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Prey selection of larval and juvenile planktivorous fish: impacts of introduced prey

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Abstract

Changes in the abundance and composition of zooplankton resulting from species introductions may be contributing to a decline in the abundance of planktivorous fish in the San Francisco Estuary (SFE). To examine how changes in the prey assemblage may translate into feeding success of planktivorous fish, we quantified the relative consumption of native and introduced copepods by larval and juvenile delta smelt, Hypomesus transpacificus, and larval striped bass, Morone saxatilis, in laboratory feeding experiments. Larvae ≤20 days post-hatch (dph) of both fish consumed the copepodite stages of ~1 mm calanoid copepods, native Eurytemora affinis and introduced Pseudodiaptomus forbesi, and the smaller (~0.5 mm) introduced cyclopoid copepod, Limnoithona tetraspina, in approximately the same proportion as their abundance in the assemblage. Conversely, prey selection of larvae >20 dph shifted towards the larger calanoid species, E. affinis and P. forbesi. The timing of this shift differed between fish species, occurring earlier in striped bass, and varied between calanoid species, occurring later for P. forbesi than E. affinis. These data suggest that the impacts of introduced prey on planktivorous fish depend not only on the prey being introduced, but also on the resident predators. Additionally, even small differences in size and behavior between native and introduced prey can influence prey selection of planktivorous fish. Changes in prey selection of planktivorous fish resulting from species introductions could directly impact fish recruitment. As a result, species introductions could significantly alter food web function in the SFE and other invaded aquatic ecosystems.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Joan Lindberg for help with the experimental design. We also thank Lauren Damon, Luke Ellison, John Nunes, Theresa Rettinghouse, and Dagmara Saini for maintaining the delta smelt cultures, and Clarence Chin, Eric Durieux, Patrick Fitzgerald, Rose Hoang, Eric Shih, Tony Vaught, and George Whitman for maintaining the striped bass cultures. We are also thankful for Sean Rohtla, who watched and re-watched hours of videos, and Alison Gould for measuring the L. tetrapsina nauplii. We are grateful to Anne Slaughter and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments regarding the manuscript. This research was supported by the CALFED Science Fellows Program administered by California Sea Grant (R/SF-15) in cooperation with the California Bay-Delta Authority for research funded under the California Bay-Delta Authority (Agreement No. U-04-SC-005). Additional support was provided by the Interagency Ecological Program’s work plan on the Pelagic Organism Decline under the California Department of Water Resources to Wim Kimmerer (Contract No. 4600007494), David Ostrach (Contract No. 4600004664), and Joan Lindberg and Bradd Baskerville-Bridges (Contract No. 4600007604).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies, San Francisco State University, 3152 Paradise Drive, Tiburon, CA, 94920, USA

    Lindsay J. Sullivan, Toni R. Ignoffo & Wim J. Kimmerer

  2. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2177 Salk Ave, Carlsbad, CA, 92008, USA

    Bradd Baskerville-Bridges

  3. Ostrach Consulting, 18671 Country Road 96, Woodland, CA, 95695, USA

    David J. Ostrach

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  1. Lindsay J. Sullivan
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  5. Wim J. Kimmerer
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Correspondence to Lindsay J. Sullivan.

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Sullivan, L.J., Ignoffo, T.R., Baskerville-Bridges, B. et al. Prey selection of larval and juvenile planktivorous fish: impacts of introduced prey. Environ Biol Fish 99, 633–646 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-016-0505-x

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