Does invader like invader? Feeding preferences of an alien Ponto-Caspian goby towards indigenous and non-indigenous amphipod prey

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event Does invader like invader? Feeding preferences of an alien Ponto-Caspian goby towards indigenous and non-indigenous amphipod prey Dagmara Błońska1*, Joanna Grabowska1, Jarosław Kobak2, Łukasz Jermacz2 and Karolina Bącela-Spychalska3 1 University of Lodz, Department of Ecology & Vertebrate Zoology, Poland 2 Nicolaus Copernicus University, Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Poland 3 University of Lodz, Department of Invertebrate Zoology and Hydrobiology, Poland When non-native species appear in a new ecosystem, it may sufficiently affect native communities i.a. through interactions with native as well as other alien species. The „invasional meltdown“ hypothesis states that the presence of non-indigenous species facilitates the introduction and establishment of the other non-native species. A series of laboratory experiments was conducted to test the occurence of the invasional meltdown phenomenon within the invasive Ponto-Caspian community. Preferences of an alien Ponto-Caspian racer goby, Babka gymnotrachelus, towards amphipod preys of the same origin (Dikerogammarus villosus, Pontogammarus robustoides) or a prey species native to the resident community (Gammarus fossarum) were verified. Additionally, we tested the profitability of native and invasive prey for fish in a growth experiment. Accordingly with the invasional meltdown hypothesis, we hypothesized that the racer goby would prefer Ponto-Caspian amphipods and that prey would be more beneficial than native ones, which should result in higher growth rate. We found that the racer goby always selected the native G. fossarum, regardless of the prey mobility, presence of shelters and waterborne chemical cues. Thus, the fish choice was based on the assessment of prey quality during a direct contact with amphipods. The growth experiment indicated that the racer goby grew better on the native gammarid compared to the Ponto-Caspian species. The outcome of our study does not support the invasional meltdown hypothesis within the goby – gammarids predator prey system, as the non-native prey species were neither prefered nor more profitable food for the alien predator. Thus, we found no evidence for facilitation of establishement between the studied taxa. Keywords: Babka gymnotrachelus, Invasional meltdown, invasive species, predator–prey relationship, prey quality Conference: XV European Congress of Ichthyology, Porto, Portugal, 7 Sep - 11 Sep, 2015. Presentation Type: Oral Presentation Topic: Ecology, Conservation and Invasive Species Citation: Błońska D, Grabowska J, Kobak J, Jermacz Ł and Bącela-Spychalska K (2015). Does invader like invader? Feeding preferences of an alien Ponto-Caspian goby towards indigenous and non-indigenous amphipod prey. Front. Mar. Sci. Conference Abstract: XV European Congress of Ichthyology. doi: 10.3389/conf.FMARS.2015.03.00130 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 25 Nov 2015; Published Online: 25 Nov 2015. * Correspondence: Ms. Dagmara Błońska, University of Lodz, Department of Ecology & Vertebrate Zoology, Lodz, Poland, dagmara@biol.uni.lodz.pl Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Dagmara Błońska Joanna Grabowska Jarosław Kobak Łukasz Jermacz Karolina Bącela-Spychalska Google Dagmara Błońska Joanna Grabowska Jarosław Kobak Łukasz Jermacz Karolina Bącela-Spychalska Google Scholar Dagmara Błońska Joanna Grabowska Jarosław Kobak Łukasz Jermacz Karolina Bącela-Spychalska PubMed Dagmara Błońska Joanna Grabowska Jarosław Kobak Łukasz Jermacz Karolina Bącela-Spychalska Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.