Abstract
Delta smelt are becoming harder and harder to find in the San Francisco Estuary. Some of the suspects in their disappearance are invasive fish species that were introduced from other places into the Estuary. These invasive fish can impact their new habitat by eating the native species that were originally there. However, it is hard to understand what the invasive fish are eating. We found that we can use the DNA in the stomachs of invasive fish to figure out what they have eaten. We caught a common invasive fish in the Estuary, called the Mississippi silverside, and analyzed the DNA from their stomachs to see if it matched delta smelt DNA. We discovered that some Mississippi silversides had delta smelt DNA in their stomachs! We therefore believe that Mississippi silversides are one of the culprits causing the disappearance of delta smelt.
Highlights
Delta smelt are becoming harder and harder to find in the San Francisco Estuary
Drought and warm water temperature are occurring more commonly in California due to climate change [ ] and these conditions reduce the ability of the delta smelt to survive and to lay eggs [ ]
We looked for delta smelt DNA in the stomachs of Mississippi silversides
Summary
An estuary is the final section of one or more freshwater rivers before they meet the salty ocean. Delta smelt are a small species of fish that only live in the Estuary and nowhere else in the world. They are silver and gray in color, grow to about – cm as adults (Figure A), and smell like cucumbers. Delta smelt can live in aquatic habitats with varying levels of saltiness. This makes the Estuary the perfect home for them [ ]. Delta smelt only live about – years and they are sensitive to environmental changes like drought and warm water temperature. The numbers of delta smelt have declined so much that they are protected under both the United States Federal Endangered Species Act and the State of California Endangered Species Act [ ]
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