Abstract
The diet composition of an invasive population of Shimofuri goby (Tridentiger bifasciatus) was investigated bimonthly during the period from September 2015 through August 2016 in Nansi Lake, a storage lake of the East Route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project, China. The diet consists of a broad spectrum of prey items, including mollusca (Bellamya sp. and Physa sp.), aquatic insects (Odonata sp., Chironomidae sp., and Cirolanidae sp.), other macroinvertebrates (Nematoda sp. and Rhynchobdellida sp.), shrimp (Palaemon modestus and Gammarus sp.), fish (Rhinogobius giurinus and Tridentiger bifasciatus), fish eggs, and detritus. Dominant diets shifted from Rhynchobdellida sp. and unidentified digested food in July to P. modestus during September and November, and then shifted to both P. modestus and R. giurinus. Additionally, cannibalism was observed in March before spawning season of the goby, during which large males (SL > 70.0 mm) predated on small-sized ones. We suggest that broad spectrum of prey items and apparent seasonal shifting of dominant diets in the invasive goby fish, which might be an important mechanism favoring its successful invasion in water transfer system.
Highlights
Invasion of fish is a significant threat to biodiversity and the ecosystem in inland waters [1].Invasive success of a species is determined by its ability to tolerate and overcome various pressures of the new environment, which typically include the resource availability of the system
Specimens of Shimofuri goby collected in the Nansi Lake for life history traits analyzed in our previous study [18] were used for diet composition analysis in the present study
Our results showed that diets of the Shimofuri goby included eight categories from detritus to fish in Nansi Lake; and in association with the size increase, the fish diet shifted from small-sized macroinvertebrate to large-sized shrimp, and further to large-sized fish
Summary
Invasion of fish is a significant threat to biodiversity and the ecosystem in inland waters [1]. Invasive success of a species is determined by its ability to tolerate and overcome various pressures of the new environment, which typically include the resource availability of the system. Successful invaders are often characterized by high foraging efficiency and resource use [2]. Trophic interactions are a major way in which the invaders influence native species in the ecosystems through predation and competition [3]. Direct predation is a predominant mechanism through which invaders can dramatically decrease the population of indigenous species or even cause their extinction [4,5]. The invasion of Nile perch (Lates niloticus) in Lake Victoria caused the extinction of 60%
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