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Resource partitioning between non-native white-spotted charr and native red-spotted masu salmon in Shikoku, southwestern Japan: population- and individual-level analyses

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Abstract

White-spotted charr (Salvelinus leucomaenis subspp.) and masu salmon (Oncorhynchus masou subspp.) are common stream salmonids in the Japanese Archipelago. In Shikoku Island, although white-spotted charr is not originally distributed, its introduced populations have been established in several streams and caused population decline of red-spotted masu salmon (Oncorhynchus masou ishikawae) in some streams. In this study, we examined effects of non-native white-spotted charr on prey use by native red-spotted masu salmon and described food resource partitioning between the two species at the population and individual levels using their allopatric and sympatric streams. Comparisons of the diet between allopatric (without charr) and sympatric red-spotted masu salmon (with charr) indicated no significant difference at both population and individual levels, suggesting that white-spotted charr had no effect on prey use by red-spotted masu salmon. Comparisons of the diet between red-spotted masu salmon and white-spotted charr in the sympatric stream indicated significant differences at both population and individual levels. The population level analyses showed a clear pattern of partitioning that the diets of red-spotted masu salmon and white-spotted charr were dominated by terrestrial and aquatic prey, respectively. Furthermore, individual-level analyses showed that among-individual variation in prey use was larger in white-spotted charr than in red-spotted masu salmon. The high individual variation in prey use by white-spotted charr may facilitate the coexistence of the two species at the local habitat scale.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Soshi Kihara and Kakeru Yoshimuta for their help in the field, and Hiroki Hata and Yume Imada for their advice throughout the study. The authors also thank the handling editor and two reviewers for constructive comments that improved the manuscript. This research was supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 21K06348 to M. Inoue).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Ehime University, 2-5 Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama, Ehime, 790-8577, Japan

    Daisuke Togaki & Mikio Inoue

  2. Faculty of Science, Ehime University, 2-5 Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama, Ehime, 790-8577, Japan

    Hayato Kawaguchi & Keita Yamamoto

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  1. Daisuke Togaki
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  2. Mikio Inoue
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  3. Hayato Kawaguchi
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  4. Keita Yamamoto
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Correspondence to Daisuke Togaki.

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The survey in this study was conducted with the permission of Ehime Prefectural Government and complied with the current laws in Japan.

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Togaki, D., Inoue, M., Kawaguchi, H. et al. Resource partitioning between non-native white-spotted charr and native red-spotted masu salmon in Shikoku, southwestern Japan: population- and individual-level analyses. Ichthyol Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-023-00941-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-023-00941-1

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