First report on the importance of alien gobiids in the diet of native piscivorous fishes in the lower Vistula River (Poland)

2012 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dariusz Płąchocki ◽  
Jarosław Kobak ◽  
Tomasz Kakareko
Keyword(s):  
Food Webs ◽  
Standard Length ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Northern Pike ◽  
Prey Fish ◽  
Eurasian Perch ◽  
First Report ◽  
Vistula River ◽  
Predator Size

AbstractWe conducted a snapshot study to check the importance of non-native Ponto-Caspian gobies (monkey and racer goby) in the diet of native obligate (northern pike, pikeperch) and facultative (Eurasian perch) predators in the Vistula River 3–4 years after the appearance of aliens. In total 71 fish with non-empty stomachs, taken randomly from net catches from various parts of the river were analyzed, including 32 pike, 20 pikeperch and 19 perch specimens. We found that gobiids prevailed in the diet of smaller (<30 cm standard length, SL) individuals of pike and pikeperch, as well as larger (>15 cm SL) specimens of perch, although the effect of predator size on the presence of gobiids in the diet was not significant in the case of perch. Our results indicate that gobiids as a prey fish can stimulate considerable changes in local food webs, which require further studies.

scholarly journals The behavioral response of prey fish to predators: the role of predator size

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhong-Hua Tang ◽  
Qing Huang ◽  
Hui Wu ◽  
Lu Kuang ◽  
Shi-Jian Fu
Keyword(s):  
Relative Size ◽  
The Body ◽  
Size Difference ◽  
Prey Fish ◽  
Potential Predator ◽  
Black Carp ◽  
Predator Treatment ◽  
Predator Size ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Spontaneous Activities

Predation is one of the key factors governing patterns in natural systems, and adjustments of prey behaviors in response to a predator stimulus can have important ecological implications for wild fish. To investigate the effects of predators on the behavior of prey fish and to test whether the possible effects varied with predator size, black carp (Mylopharyngodon piceus) and snakehead (Channa argus) (a size-matched predator treatment with a similar body size to prey fish and a larger predator treatment with approximately 2.7 times of the body mass of prey fish) were selected to function as prey and predator, respectively. Their spontaneous activities were videorecorded in a central circular arena surrounded by a ring holding the stimulus fish. The distance between prey and predator fish was approximately 200% of the distance between two prey fish, which suggested that black carp can distinguish their conspecifics from heterospecifics and probably recognize the snakehead as a potential predator. The prey fish spent substantially less time moving and exhibited an overall shorter total distance of movement after the size-matched or large predator was introduced, which possibly occurred due to increased vigilance or efforts to reduce the possibility of detection by potential predators. However, there was no significant difference in either distance or spontaneous activities between two predator treatments. These findings suggested that (1) an anti-predator strategy in black carp might involve maintaining a safe distance, decreasing activity and possibly increased vigilance and that (2) the behaviors of prey response to predators were not influenced by their relative size difference.

scholarly journals Occurrence of microplastics in pellets from the common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) along the Ticino River, North Italy

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (33) ◽  
pp. 41731-41739
Author(s):  
Anna Winkler ◽  
Alessandro Nessi ◽  
Diego Antonioli ◽  
Michele Laus ◽  
Nadia Santo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Webs ◽  
Visual Inspection ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems ◽  
Spectroscopic Techniques ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Marine Bird ◽  
First Report ◽  
The Common

Abstract Previous research has reported avian plastic ingestion in marine bird species. Yet, while research attention on plastic pollution is shifting from marine to freshwater ecosystems, very few information on plastic ingestion is available for freshwater birds. Here, we examined the presence of microplastic in regurgitated pellets of the common kingfisher (Alcedo atthis) collected along the Ticino River (North Italy). In total, 133 kingfisher’s pellets were examined between March and October 2019 from 54 transects along the river. Plastic elements were detected and identified by visual inspection followed by μ-FTIR and SEM-EDS. Overall, we found 12 (micro)plastics from at least three different polymers in 7.5% of the pellets. This study provides the first report of plastic uptake of this bird species. It highlights the importance of spectroscopic techniques in plastic monitoring studies in order to avoid misidentification of items found. Documenting the presence of plastic ingestion by top carnivores such as fish-eating birds is necessary to understand the pervasiveness and impact of (micro)plastic pollution in food webs of freshwater ecosystems.

scholarly journals Apparent extirpation of prey fish communities following the introduction of Northern Pike (Esox lucius)

2015 ◽  
Vol 129 (2) ◽  
pp. 165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele E. Nicholson ◽  
Michael D. Rennie ◽  
Kenneth H. Mills
Keyword(s):  
Fish Communities ◽  
Northern Pike ◽  
Esox Lucius ◽  
Visual Observation ◽  
Fish Community Structure ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Prey Fish ◽  
Experimental Lakes Area ◽  
Subsequent Issue ◽  
Shield Lakes

