Novel Fish Predator Causes Sustained Changes in Its Prey Populations
Ecosystems are simultaneously regulated by bottom-up (resources) and top-down forces (predators). However, because predator-prey interactions operate on spatial scales beyond the reach of manipulative experimentation, the actual roles of predators remain poorly understood. In ecosystems where predat...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.849878/full |
| _version_ | 1818200906746822656 |
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| author | Kristiina Nõomaa Jonne Kotta Robert Szava-Kovats Kristjan Herkül Redik Eschbaum Markus Vetemaa |
| author_facet | Kristiina Nõomaa Jonne Kotta Robert Szava-Kovats Kristjan Herkül Redik Eschbaum Markus Vetemaa |
| author_sort | Kristiina Nõomaa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Ecosystems are simultaneously regulated by bottom-up (resources) and top-down forces (predators). However, because predator-prey interactions operate on spatial scales beyond the reach of manipulative experimentation, the actual roles of predators remain poorly understood. In ecosystems where predators are naturally absent, biological invasions provide a unique experiment to shed light on the large-scale and long-term effects of predators in the recipient ecosystem. We combined data from long-term benthic monitoring, environmental conditions, and a census of round goby population to identify changes in the dominant benthic bivalve population (Mytilus trossulus and Macoma balthica) following round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) invasion. This study demonstrates a substantial change in the food web, with earlier primarily bottom-up regulated communities facing strong top-down control effects. The introduction of a novel predator to a species-poor ecosystem substantially reduced dominant invertebrate populations in a large part of the study area, sometimes with a time lag of 1−3 years. In general, the effects were less in high productivity areas. In some cases, community recovery was observed but rarely to pre-invasion levels, raising the question of the ability of bivalve communities to act as a natural filter. This study demonstrates long-term trends in benthic communities and by excluding possible effects due to the changing environment provides more evidence that invasive species transform coastal ecosystems over time and space. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T02:45:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-07cdcab0433a4e16b915a7770237945b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-7745 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T02:45:06Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Marine Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-07cdcab0433a4e16b915a7770237945b2022-12-22T00:41:03ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452022-05-01910.3389/fmars.2022.849878849878Novel Fish Predator Causes Sustained Changes in Its Prey PopulationsKristiina NõomaaJonne KottaRobert Szava-KovatsKristjan HerkülRedik EschbaumMarkus VetemaaEcosystems are simultaneously regulated by bottom-up (resources) and top-down forces (predators). However, because predator-prey interactions operate on spatial scales beyond the reach of manipulative experimentation, the actual roles of predators remain poorly understood. In ecosystems where predators are naturally absent, biological invasions provide a unique experiment to shed light on the large-scale and long-term effects of predators in the recipient ecosystem. We combined data from long-term benthic monitoring, environmental conditions, and a census of round goby population to identify changes in the dominant benthic bivalve population (Mytilus trossulus and Macoma balthica) following round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) invasion. This study demonstrates a substantial change in the food web, with earlier primarily bottom-up regulated communities facing strong top-down control effects. The introduction of a novel predator to a species-poor ecosystem substantially reduced dominant invertebrate populations in a large part of the study area, sometimes with a time lag of 1−3 years. In general, the effects were less in high productivity areas. In some cases, community recovery was observed but rarely to pre-invasion levels, raising the question of the ability of bivalve communities to act as a natural filter. This study demonstrates long-term trends in benthic communities and by excluding possible effects due to the changing environment provides more evidence that invasive species transform coastal ecosystems over time and space.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.849878/fullBaltic Seabenthic communitiesinvasion ecologyround gobytop-down pressure |
| spellingShingle | Kristiina Nõomaa Jonne Kotta Robert Szava-Kovats Kristjan Herkül Redik Eschbaum Markus Vetemaa Novel Fish Predator Causes Sustained Changes in Its Prey Populations Frontiers in Marine Science Baltic Sea benthic communities invasion ecology round goby top-down pressure |
| title | Novel Fish Predator Causes Sustained Changes in Its Prey Populations |
| title_full | Novel Fish Predator Causes Sustained Changes in Its Prey Populations |
| title_fullStr | Novel Fish Predator Causes Sustained Changes in Its Prey Populations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Novel Fish Predator Causes Sustained Changes in Its Prey Populations |
| title_short | Novel Fish Predator Causes Sustained Changes in Its Prey Populations |
| title_sort | novel fish predator causes sustained changes in its prey populations |
| topic | Baltic Sea benthic communities invasion ecology round goby top-down pressure |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2022.849878/full |
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