scholarly journals Habitat utilization and feeding ecology of small round goby in a shallow brackish lagoon

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Henseler ◽  
Paul Kotterba ◽  
Erik Bonsdorff ◽  
Marie C. Nordström ◽  
Daniel Oesterwind

Abstract We examined small-scale distribution and feeding ecology of a non-native fish species, round goby (Neogobius melanostomus (Pallas, 1814)), in different habitats of a coastal lagoon situated in the south-western Baltic Sea. First observations of round goby in this lagoon were reported in 2011, 3 years before the current study was conducted, and information on this species’ basic ecology in different habitats is limited. We found that mainly juvenile round gobies are non-randomly distributed between habitats and that abundances potentially correlate positively with vegetation density and thus structural complexity of the environment. Abundances were highest in shallower, more densely vegetated habitats indicating that these areas might act as a refuge for small round gobies by possibly offering decreased predation risk and better feeding resources. Round goby diet composition was distinct for several length classes suggesting an ontogenetic diet shift concerning crustacean prey taxa between small (≤ 50 mm total length, feeding mainly on zooplankton) and medium individuals (51–100 mm, feeding mainly on benthic crustaceans) and another diet shift of increasing molluscivory with increasing body size across all length classes. Differences in round goby diet between habitats within the smallest length class might potentially be related to prey availability in the environment, which would point to an opportunistic feeding strategy. Here, we offer new insights into the basic ecology of round goby in littoral habitats, providing a better understanding of the ecological role of this invasive species in its non-native range, which might help to assess potential consequences for native fauna and ecosystems.

2005 ◽  
Vol 119 (4) ◽  
pp. 582 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Brian C. Hickey ◽  
Adrienne R. Fowlie

We document the first reported occurrence of the Round Goby, Neogobius melanostomus, a small benthic fish native to the Black and Caspian seas, in the St. Lawrence River near Cornwall. On 7 September 2004, we observed approximately 20 Round Gobies while SCUBA diving at a depth of 7 m, downstream of the Saunders Generating Station at Cornwall, Ontario. Round Gobies appear to have arrived recently in this reach of the river and have not previously been detected despite extensive fish surveys conducted in the area.


2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuriy Kvach ◽  
Markéta Ondračková ◽  
Michal Janáč ◽  
Vadym Krasnovyd ◽  
Mária Seifertová ◽  
...  

Abstract The round goby, Neogobius melanostomus, is a Ponto-Caspian fish species currently found in many parts of Europe, including the North Sea riverine deltas. The objective of this study was to examine the parasite community of fish caught in the lower Elbe (Süderelbe – tidal zone; Geesthacht – non-tidal) in Germany and compare it with published data from the upper Elbe (Ústí nad Labem) in the Czech Republic. Twelve parasite taxa were recorded in the lower Elbe, six in the Süderelbe and nine near the city of Geesthacht. Süderelbe fish were mainly infected with Angullicola crassus larvae, while gobies from Geesthacht – with glochidia and sporadically occurring Pomporhynchus laevis, and the opposite situation was observed at Ústí nad Labem. It appears that a large tidal weir at Geesthacht significantly contributes to the division of the round goby population, with the Geesthacht parasite community being more similar to that at Ústí nad Labem than the one from the Süderelbe, thus increasing the likelihood that shipping from Hamburg was the introduction vector to Ústí nad Labem. We also recorded Acanthocephalus rhinensis in the Elbe for the first time, and in a new host – the round goby. Thus, round gobies may represent a new vector for the introduction of this parasite along the Elbe.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. e109971 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Emde ◽  
Judith Kochmann ◽  
Thomas Kuhn ◽  
Martin Plath ◽  
Sven Klimpel

Behaviour ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 147 (1) ◽  
pp. 121-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stan Yavno ◽  
Lynda Corkum

AbstractFish are known to communicate in many ways and commonly use olfactory and visual signals. When round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) males become reproductive, they change from mottled grey to black and release sex steroids in their urine. In this study, we conducted a laboratory experiment to determine if reproductive female round gobies were attracted to a combination of olfactory (urine) and visual (silicone models) stimuli, representing reproductive and non-reproductive male round gobies. Females spent significantly more time at a nest with a black reproductive male model compared with a mottled non-reproductive male model. Neither urine type nor the interaction between model type and urine affected the time spent by reproductive females at a nest. Knowledge of the reproductive habits of the round goby may enable researchers to develop a method of species control for this invasive fish by manipulating its breeding habits.


Zoodiversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 317-330
Author(s):  
V. Zamorov ◽  
M. Zamorova ◽  
D. Krupko ◽  
N. Matvienko ◽  
Y. Leonchyk ◽  
...  

The aim of this study was to assess the discriminability of the stocks of the round goby Neogobius melanostomus based on the shape of its otoliths. Recent otolith-shape-based species and stock discrimination studies were using otolith contours in sagittal plane and we are following this approach. We hypothesized the possibility of existence of several geographically separated populations of the round goby. Round gobies have been sampled from different locations of the North-Western Black Sea, otoliths were removed in course of the full biological analysis and photographed in sagittal plane. Principal components of the otolith contour were processed by linear discriminant analysis aiming to cross-validate the discriminability of round gobies placed at different geographical locations. This would allow demonstration of different stocks or populations. This research allows to conclude the limited applicability of otolith contours for discrimination of stocks or populations of round goby based on multiple annual samples. However, neither classification matrices of discriminant analysis nor cluster analysis dendrograms showed a single pattern except for the high year to year otoliths variability. This allows to hypothesise a strong response of contour formation to habitat and feeding conditions. However, this assumption needs to be verified by further studies.


2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
David B Bunnell ◽  
Timothy B Johnson ◽  
Carey T Knight

We used an individual-based bioenergetic model to simulate the phosphorus flux of the round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) population in central Lake Erie during 1995–2002. Estimates of round goby diet composition, growth rates, and population abundance were derived from field sampling. As an abundant introduced fish, we predicted that round gobies would influence phosphorus cycling both directly, through excretion, and indirectly, through consumption of dreissenid mussels, whose high mass-specific phosphorus excretion enhances recycling. In 1999, when age-1+ round gobies reached peak abundance near 350 million (2.4 kg·ha–1), annual phosphorus excretion was estimated at 7 t (1.4 × 10–3 mg P·m–2·day–1). From an ecosystem perspective, however, round gobies excreted only 0.4% of the phosphorus needed by the benthic community for primary production. Indirectly, round gobies consumed <0.2% of dreissenid population biomass, indicating that round gobies did not reduce nutrient availability by consuming dreissenids. Compared with previous studies that have revealed introduced species to influence phosphorus cycling, round gobies likely did not attain a sufficiently high biomass density to influence phosphorus cycling in Lake Erie.


2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 795-807 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mattias Hempel ◽  
Victoria Magath ◽  
Rüdiger Neukamm ◽  
Ralf Thiel

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