Trophic interactions between native and introduced fish species in a littoral fish community |
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Authors: | M Monroy A Maceda‐Veiga N Caiola A De Sostoa |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Animal Biology and Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio), University of Barcelona, , E‐08028 Barcelona, Spain;2. Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, , Cardiff, CF10 3AX U.K.;3. Aquatic Ecosystems, IRTA, , Sant Carles de la Ràpita, Spain |
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Abstract: | The trophic interactions between 15 native and two introduced fish species, silverside Odontesthes bonariensis and rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, collected in a major fishery area at Lake Titicaca were explored by integrating traditional ecological knowledge and stable‐isotope analyses (SIA). SIA suggested the existence of six trophic groups in this fish community based on δ13C and δ15N signatures. This was supported by ecological evidence illustrating marked spatial segregation between groups, but a similar trophic level for most of the native groups. Based on Bayesian ellipse analyses, niche overlap appeared to occur between small O. bonariensis (<90 mm) and benthopelagic native species (31·6%), and between the native pelagic killifish Orestias ispi and large O. bonariensis (39%) or O. mykiss (19·7%). In addition, Bayesian mixing models suggested that O. ispi and epipelagic species are likely to be the main prey items for the two introduced fish species. This study reveals a trophic link between native and introduced fish species, and demonstrates the utility of combining both SIA and traditional ecological knowledge to understand trophic relationships between fish species with similar feeding habits. |
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Keywords: | endemic fish food web introduced species Lake Titicaca stable isotopes |
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