Novel Fish Communities: Native and Non-Native Species Trends in Two Run-of-the-River Reservoirs, Clark Fork River, Montana

Two multimetric indices have been developed to help address fish community (reservoir fish assemblage index [RFAI]) and individual population quality (sport fishing index [SFI]) in Tennessee River reservoirs. The RFAI, with characteristics similar to the index of biotic integrity (IBI) used in stream fish community determinations, was developed to monitor the existing condition of resident fish communities[1,2,3]. The index, which incorporates standardized electrofishing of littoral areas and experimental gill netting for limnetic bottom-dwelling species, has been used to determine residential fish community response to various anthropogenic impacts in southeastern reservoirs.The SFI is a multimetric index designed to address the quality of the fishery for individual resident sport fish species in a particular lake or reservoir[4]. The SFI incorporates measures of fish population aspects and angler catch and pressure estimates. This paper proposes 70% of the maximum RFAI score and 10% above the average SFI score for individual species as “screening” endpoints for balanced indigenous populations (BIP) or adverse environmental impact (AEI). Endpoints for these indices indicate: (1) communities/populations are obviously balanced indigenous populations (BIP) indicating no adverse environmental impact (AEI), or are “screened out”; (2) communities/populations are considered to be potentially impacted; and (3) where the resident fish community/population should be considered adversely impacted. Suggestions are also made concerning how examination of individual metric scores can help determine the source or cause of the impact.

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Status of Endemic Freshwater Fish Fauna Inhabiting Major Lakes of Turkey under the Threats of Climate Change and Anthropogenic Disturbances: A Review

Water ◽

10.3390/w13111534 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 1534

Author(s):

Daniela Giannetto ◽

Deniz Innal

Keyword(s):

Freshwater Fish ◽

Fish Species ◽

Native Species ◽

Fish Assemblages ◽

Fish Communities ◽

Fish Fauna ◽

Current Status ◽

Global Issue ◽

Freshwater Fish Fauna ◽

Endemic Fish

Due to its peculiar geographical position and its environmental heterogeneity, Turkey represents an important biodiversity hotspot for freshwater fish fauna. Unfortunately, native fish communities of Turkey, mainly from lentic ecosystems, have been massively altered in the past decades. Furthermore, these species, especially the endemic species, are now threatened by several human activities in addition to the global issue of climatic changes. The aim of this paper is to provide an updated review on the current status of endemic fish species from main lakes of Turkey including major threats affecting fish assemblages. By gathering data from the literature and authors’ personal observations, 62 endemic fish species were reported to occur in the considered 37 Turkish Lakes. The presence of non-native species, agriculture activities, climatic drought, and decreasing water level were found to be the threats that most affect the fish communities of the considered Turkish Lakes.

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Rapid food web recovery in response to removal of an introduced apex predator

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f05-248 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 63 (3) ◽

pp. 569-575 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Jesse M Lepak ◽

Clifford E Kraft ◽

Brian C Weidel

Keyword(s):

Food Web ◽

Native Species ◽

Fish Community ◽

Lake Trout ◽

Trophic Position ◽

Fish Communities ◽

Stomach Contents ◽

Smallmouth Bass ◽

Native Fish ◽

Apex Predator

Non-native species have increased extinction rates, decreased diversity, altered organism distributions, and constrained ecosystem functioning in native aquatic and terrestrial communities. Although widespread fish introductions have dramatically altered fish communities in north temperate lakes, restoration of native fish communities has been rarely accomplished. This study evaluated a native fish community restoration using a stable isotope based metric. Stable isotopes from a native apex predator (lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush)) were used to measure food web changes following removal of a dominant non-native apex predator (smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu)). Prior to bass removal, lake trout consumed primarily invertebrates. Within 2 years of the initiation of an experimental removal effort, lake trout δ13C values (25.9 to 24.9) and trophic position (3.53.9) increased, reflecting a switch to prey fish consumption that was supported by stomach contents analyses. Here, we show the rapid reestablishment of food web linkages within a native fish community in response to changes in principal energy sources and trophic position of a native apex predator along with the ability to quantify the extent of these changes.

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Increasing Establishment of Non-native Fish Species in the Seine River Basin: Insights From Medium- and Long-Term Approaches

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.3389/fevo.2021.687451 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Jérôme Belliard ◽

Sarah Beslagic ◽

Julien Boucault ◽

Amandine Zahm

Keyword(s):

River Basin ◽

Fish Species ◽

Native Species ◽

Fish Communities ◽

Freshwater Ecosystems ◽

Native Fish ◽

13Th Century ◽

Seine River ◽

Basin Scale ◽

Seine River Basin

The spread of non-native species is nowadays recognized as a major threat to the biodiversity of freshwater ecosystems. However, for a very long time the introduction and acclimatization of new species has been perceived mainly as a source of wealth for human societies. Here, we examined the establishment of non-native fish species in the Seine River basin from a historical perspective by adopting a twofold approach. In a first step, at the whole basin scale, considering various written and archeological sources, we traced the chronology, over the last millennium, of the establishments of non-native species. In a second step, by analyzing fish monitoring from several hundred sites covering the diversity of rivers and streams, we examined the changes in numbers and abundance of non-native species in local fish communities over the last three decades. The first documented species introduction dates back to the 13th century but it is from the middle of the 19th century that the introduction attempts accelerated. Today, these introductions have reached an unprecedented level and 46% of the species recorded in the basin are non-native. During the last three decades, non-native species have continued to increase within fish communities both in terms of number of species and abundance of individuals. The most pronounced increases are noted on large rivers and sites where anthropic pressures are strong. Waterways connecting European basins, globalization of trade, and ongoing climate change provide a general background suggesting that the increase in the proportion of non-native species in the fish communities of the Seine River basin is likely to continue for several decades.

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Native freshwater species get out of the way: Prussian carp ( Carassius gibelio ) impacts both fish and benthic invertebrate communities in North America

Royal Society Open Science ◽

10.1098/rsos.170400 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4 (10) ◽

pp. 170400 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Jonathan L. W. Ruppert ◽

Cassandra Docherty ◽

Kenton Neufeld ◽

Kyle Hamilton ◽

Laura MacPherson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

North America ◽

Fish Species ◽

Native Species ◽

Fish Communities ◽

Benthic Invertebrate ◽

Freshwater Ecosystems ◽

Prussian Carp ◽

Invertebrate Communities ◽

Carassius Gibelio ◽

Benthic Invertebrate Communities

Prussian carp ( Carassius gibelio ) are one of the most noxious non-native species in Eurasia. Recently, Prussian carp, a non-native freshwater fish species, were genetically confirmed in Alberta, Canada and have been rapidly expanding their range in North America since establishment. Given their rapid range expansion, there is an increasing need to determine how Prussian carp may impact native species. We assessed the severity of the Prussian carp invasion by (i) determining their impact on fish communities, (ii) assessing their impact on benthic invertebrate communities, (iii) evaluating if Prussian carp alter abiotic conditions, and (iv) identifying where we find higher abundances of Prussian carp. When Prussian carp were established, we found significant changes to the fish community. Correspondingly, the degree of impact to benthic invertebrate communities was related to the stage of invasion (none, early or recent), where changes in fish communities were significantly concordant with changes in benthic invertebrate communities. Finally, we found that higher abundances of Prussian carp were significantly associated with lower abundances of a majority of native fish species. Altogether, using three lines of evidence, we determine that Prussian carp can have wide-ranging impacts on freshwater ecosystems in North America, pressing the need for management intervention.

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