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Diet overlap between introduced European minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus) and young brown trout (Salmo trutta) in the lake, Øvre Heimdalsvatn: a result of abundant resources or forced niche overlap?

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Abstract

A study of the diet of native brown trout (Salmo trutta) parr and introduced European minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus) in the subalpine lake, Øvre Heimdalsvatn, showed that the two species had considerable dietary overlap, both in the littoral zone and in the outlet of the lake. Chironomidae constituted a substantial proportion of the diet of the two species in both habitats. The results indicated that both zooplankton (Cladocera) and large macroinvertebrates (EPT-species) made up a higher proportion of the minnow diet in the early phase of the minnow establishment (1975–1977) than later, and that the significance of small macroinvertebrates (Chironomidae) as prey has increased during the same period. Dietary analysis of the sympatric brown trout and minnow population in Øvre Heimdalsvatn does not provide a definitive conclusion about the degree of competition between the two species. However, together with the findings in other studies in Øvre Heimdalsvatn that have documented reduced recruitment and individual growth of brown trout, decreased individual growth of minnows and a marked decline in the density of large crustaceans (Lepidurus arcticus and Gammarus lacustris) in the shallow littoral of the lake during the last decades indicates that competitive interactions between the two species are likely. This is probably an example of the competition between two fish species with a high degree of dietary overlap when living in sympatry, most likely caused by absence of alternative prey and alternative habitats due to the high predation risk for both brown trout parr and minnows in deeper parts and in the open waters of the lake.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Fakkelgården, 2624, Lillehammer, Norway

    Jon Museth

  2. Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1432, Ås, Norway

    Reidar Borgstrøm & John E. Brittain

  3. Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1172, Blindern, 0318, Oslo, Norway

    John E. Brittain

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  1. Jon Museth
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  2. Reidar Borgstrøm
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  3. John E. Brittain
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Correspondence to Jon Museth.

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Guest editors: J. E. Brittain & R. Borgstrøm / The subalpine lake ecosystem, Øvre Heimdalsvatn, and its catchment: local and global changes over the last 50 years

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Museth, J., Borgstrøm, R. & Brittain, J.E. Diet overlap between introduced European minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus) and young brown trout (Salmo trutta) in the lake, Øvre Heimdalsvatn: a result of abundant resources or forced niche overlap?. Hydrobiologia 642, 93–100 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-010-0162-6

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