Invasive Species Control: Predation on the Alien Crab Percnon gibbesi (H. Milne Edwards, 1853) (Malacostraca: Percnidae) by the Rock Goby, Gobius paganellus Linnaeus, 1758 (Actinopterygii: Gobiidae)

Francesco Tiralongo,Bianca Maria Lombardo,Giuseppina Messina

doi:10.3390/jmse9040393

Francesco Tiralongo, Bianca Maria Lombardo + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse9040393

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Abstract

Invasive alien species (IAS) are one of the greatest causes of native species extinction. Indeed, they represent a global threat for biodiversity and can also affect the economy and human health. The colonization success of IAS is presumably not only due to their biological and ecological characteristics, but also to the lack of predators and/or parasites in the invaded new areas. In the present work, we demonstrate evidence of predation of the invasive alien crab Percnon gibbesi (H. Milne Edwards, 1853) by the Rock Goby Gobius paganellus Linnaeus, 1758. The diet of G. paganellus was studied analyzing the stomach content of 162 specimens collected in the central Mediterranean Sea. The results obtained from the calculation of the diet indices, namely, frequency of occurrence (%F), percentage weight (%W), percentage abundance (%N), and the Index of Relative Importance (%IRI), showed that small benthic crustaceans were the main prey types. Additionally, these indices and the Levins’ index (Bi) clearly indicated that the invasive crab P. gibbesi was by far the most abundant prey type in the diet of G. paganellus. The relevance of this predator–prey interaction and the role of native species for the biological control of invasive ones are discussed. We also provide a general view on the diet of G. paganellus and other biological and ecological aspects of specimens studied from the central Mediterranean Sea.

Highlights

Non-indigenous species (NIS), and in particular invasive alien species (IAS), represent a serious threat to ecosystems’ integrity, interfering with key ecological processes
Values of %F, %W, %N, and %IRI indicated that P. gibbesi, which accounted for about one third of all prey items, was by far the most abundant prey type
Our study demonstrates how the native fish G. paganellus can prey on the invasive crab P. gibbesi, being able to contribute to the control of the population of this IAS in the Mediterranean Sea

Summary

Introduction

Non-indigenous species (NIS), and in particular invasive alien species (IAS), represent a serious threat to ecosystems’ integrity, interfering with key ecological processes. Several studies have demonstrated that IAS can reduce the abundance and presence of native species through predation or competition and can alter food webs and community structure [1,2] They are considered to be the greatest cause of native species extinctions after habitat destruction [3]. The dynamics of biological invasions are complex and often unclear, the results of several studies have suggested that areas with high species richness are more resistant to biological invasions than areas poor in species In the former areas, the scarce availability of a free ecological niche represents an obstacle to the spread of IAS, reducing the possibility of settlement and/or expansion. Coastal fish species can potentially play a key role in the predation of IAS

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