Microhabitat use and interspecific associations of introduced topmouth gudgeon Pseudorasbora parva and native fishes in a small stream

Abstract

To address a lack of information on topmouth gudgeon Pseudorasbora parva introduced to watercourses, the microhabitat use of this non‐native cyprinid and co‐existing native species was assessed in a small stream located in southern England. Overall, microhabitat use was size‐structured and significant associations were observed between topmouth gudgeon and native species, including brown trout Salmo trutta, chub Leuciscus cephalus, European bullhead Cottus gobio and stone loach Barbatula barbatula. Significant associations with environmental variables, however, were more frequent in native species than in topmouth gudgeon. Topmouth gudgeon demonstrated few habitat preferences, which were weak and limited to small specimens, emphasizing the species broad, plastic breadth of microhabitat use. This is expected to facilitate the species’ successful invasion of novel aquatic systems.