Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Reconciliation ecology in Neotropical reservoirs: can fishing help to mitigate the impacts of invasive fishes on native populations?

  • Primary Research Paper
  • Published:
Hydrobiologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Despite the increased use as tool for conservation of native fish, the creation of non-fishing reserves is more recent in Neotropical impoundments and its effectiveness rather variable. Although not intentionally created for conservation purposes, areas located near dams could function as fish reserves, since fishing activity is often forbidden in these sites for security reasons. We investigated the effects of a fishing-restricted area in Lajes Reservoir, a Neotropical reservoir dominated by invasive species, notably the yellow peacock bass Cichla kelberi, subject to intensive local fisheries. Cichlid populations associated with rocky banks of similar size and complexity were compared between fishing and non-fishing sites, after accounting for spatial autocorrelation. Native cichlids were significantly less abundant in the non-fishing area, in contrast to invasive cichlids. Accordingly, there were smaller individuals of the two native species in the fishing-allowed sites, where the mean size of peacock bass was also smaller. Our results suggest that angling can sometimes provide demographical control of large invasive piscivores and hence predation refuges for native fish in highly modified ecosystems such as reservoirs, thus resulting in reconciliation ecology. Fishing prohibition can sometimes be counterproductive for the conservation of native populations, illustrating the importance of context-specific management strategies.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Agostinho, A. A., S. M. Thomaz & L. C. Gomes, 2005. Conservation of the biodiversity of Brazil’s inland waters. Conservation Biology 19: 646–652.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Agostinho, A. A., L. C. Gomes & F. M. Pelicice, 2007. Ecologia e Manejo de Recursos Pesqueiros em Reservatórios do Brasil. EDUEM, Maringá.

    Google Scholar 

  • Agostinho, A. A., F. M. Pelicice, L. C. Gomes & H. F. Júlio Júnior, 2010. Reservoir fish stocking: when one plus one may be less than two. Natureza & Conservação 8: 103–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Agostinho, A. A., L. C. Gomes, N. C. L. Santos, J. C. G. Ortega & F. M. Pelicice, 2016. Fish assemblages in Neotropical reservoirs: colonization patterns, impacts and management. Fisheries Research 173: 26–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Araújo, F. G. & L. N. Santos, 2001. Distribution and composition of fish assemblages in Lajes Reservoir, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Biologia 61: 563–576.

    Google Scholar 

  • Araújo, F. G., C. C. Andrade, R. N. Santos, A. F. G. N. Santos & L. N. Santos, 2005. Spatial and seasonal changes in the diet of Oligosarcus hepsetus (Characiformes, Characidae) in a Brazilian reservoir. Brazilian Journal of Biology 65: 1–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Balirwa, J. S., C. A. Chapman, L. J. Chapman, I. G. Cowx, K. Geheb, L. Kaufman, R. H. Lowe-McConnell, O. Seehausen, J. H. Wanink, R. L. Welcomme & F. Witte, 2003. Biodiversity and fishery sustainability in the Lake Victoria Basin: an unexpected marriage? BioScience 53: 703–715.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barletta, M., A. J. Jaureguizar, C. Baigun, N. F. Fontoura, A. A. Agostinho, V. M. F. Almeida-Val, A. L. Val, R. A. Torres, L. F. Jimenes-Segura, T. Giarrizzo, N. N. Fabré, V. S. Batista, C. Lasso, D. C. Taphorn, M. F. Costa, P. T. Chaves, J. P. Vieira & M. F. M. Corrêa, 2010. Fish and aquatic habitat conservation in South America: a continental overview with emphasis on neotropical systems. Journal of Fish Biology 76: 2118–2176.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bolding, B., S. Bonar & M. Divens, 2004. Use of artificial structure to enhance angler benefits in lakes, ponds, and reservoirs: a literature review. Reviews in Fisheries Science 12: 75–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Borcard, D., P. Legendre, C. Avois-Jacquet & H. Tuomisto, 2004. Dissecting the spatial structure of ecological data at multiple scales. Ecology 85: 1826–1832.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campos-Silva, J. V. & C. A. Peres, 2016. Community-based management induces rapid recovery of a high-value tropical freshwater fishery. Scientific Reports 6: 34745.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Canonico, G. C., A. Arthington, J. K. McCrary & M. L. Thieme, 2005. The effects of introduced tilapiason native biodiversity. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 15: 463–483.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clavero, M., V. Hermoso, E. Aparicio & F. N. Godinho, 2013. Biodiversity in heavily modified waterbodies: native and introduced fish in Iberian reservoirs. Freshwater Biology 58: 1190–1201.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Didham, R. K., J. M. Tylianakis, N. J. Gemmell, T. A. Rand & R. M. Ewers, 2007. Interactive effects of habitat modification and species invasion on native species decline. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 22: 489–496.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diggle, P. J., P. Heagerty, K. Y. Liang & S. L. Zeger, 2002. The Analysis of Longitudinal Data. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dudgeon, D., A. H. M. Arthington, O. Gessner, Z. I. Kawabata, D. J. Knowler, C. Leveque, R. J. Naiman, A. H. Prieur-Richard, D. Soto, M. L. J. Stiassny & C. A. Sullivan, 2006. Freshwater biodiversity: importance, threats, status and conservation challenges. Biological Reviews 81: 163–182.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gonzalez, A. F., 2003. Alimentação e ecologia trófica do tucunaré-amarelo Cichla monoculus (Spix, 1829) no reservatório de Lajes, RJ. MSc thesis, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

