Non-native fishes and native species diversity in freshwater fish assemblages across the United States |
| |
Authors: | Alison L Mitchell Jason H Knouft |
| |
Institution: | (1) Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Campus Box 334, Boulder, CO 80309, USA;(2) Department of Biology, Saint Louis University, 3507 Laclede Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63103, USA |
| |
Abstract: | The proliferation of non-native species in North American freshwater ecosystems is considered a primary threat to the integrity
of native community structure. However, a general understanding of consistent and predictable impacts of non-native species
on native freshwater diversity is limited, in part, because of a lack of broad-scale studies including data from numerous
localities across multiple drainages. This study uses data from 751 localities collected during the United States Geological
Survey (USGS) National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) program to examine the influence of non-native fish species on native
freshwater fish assemblages across the United States. In general, no significant differences in native fish richness and diversity
measures were detected between sites with only native species and sites containing non-native species. However, at sites with
non-native species, the number of non-native species present was negatively correlated with native species richness and Shannon
diversity and positively correlated with native evenness. Non-native piscivores were negatively correlated with native species
richness and Shannon diversity and positively correlated with native evenness. Native piscivores were positively correlated
with native richness and diversity and negatively correlated with native evenness at sites with only native species. Our results
suggest that from a superficial perspective, native species richness and diversity are not different among sites with and
without non-native species. However, when patterns of native species richness and diversity are examined at sites containing
non-native species, correlations between non-native and native species richness and diversity imply the expected negative
effect of invasive taxa. Additionally, non-native piscivores appear to have a significant negative effect on native taxa and
possibly represent a novel selective force on naive native prey. |
| |
Keywords: | Assembly rules Introduced species Freshwater fishes NAWQA North America Piscivore |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|