The vulnerability of whitefish ( Coregonus lavaretus ) to the invasive European catfish ( Silurus glanis ) in a large peri-Alpine lake

Archive ouverte

Vagnon, Chloé | Cattanéo, Franck | Goulon, Chloé | Guillard, Jean | Frossard, Victor

Edité par CCSD ; NRC Research Press -

International audience. The whitefish ( Coregonus lavaretus) is a core exploited species in numerous fisheries and the invasion of the European catfish ( Silurus glanis) in peri-Alpine lakes may represent an emergent threat to this salmonid. We aimed to assess the whitefish vulnerability to catfish in a French peri-Alpine lake (Lake Bourget) by combining diet analyses (metabarcoding), trophic link inferences from an allometric niche model (aNM), and the development of a predation risk metric derived from species depth matching and catfish energy demand. Whitefish DNA was found in 7% of catfish intestines, indicating a low but effective consumption. The aNM suggested that catfish (considering the current population size structure) may predate all whitefish life stages; though young-of-the-year (0 + , 5–20 cm) may be the most exposed to predation. 0 + had higher depth matching with catfish than other life stages, especially in summer when the catfish exhibit their highest energy demand, leading to an overall higher predation risk. Our results highlighted the effective consumption of C. lavaretus by S. glanis and its time and age-varying vulnerability, suggesting that S. glanis may represent a new growing threat to this salmonid in a global change context.

Consulter en ligne

Suggestions

Du même auteur

An allometric niche model for species interactions in temperate freshwater ecosystems

Archive ouverte | Vagnon, Chloé | CCSD

International audience. Trophic interactions are central in understanding ecosystem processes and the management of natural ecosystems but are frequently complex to estimate. To address this issue, body size has bee...

Combining food web theory and population dynamics to assess the impact of invasive species

Archive ouverte | Vagnon, Chloé | CCSD

International audience. The impacts of invasive species on resident communities are driven by a tangle of ecological interactions difficult to quantify empirically. Combining a niche model with a population dynamic ...

Persisting in extreme environments: What are the drivers of body conditions of introduced fish in high mountain lakes?

Archive ouverte | Vagnon, Chloé | CCSD

International audience. Abstract Salmonids are introduced in various ecosystems, including mountain lakes characterised by extreme environmental constraints. Although these constraints can affect salmonid body condi...

Chargement des enrichissements...