Abstract
Zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) filter feed phytoplankton and reduce available pelagic energy, potentially driving fish to use littoral energy sources in lakes. However, changes in food webs and energy flow in complex fish communities after zebra mussel establishment are poorly known. We assessed impacts of zebra mussels on fish littoral carbon use, trophic position, isotopic niche size, and isotopic niche overlap among individual fish species using δ13C and δ15N data collected before (2014) and after (2019) zebra mussel establishment in Lake Ida, MN. Isotope data were collected from 11 fish species, and from zooplankton and littoral invertebrates to estimate baseline isotope values. Mixing models were used to convert fish δ13C and δ15N into estimates of littoral carbon and trophic position, respectively. We tested whether trophic position, littoral carbon use, isotopic niche size, and isotopic niche overlap changed from 2014 to 2019 for each fish species. We found few effects on fish trophic position, but 10 out of 11 fish species increased littoral carbon use after zebra mussel establishment, with mean littoral carbon increasing from 43% before to 67% after establishment. Average isotopic niche size of individual species increased significantly (2.1-fold) post zebra mussels, and pairwise-niche overlap between species increased significantly (1.2-fold). These results indicate zebra mussels increase littoral energy dependence in the fish community, resulting in larger individual isotopic niches and increased isotopic niche overlap. These effects may increase interspecific competition among fish species and could ultimately result in reduced abundance of species less able to utilize littoral energy sources.
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The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (Award # M.L. 2013, Chp. 52, Sec. 2, Subd.05a), the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and the University of St. Thomas. We thank Jeff Reed and Bill McKibbin for assistance with study logistics and collecting samples, and Erin Haws, Jay Holland, Kamden Glade, Eric Katzenmeyer, Bill McKibbin, Matt Hennen, Zachary George, Ryan Grow, Angela Tipp and Rachel Sweet and Glenwood Area Fisheries staff for help collecting fish samples.
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Morrison, A.L., Thelen, M.A., Howe, S.E. et al. Impacts of zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) on isotopic niche size and niche overlap among fish species in a mesotrophic lake. Biol Invasions 23, 2985–3002 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-021-02553-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-021-02553-0