  • Hermoso, V., R. Abell, S. Linke & P. Boon, 2016. The role of protected areas for freshwater biodiversity conservation: challenges and opportunities in a rapidly changing world. Aquatic Conservation 26(Suppl. 1): 3–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, D. L. & W. L. Lynch, 1992. Panfish use of and angler success at evergreen tree, brush, and stake-bed structures. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 12: 222–229.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, P. T. J., J. D. Olden & M. J. Vander Zanden, 2008. Dam invaders: impoundments facilitate biological invasions into freshwaters. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 6: 357–363.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kolar, C. S. & D. M. Lodge, 2001. Progress in invasion biology: predicting invaders. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 16: 199–204.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kullander, S. O. & E. J. G. Ferreira, 2006. A review of the South American cichlid genus Cichla, with descriptions of nine new species (Teleostei: Cichlidae). Ichthyological Explorations of Freshwaters 17: 289–398.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kullander, S. O., 2003. Cichlidae (Cichlids). In Reis, R. E., S. O. Kullander & C. J. Ferraris Jr. (eds), Checklist of the Freshwater Fishes of South and Central America. EDIPUCRS, Porto Alegre, Brazil: 605–654.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lasne, E., S. Llek & P. Laffaille, 2007. Patterns in fish assemblages in the loire floodplain: the role of hydrological connectivity and implications for conservation. Biological Conservation 139: 258–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lazzaro, X., 1991. Feeding convergence in South American and African zooplanktivorous cichlids Geophagus brasiliensis and Tilapia rendalli. Environmental Biology of Fishes 31: 283–293.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Legendre, P., 1993. Spatial autocorrelation: trouble or new paradigm? Ecology 74: 1659–1673.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liew, J. H., H. H. Tan & D. C. J. Yeo, 2016. Dammed rivers: impoundments facilitate fish invasions. Freshwater Biology 61: 1421–1429.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Linde, A. R., J. I. Izquierdo, J. C. Moreira & E. G. Vazquez, 2008. Invasive Tilapia juveniles are associated to degraded river habitats. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 18: 891–895.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lowe-McConnell, R. H., 1987. Ecological Studies in Tropical Fish Communities. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Lytle, D. A. & N. L. Poff, 2004. Adaptation to natural flow regimes. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 19: 94–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marques, A. C. P. B., A. C. S. Franco, F. Salgueiro, E. García-Berthou & L. N. Santos, 2016. Genetic divergence among invasive and native populations of the yellow peacock cichlid Cichla kelberi. Journal of Fish Biology 89: 2595–2606.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Oliveira, S. L., Z. C. Mendes, L. C. Crisóstomo & F. G. Araújo, 1986. Resultados preliminares do levantamento ictiológico na represa de Ribeirão das Lajes, Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Publicações Avulsas do Museu Nacional do Rio de Janeiro 65: 87–90.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pelicice, F. M. & A. A. Agostinho, 2008. Fish-passage facilities as ecological traps in large neotropical rivers. Conservation Biology 22: 180–188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pelicice, F. M., V. A. Azevedo-Santos, J. R. S. Vitule, M. L. Orsi, D. P. Lima Junior, A. L. B. Magalhães, P. S. Pompeu, M. Petrere Júnior & A. A. Agostinho, 2017. Neotropical freshwater fishes imperilled by unsustainable policies. Fish and Fisheries 18: 1119–1133.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petrere Jr., M., R. L. Welcomme & A. I. Payne, 1998. Comparing river basins world-wide and contrasting inland fisheries in Africa and Central Amazonia. Fisheries Management and Ecology 5: 97–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers, K. B. & E. P. Bergersen, 1999. Utility of synthetic structures for concentrating adult northern pike and largemouth bass. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 19: 1054–1065.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenzweig, M. L., 2003. Reconciliation ecology and the future of species diversity. Oryx 37: 194–205.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sanches, F. H. C., C. A. Miyai, T. M. Costa, R. A. Christofoletti, G. L. Volpato & R. E. Barreto, 2012. Aggressiveness overcomes body-size effects in fights staged between invasive and native fish species with overlapping niches. PLoS ONE 7: e29746.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Santos, L. N., A. F. Gonzalez & F. G. Araújo, 2001. Dieta do tucunaré-amarelo Cichla monoculus (Bloch & Schneider) (Osteichthyes, Cichlidae), no reservatório de Lajes, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 18: 191–204.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Santos, A. F. G. N., L. N. Santos & F. G. Araújo, 2004. Water level influences on body condition of Geophagus brasiliensis (Perciformes, Cichlidae) in a Brazilian oligotrophic reservoir. Neotropical Ichthyology 2: 151–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Santos, L. N., F. G. Araújo & D. S. Brotto, 2008. Artificial structures as tools for fish habitat rehabilitation in a neotropical reservoir. