Niche segregation of a newly introduced invasive and co-occurring native fish species in a productive shallow lake (Manyas, NW Anatolia)

The impacts of aquatic invasive species vary from the population to ecosystem level most strikingly through modifications to native communities, often leading to a decline in native species. A primary impact mechanism is competitive displacement of native by invasive species through resource partitioning. However, the trophic interactions between native and invasive species occupying the same habitat remain poorly understood, particularly at the early stages of invasion. This study used stable isotope analysis of two co-occurring populations of invasive topmouth gudgeon, Pseudorasbora parva and native Caucasian dwarf goby, Knipowitschia caucasica in a highly productive shallow lake to characterize overlap of potential trophic niches. The trophic niches of both species were divergent, with no overlap. Mixing models suggest some inter-specific dietary differences. The trophic niche of the Caucasian dwarf goby was slightly and non-significantly larger than that of topmouth gudgeon. These results suggest that when introduced outside of their natural range, topmouth gudgeon might integrate into new fish communities via the exploitation of resources that are underexploited by native fishes, which could also explain the high invasion success of the species.

Automated summary

The study found that in a highly productive shallow lake, there was no overlap in trophic niches between the invasive topmouth gudgeon and native Caucasian dwarf goby, with the trophic niche of the Caucasian dwarf goby slightly larger but not significantly different. This suggests that the topmouth gudgeon may integrate into new fish communities by exploiting resources that are underutilized by native fishes, potentially explaining its high invasion success.