We examined the long-term effects on prey fish communities of introducing Northern Pike (Esox lucius), a top predator fish, into small, Boreal Shield lakes lacking natural piscivore populations. During 1987–1994, Northern Pike were introduced into Lakes 110, 221, and 227 in the Experimental Lakes Area in northwestern Ontario, Canada. In Lake 227, prey fish were undetectable three years after the addition of Northern Pike. Although Northern Pike were removed from the lake by 1996, multiple independent visual and trapping surveys have yielded no evidence of any fish in Lake 227 since then. In 1994–1995, 85% of the Northern Pike were removed from Lake 221. In 2012, despite intensive sampling efforts using baited minnow traps, fyke nets, trap netting, gill netting, angling, and visual observation, no forage fish of any species was observed or caught in Lake 110 or 221. In all three lakes where Northern Pike were added, prey fish populations were extirpated or too small to detect. In Lake 221, we estimated the current population of Northern Pike to be 49 ± 37, a 59% decrease since 2000 when prey fish were still present. The mean total length and body condition of Northern Pike in Lake 221 had not changed since the prey community collapsed. Our findings suggest that the introduction of Northern Pike into lakes without natural piscivore populations has long-lasting effects on fish community structure, to the detriment of both Northern Pike and prey fish populations.Note: an erratum for this article was published in the subsequent issue, and is attached to the end of this article's pdf. Table 2 had not been justified properly; the revised table corrects this issue.

An Experimental Study of Piscivore–Planktivore Interactions: Population and Community Responses to Predation

1992 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 1176-1183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xi He ◽  
Russell A. Wright
Keyword(s):  
Fish Community ◽  
Northern Pike ◽  
Community Response ◽  
Fish Biomass ◽  
Prey Fish ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Population Responses ◽  
Numerical Resolution ◽  
Four Levels ◽  
And Behavior

The population dynamics and behavior of an assemblage of fishes in a small bog lake were studied in a succession of whole-lake manipulations of piscivores. Total prey fish biomass declined after the addition of northern pike (Esox lucius). This decline was the result of emigration by cyprinid prey and consumption by northern pike. The emigration response of the cyprinids was dependent on cyprinid density. At high prey fish biomass, a significant portion of the loss in biomass was the result of emigration; this was not the case at low prey fish biomass. The prey fish community shifted from small-bodied soft-rayed species prior to the introduction of northern pike to species with spines or deep bodies after predator stocking. The community response was analyzed at four levels of numerical resolution: absolute, relative, and ranked abundance and presence–absence of prey species. High numerical resolution captured the dynamic short-term population responses to predation and suggests unstable community structure.

Sustaining local food webs: insights from Kenya and the UK

Food Chain ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 181-202
Author(s):  
Patrick Mulvany ◽  
Ben Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Food Webs ◽  
Local Food ◽  
The Uk

Changes in Fish Community of Klíčava Reservoir with Particular Reference to Eurasian Perch (Perca fluviatilis), 1957–72

1977 ◽  
Vol 34 (10) ◽  
pp. 1734-1747 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juraj Holčík
Keyword(s):  
Fish Community ◽  
Fish Fauna ◽  
Perca Fluviatilis ◽  
Northern Pike ◽  
Zooplankton Biomass ◽  
Fish Biomass ◽  
Biomass Density ◽  
Eurasian Perch ◽  
Perch Perca Fluviatilis ◽  
Stizostedion Lucioperca

Soon after the 1955 filling of the 60 ha mesotrophic Klíčava Reservoir in Czechoslovakia, the fish fauna started to change. Generally, lithophils were replaced by phytophils and then by ecologically more plastic species. Fish biomass increased in the first 12 yr from 65 to 236 kg/ha, but after 1967 dropped to about 170 kg/ha. Increased biomass and density of piscivores were responsible for the decline. Among the piscivores the most important role was played by the pikeperch (Stizostedion lucioperca) rather than the Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis) or northern pike (Esox lucius). Cyclical changes in the age structure of the perch population and the periodical occurrence of many young resulted from fluctuations in the rate of cannibalism, which affected the density of the fry and yearlings. A decline in zooplankton biomass and disappearance of larger zooplankters in the first 5–6 yr of the reservoir were due to increased density of fish, especially perch, which fed on zooplankton. Synchronous predation by piscivores and zooplanktivores produced a nearly stable zooplankton biomass in the later years of the reservoir. The perch is a highly specialized species which behaves in the fish community more or less autonomously, because it is able to control its own density in accord with its food resources. The above conclusions are based on a literature review and analyses of new data. Key words: Percidae, community ecology, Perca, biomass, density, production, predation

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