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Fine scale spatio-temporal life history shifts in an invasive species at its expansion front

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Abstract

The dynamic shifts in life history traits by non-native populations at an invasion front may be driven by a combination of phenotypic plasticity and micro-evolutionary processes, allowing for appropriate responses to changes in biotic and abiotic factors associated with range expansion. The temporal and spatial scale at which these shifts occur, however, is largely unexplored. We examined the age-specific life-history responses of female round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) across a fine spatial scale by comparing traits of individuals at the expanding front of an invasive pathway with those of individuals living at the previous year’s front. Females in the new front were younger, exhibited higher body condition index and fecundity, and greater reproductive allocation than those living at the previous year’s front. No difference in back-calculated length at age or in seasonal growth increment was found between occupants of the old and new fronts. Age-specific differences in reproductive investment were observed; age-1 females from the new front exhibited greater reproductive effort but similar reproductive allocation, whereas age-2 females showed greater reproductive allocation in the new front, but similar reproductive effort. These age-specific differences may be related to differences in population density and other biotic factors encountered during ontogeny, or to micro-evolutionary processes. Our results demonstrate that fine scale changes in energy allocation towards reproduction through increases in reproductive allocation and fecundity occur at the invasion front, highlight how quickly those shifts can occur at the expansion front, and suggest that such changes in newly colonised areas facilitate range expansion.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Gérard Masson for his suggestions on study design and laboratory analysis procedures, and Dirk Algera for his assistance during field collection and laboratory analysis. We also thank two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments and suggestions on an earlier draft of this manuscript. This research was supported by a Discovery Grant from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (#46680-2007) and a grant from the Ontario Invasive Species Centre Partnership Fund (#2011-12) to MGF.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, K9J 7B8, Canada

    Laurence Masson

  2. Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada

    Jacob W. Brownscombe

  3. Environmental and Resource Studies Program, Department of Biology, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, K9J 7B8, Canada

    Michael G. Fox

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  1. Laurence Masson
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Correspondence to Laurence Masson.

Appendix

Appendix

See Appendices A and B.

Appendix A Mean gonadosomatic index (GSI), Mean fecundity (count of eggs per g of soma) fecundity and Fulton’s condition index (K) of “ready to spawn” female round goby sampled from each site of the old (OF, 2010) and new (NE, 2011) invasion fronts during the reproductive season (period 1, 16–20 May/1–3 June, 2, 13–15 June/28–29 June, 3, 8-11 July/26–27 July)
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Appendix B Mean total length (mm) at age and of female round goby samples from each site of the old (OF) and new fronts (NF) in the Otonabee River during the spawning season of 2011
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Masson, L., Brownscombe, J.W. & Fox, M.G. Fine scale spatio-temporal life history shifts in an invasive species at its expansion front. Biol Invasions 18, 775–792 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-015-1047-4

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