economic impacts. We also highlight important ecosystem disservices by exotic bivalves, identify data limitations, and future research directions. This assessment should not be interpreted as a rejection of the fact that invasive mussels have negative impacts, but as an attempt to provide additional information for scientists, managers, and policymakers.

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Impacts of zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) on isotopic niche size and niche overlap among fish species in a mesotrophic lake

Cited by 13 publications

References 31 publications

Assessing Minnesota’s Changing Yellow Perch Populations Using Length‐Based Metrics

Assessing Minnesota’s Changing Yellow Perch Populations Using Length‐Based Metrics

Diet Patterns and Niche Overlap of Muskellunge and Co‐Occurring Piscivores in Minnesota Lakes

Ecosystem services provided by the exotic bivalves Dreissena polymorpha, D. rostriformis bugensis, and Limnoperna fortunei

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