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 18: 896–908.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Santos, L. N., E. García-Berthou, A. A. Agostinho & J. D. Latini, 2011a. Fish colonization of artificial reefs in a large Neotropical reservoir: material type and successional changes. Ecological Applications 21: 251–262.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Santos, A. F. G. N., L. N. Santos & F. G. Araújo, 2011b. Digestive tract morphology of the Neotropical piscivorous fish Cichla kelberi (Perciformes: Cichlidae) introduced into an oligotrophic Brazilian reservoir. Revista de Biología Tropical 59: 1245–1255.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Santos, A. F. G. N., P. R. O. Carrera, M. Aronovich & L. N. Santos, 2014. Preferência alimentar de juvenis de lambari-cachorro, Oligosarcus hepsetus em relação a duas espécies de presas de peixe em ambiente controlado. Ciência Rural 44: 307–313.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saunders, D. L., J. J. Meeuwig & A. C. J. Vincent, 2002. Freshwater protected areas: strategies for conservation. Conservation Biology 16: 30–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seixas, L. B., N. R. Barreto & L. N. Santos, 2013. Artificial reefs for marine and freshwater fish management in Brazil: researchers profile and academic production over the 1990–2010 period. Oecologia Australis 17: 374–385.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simberloff, D., J. L. Martin, P. Genovesi, V. Maris, D. A. Wardle, J. Aronson, F. Courchamp, B. Galil, E. García-Berthou, M. Pascal, P. Pyšek, R. Sousa, E. Tabacchi & M. Vilà, 2013. Impacts of biological invasions: what’s what and the way forward. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 28: 58–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wills, T. C., M. T. Bremigan & D. B. Hayes, 2004. Variable effects of habitat enhancement structures across species and habitats in Michigan reservoirs. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 133: 399–411.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Winemiller, K. O., P. B. McIntyre, L. Castello, E. Fluet-Chouinard, T. Giarrizzo, S. Nam, I. G. Baird, W. Darwall, N. K. Lujan, I. Harrison, M. L. J. Stiassny, R. A. M. Silvano, D. B. Fitzgerald, F. M. Pelicice, A. A. Agostinho, L. C. Gomes, J. S. Albert, E. Baran, M. Petrere-Júnior, C. Zarfl, M. Mulligan, J. P. Sullivan, C. C. Arantes, L. M. Sousa, A. A. Koning, D. J. Hoeinghaus, M. Sabaj, J. G. Lundberg, J. Armbruster, M. L. Thieme, P. Petry, J. Zuanon, G. T. Vilara, J. Snoeks, C. Ou, W. Rainboth, C. S. Pavanelli, A. Akama, A. van Soesbergen & L. Saenz, 2016. Balancing hydropower and biodiversity in the Amazon, Congo, and Mekong. Science 351: 128–129.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zaret, T. M., 1977. Inhibition of cannibalism in Cichla ocellaris and hypothesis of predator mimicry among South American fishes. Evolution 31: 421–437.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, Brazil (PhD scholarship for LNS, code 210199/2006-7; grant for AAA, code 478541/2004-0) and the Program Alßan of the European Union (High Level Fellowship Program for Latin America, scholarship for LNS). Further financial support was provided by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (projects CGL2015-69311-REDT and CGL2016-80820-R), the Government of Catalonia (ref. 2014 SGR 484), the European Comission (COST Action TD1209), and particularly the CAPES (Programa Pesquisador Visitante Especial, ref. 88881.068352/2014-01). The authors would like to specially thank F. Gomes, S. Lourenço and J. Oliveira for essential fieldwork assistance and L.A. Braga Grande, R. Bichara and R. Rocha (Light S.E.S.A.) for infrastructure and operational support.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Theoretical and Applied Ichthyology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro State - UNIRIO, Av. Pasteur, 458 - Urca, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP: 22290-255, Brazil

    Luciano N. Santos

  2. Department of Biology/NUPELIA, Maringá State University, Maringá, Paraná, Brazil

    Angelo A. Agostinho

  3. Department of Zootechny and Sustainable Socioenvironmental Development, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Alejandra F. G. N. Santos

  4. GRECO, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, University of Girona, 17003, Girona, Catalonia, Spain

    Emili García-Berthou

Authors
  1. Luciano N. Santos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Angelo A. Agostinho
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Alejandra F. G. N. Santos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Emili García-Berthou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Luciano N. Santos.

Additional information

Handling editor: Sidinei Magela Thomaz

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Santos, L.N., Agostinho, A.A., Santos, A.F.G.N. et al. Reconciliation ecology in Neotropical reservoirs: can fishing help to mitigate the impacts of invasive fishes on native populations?. Hydrobiologia 826, 183–193 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-018-3728-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-018-3728-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation