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Feeding patterns and population structure of an invasive cyprinid, the rudd Scardinius erythrophthalmus (Cypriniformes, Cyprinidae), in Buffalo Harbor (Lake Erie) and the upper Niagara River

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Abstract

Feeding patterns and population structure of the non-native rudd Scardinius erythrophthalmus (Linnaeus) were examined to understand their ecology in Buffalo Harbor and the Niagara River. We hypothesized that (1) the diet of rudds would be omnivorous, but contain greater proportions of macrophytes in summer months, (2) feeding intensity would increase with water temperature, and (3) condition and growth would be similar to other populations. We collected rudds with a variety of gears in 2009 to test these hypotheses, and used data from 2007 to 2010 seining surveys to determine if the relative abundance of young-of-the-year rudd differed among sites with different flow conditions. Rudds were mostly herbivorous; they consumed aquatic macrophytes in summer and supplemented their diet with algae and fish in spring and fall. Feeding intensity was positively correlated with water temperature, but significantly reduced during spawning. Rudd condition and growth were greater than estimates from other populations, suggesting increases in abundance and range expansion are possible. Furthermore, reproduction was successful at lotic sites but very poor at sites without measureable flow, contrary to the paradigm of optimal rudd habitat. Research is needed to understand how herbivory by abundant rudd populations affects native aquatic communities.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Andrew Panczykowski for his assistance in the field and laboratory. Jonathan Sztukowski and Derek Crane also provided significant assistance in the field. Alexander Karatayev and Mark Clapsadl (Buffalo State-State University of New York, Great Lakes Center) provided storage, laboratory, and boat launch facilities. The authors are grateful to Karin Limburg for providing assistance and expertise in otolith preparation, Gillian AvRuskin for assistance with figure creation, and Stephen Stehman for statistical advice. Three anonymous reviewers provided comments that greatly improved this manuscript. This study was funded by Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Grants administered by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, a grant from the Greenway Ecological Fund Standing Committee, and is a contribution of the Thousand Islands Biological Station.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York, 104 Illick Hall, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA

    Kevin L. Kapuscinski

  2. College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York, 250 Illick Hall, 1 Forestry Drive, Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA

    John M. Farrell

  3. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, 270 Michigan Avenue, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA

    Michael A. Wilkinson

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  1. Kevin L. Kapuscinski
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Correspondence to Kevin L. Kapuscinski.

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Kapuscinski, K.L., Farrell, J.M. & Wilkinson, M.A. Feeding patterns and population structure of an invasive cyprinid, the rudd Scardinius erythrophthalmus (Cypriniformes, Cyprinidae), in Buffalo Harbor (Lake Erie) and the upper Niagara River. Hydrobiologia 693, 169–181 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-012-1106-0

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